Wildflowers Bloom and a New Garden is Planted in Rochester, Vermont

Staff have started a new native plant garden, are transforming an old one, and the Northeast Native Seed Initiative has begun.

A large wildflower patch was established at the Rochester Ranger District of the Green Mountain National Forest (GMNF) several years ago. Over the years, many visitors have commented on the beautiful wildflowers and number of bees visiting the garden. This year we began removing non-native plants, with the goal of eventually having all native species, with educational signs.

Adjacent to this, a new garden was started to display native plants of northern hardwoods forests. The site was prepared, several species were planted, and a shading structure was erected to protect the plants until suitable shade is established by newly planted trees.

To further develop the native plant program on the GMNF, we initiated formation of the Northeast Native Seed Initiative, a group of about 15 organizations from New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine who are interested in developing an ongoing supply of seeds of native species of local genotypes. A species list was developed, and preliminary plans for collecting and multiplying seeds have been discussed.

Many partners, both internal and external, have supported the garden projects. From within the Forest, support has been provided by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) technicians and the Eastern Region Winter Sports Team, as well as by seasonal botany staff. External partners include two Master Gardeners and one local volunteer. In addition, the staff members from local USFWS have asked us to work with them to develop their own garden at the White River National Fish Hatchery.