Milkweed flowers (Photo courtesy Keith Carver)
Spring is in the air, and that means garden time! Organic perennials from Rebel Hill Farm can help create inviting habitat for the natural community on homeowners’ land. Those interested should come by Midcoast Conservancy, 290 Route 1 in Edgecomb on Saturday, May 25 between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., when Rebel Hill Farm growers will be on hand to help with picking the right plants.
Why choose native plants? Native plant expert Doug Tallamy advises replacing unnecessary lawn with densely planted woodlots that can serve as habitat for local biodiversity. Homeowners can do this by planting the borders of their properties with native trees plants.
Julie and Peter Beckford, of Rebel Hill Farm in Liberty, raise field-grown perennials, with a focus on native plants and medicinal herbs. Their plants are certified organic and necessarily hardy. The Beckfords believe the plants gardeners choose to grow matter a lot to wildlife and the surrounding natural areas. Of particular interest to them this year is the recent addition of the rusty patch bumblebee to the endangered species list. They encourage gardeners to plant many of the beautiful flowers used by local pollinators, caterpillars, and birds. Native, as they use the term, means: growing in central or eastern North America prior to European settlement. Beyond that, they distinguish plants that are Maine natives.
Besides selling to area markets, Rebel Hill Farm holds a number of sales where they enjoy helping gardeners find the plants that will best suit particular conditions.
A list of available plants is on the website. Preordering is possible, and advisable. For more information, go to midcoastconservancy.org/events/native-plant-sale-2 or call 389-5150.
