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<DIV><STRONG><FONT face="Trebuchet MS" color=#49809d>forwarded from Pennsylvania
Native Plant Society</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face="Trebuchet MS" color=#49809d size=4>Garden expo to
feature largest indoor native plant display in Mid-Atlantic
region</FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV>A nearly 4,000-square-foot Home Habitat Garden built by DCNR and other
conservation partners will be one of the showcase gardens at the Pennsylvania
Garden Expo, March 10-13, 2005 at the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg.
<DIV>Designed to demonstrate how easily native Pennsylvania plants can be used
in home landscapes, the Home Habitat Garden features a bird sanctuary, butterfly
and bee niche, a pond, a rain barrel and rain garden, and landscaping with
native stones and materials.
<DIV>“This is our biggest and best display of native plants to date,” said DCNR
Secretary Michael DiBerardinis. “Thanks to contributors and our conservation
partners, we are able to show homeowners that landscaping with native plants not
only is good for species and the environment, it also reduces the need for
excessive maintenance.”
<DIV>Patrons enter the exhibit through a mission-style home front built by
DCNR’s Penn Nursery. The “backyard” of the home features native plants that are
well-suited for the region’s climate and soils, thereby reducing the need for
supplemental watering and fertilizing.
<DIV>Native plants are more resistant to diseases, pests or physiological
disorders. And because the native species are a part of a larger biological
community, they create the foundation for a healthy, diverse backyard habitat.
<DIV>To help educate homeowners on “what not to plant,” the garden display
features a section called Invasive Alley, featuring those plants that spread
rapidly and multiple in the wild, displacing native species.
<DIV>The garden also feature s display of garden art—sculptures that complement
the plants and natural materials.
<DIV>The Home Habitat Garden is designed, constructed and sponsored by DCNR,
Audubon Pennsylvania, the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, the Pennsylvania Fish
and Boat Commission, the Pennsylvania Game Commission and Debra Kirkpatrick of
Landscape Architectural Design.
<DIV>Admission for the show is $10; children under 12 are free. Hours are from
10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. March 10-12, until 6 p.m. on March 13. For more
information, log on to www.pagardenexpo.com.
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