Pollinator Pathway
Amesbury
Thank you for your interest in Amesbury Eco Gardeners! We are residents of Amesbury, MA dedicated to promoting the benefits and joy of gardening with native plants. Gardening with native plants is critically important, and we provide information, encouragement and support to our community so that we can expand pollinator habitat throughout greater Amesbury.
Each one of us can make a difference!
Planting an ecological garden is something that each one of us can do to help the world around us. Adding just a few native plants to your garden can cost very little money, will have an (almost) immediate and positive impact on the local environment, and will just as quickly bring you beauty and joy as your garden comes alive with birds, butterflies and other insects. Explore the links above to learn more about why gardening with native plants is so important.
Interested in learning more? Unsure how to get started? We welcome everyone to learn about ecological gardening with us. Please reach out to us at amesburyecogard@yahoo.com with questions or if you would like to be on our mailing list.
Follow us on Instagram @amesburyecogardeners
Please explore the links at the top of this page to learn more about ecological gardening. Other helpful resources are listed below.
Grow Native Massachusetts. A great organization with a great website. Check out their Resources page. www.grownativemass.org
Wild Seed Project. Based in Maine, especially good for learning about planting from seed. www.wildseedproject.net
Home Grown National Park. A national project led by Doug Tallamy. West Newbury Wild and Native. An amazing local resource. Bringing Nature Home by Douglas Tallamy. If you are going to read only one book, this should be it. Video presentation by Doug Tallamy (27 minutes long) ‘Natures Best Hope.’ A summary of why planting native plants in our gardens is important. On You Tube. www.homegrownnationalpark.org
West Newbury Wild and Native. An amazing local resource. www.wnwildnative.org
How to Start
Add Native Plants. Start by adding just a few native plants to your garden, porch or patio. There is always a native plant that will suit your particular situation: from flowers in a window box or container, to plants, shrubs, or trees in a front or backyard.
Avoid Chemicals. Reduce or eliminate the use of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers: these kill our pollinators and damage our soils.
Rethink the Lawn. Most of our lawns are bigger than they need to be, and provide no food or shelter for our pollinators. Think about portions of your lawn that could be native plants or groundcover, instead.
Leave some Leaves. Ease up on the Fall clean up-some of our most beautiful pollinators shelter in the leaves over the winter. Don’t rush into the Spring clean up-pollinators take their time waking up.
Manage the Invasives. Invasives are aggressive, non-native plants that can take over entire landscapes. Learn how to identify and manage them.
Turn Off Outdoor Lights. Lights left on after dark are highly detrimental to pollinators. Use motion detection timers to limit lighting to times when it is necessary.