Library Commons Garden

Locally grown and sourced, native plants are adapted to our local climate, meaning they don’t need much extra care from us to thrive.

For instance, the rain that falls here is exactly the right amount of water they need so our garden doesn't need extra watering to thrive.

Native plants provide habitat, food and shelter for local wildlife and increase biodiversity 

• Native plants attract bumble bees, butterflies, and birds to the area.

• By providing a variety of native plant species, we can support the full life cycles of many native butterflies. For instance, most of our native caterpillars are dependent on very specific native plants for food, like the Monarch caterpillars, which can only eat Milkweed (Asclepias) found in our garden.

• Caterpillars are the main food source for songbirds in the spring to rear their young. More native plants mean more caterpillars, which support more songbirds!

• Many non-native plants are inedible to our native insects, which are the base of our local food web. When we use non-native plants in our gardens, we are creating a food desert that does not support the local ecology.

Native plants are just as beautiful as non-native landscape plants

• We are blessed with a wide variety of beautiful native plants to use in our gardens.

• Locally grown and locally sourced native plants can create beautiful gardens that are also ecologically functional.

• Using native plants in our gardens fosters a deeper appreciation for the beauty of our natural areas. 

• Many local nurseries now sell native plants.

The Library Commons Garden is free from pesticides and synthetic fertilizers

• Since our goal is to support local biodiversity, we use only natural gardening techniques to care for the gardens. 
• Pesticides and synthetic fertilizers are poisonous for local wildlife, as well as people.
• Native plants have evolved alongside our native insects for millennia, so there is already a balance in place. This reduces the need for pesticides.