Pollinator garden sets roots in Portland

The Pollinator Garden on Keegan Hill in the Portland Air Line Trail begins to pop with flower blooms on March 18, 2023. The garden focuses on native plants (and also includes temporary winter protection from deer and other critters). 

Throughout 2022, visitors to the Air Line Trail in Portland, Connecticut witnessed the birth of a new garden for local pollinators.

As an official part of the Pollinator Pathway, the 10x15 foot growing area was completed in various stages: planning, ground prep and planting. Here's how it all came together.

Planning

Amy Jahnke, Vice President of Portland River Valley Garden Club, learned about the Pollinator Pathway during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. "I found myself with a lot of time I normally wouldn't have and took advantage of many online webinars. Our neighbors in Glastonbury hosted a speaker on the topic," she said. "I reached out to them for more information on how they got started and they were very supportive."

"Pollinators and native plants are both subjects I am very passionate about and I knew I wanted to start a pathway in Portland so I needed to learn as much as I could to pitch the idea to our club."

As part of that pitch, Amy shared the idea of finding a space in town that the garden club could maintain. One of the areas in town - The Portland Air Line - is part of the Town of Portland's Plan of Conservation and Development, and seemed like a possible spot that would work well for a future pollinator garden. 

Amy inquired with the Portland Air Line Trail committee if there would be interest in working together. Their answer: Yes.

Digging in

The committee invited Amy and a small group of garden club members to visit the Air Line Trail in early spring 2022 to view possible locations for the future garden. A spot along the top of Keegan Hill was marked off for development. 

The Air Line Trail members removed the first three inches of grass so amended soil could be brought in for native plants. Before the soil delivery, garden club members gathered extra pieces of cardboard to lay down on the exposed soil to provide a barrier against future weeds.

The next step was a coordinated soil delivery of 3 yards of leaf mold compost from a local nursery. Amy met the driver at the entrance gate and led the crew into the designated area to leave the soil. 

The soil remained in place throughout the hot summer with planting postponed until the fall. During this time, native plants were slowly acquired. 

"We chose plants that are native to our area and serve a purpose either as a host plant or food source," Amy explained. 

Planting Day

The majority of the native plants were added in early September, including shrubs such as Ninebark, Spicebush, Bayberry, High-bush Blueberry, and New Jersey Tea.

The garden club team periodically returned throughout the fall to check on the plants. They also continued to acquire plants throughout the fall, including Ironweed (the club's '2022 Plant of the Year') along with butterfly weed and blanket flower donated by the Middletown Garden Club (which also has a Pollinator Pathway Garden). 

"We also included a limited number of very early-blooming spring bulbs (crocus and winter aconite). Even though they are not native to the area, they do offer early blooms for early pollinators as we continue to grow and expand this garden," said Jen McGuinness, co-secretary of the club. "This garden will continue to grow as we see which plants work well in the location alongside the local wildlife."

Next Steps

"Our goal for this garden is to make it educational. We plan to label all the plants with a QR code linked to our website for more information," explained Amy. "I really enjoy spreading the word about planting with purpose and how adding some of these plants even on a small scale can help."

Rosario Rizzo of the Air Line Trail committee said the garden club's support of the Portland Air Line Trail is an example of what a "community partnership" can be. "These enhancements to the trail establish a sanctuary for wildlife, beauty for trail users and is a key element in state and regional recognition," he said. "The River Valley Garden Club's pollinator garden at the top of Keegan Hill, even in its infancy, has already attracted terrific compliments from those who use the trail."

"I'm really looking forward to the spring and seeing things fill in next year!" said Amy. "I hope people will notice the garden and want to get involved in adding more around town. Being a part of the pathway can mean anything from a pot on your front step, a corner of your yard, or a dedicated garden!"

Planting day at the Airline Trail, September 24, 2022.