Overall Rating Reporter - expired
Overall Score
Liaison Elizabeth Drake
Submission Date April 14, 2011
Executive Letter Download

STARS v1.0

Swarthmore College
Tier2-1: Native Plants

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete Reporter Nicole Lewis
Gardener
Grounds
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution prioritize the use of native plant species in landscaping?:
Yes

A brief description of the native plant program, policy, or practice:

The Scott Arboretum has adopted a proactive approach to treating invasive or potentially invasive plants in our collections. Consistent with Federal Executive Order #13112 we apply the following to evaluate plants for acquisition and deaccessioning:
* Prevent the introduction of invasive species
* Detect and control such species
* Monitor invasive species
* Educate the public on invasive species

While the Scott Arboretum is not exclusively a native plant garden, there are some garden spaces that feature native plants, such as the Glade Garden, the Biostream, the Pollinator Garden, and the Nason Garden.

A transitional garden, the Glade Garden connects the more manicured spaces of the Harry Wood Garden and Pollinator Garden with the natural woods beyond. The plantings are simple, including redbuds, mountain laurels, and deciduous azaleas. This garden of native species provides a thematic connection into the woods.

The design idea behind the Pollinator Garden was to create an outdoor space where students from the Biology Department could study birds and insects. This small courtyard garden was planted with shrubs and perennials especially suited for this purpose, including Echinacea and Eupatorium.

The Biostream is a naturalistic planting of flowering shrubs such as winterberry holly, red-stemmed dogwoods, and button bush (Cephalanthus) as well as perennials such as blue-flag iris and Joe Pye weed.


The website URL where information about the program, policy, or practice is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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