Discover ways to support pollinators in your own yard with Patti Schildkamp, Penn State Master Gardener and Pennsylvania Master Naturalist.

Turn your garden into a healthy habitat for bees and other pollinators! Learn why the interaction between pollinators with flowering plants is so important for the pollinators, the plants, and us. You will review what pollen and nectar are and which insects and animals can be considered pollinators. At the end of this presentation, you will learn how to attract these pollinators and how to keep them in your new, beautiful garden year-round.

Then, learn about preparing a garden bed with the no dig, no till Lasagna Method. Patti will offer some easy techniques that anyone can use in the fall to prepare a garden bed. Using the Lasagna Method, there is no need to dig in hard clay soil and then worry about how plants will even grow in it. Participants will also learn how the original Lasagna Method can be adapted to start your garden in the spring.

About the Presenter

Patti Schildkamp has been a Penn State Master Gardener since the spring of 2016 and a Pennsylvania Master Naturalist since 2021. She certified her landscape as a Penn State Pollinator-Friendly Garden; an Audubon Society of Western PA Backyard Habitat (Hero Status); and a Monarch Watch Waystation. She is also an independent member of the Westmoreland Pollinator Partners. She is still continuously learning about plants and insects, especially native plants that attract pollinators and the importance of all beneficial insects to improve our ecosystem.

Plan Your Visit

This program will be held in the Museum classroom at West Overton Village. Accessing the classroom requires stairs and we are currently fundraising for an elevator. Please register for the program in advance.

About this Program

This educational program is part of our Restoring Native Plants and Historic Gardens initiative.

Restoring Native Plants and Historic Gardens at West Overton Village and Museum was financed in part by a grant from the Community Conservation Partnerships Program Environmental Stewardship Fund under the administration of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Recreation and Conservation administered through the Pennsylvania Environmental Council’s Laurel Highlands Mini Grant Program.