Marion Garden Club visits Crab Orchard Refuge

MARION - Several members of the Marion Garden Club visited the Crab Orchard Refuge last Monday, June 18 to learn about the pollinator beds that were started and maintained by Friends of the Refuge.

Ricky Whitecotton and Kathy Belletire, a member of the Garden Club, spoke to the club about the beginnings of the project. Working with a blueprint designed by one of the volunteers, several beds were started, adding identification signs for each planting. The first year, the pollinators nearly stripped the plants clean and they worried that nothing would come back the next year. But the following years, plants did return, getting fuller each time.

This year, many pollinator eggs were observed, making this a success story. Over 1,500 milkweed plugs were set along with several trees thanks to grants received. Across the road, there is a large field that will be returned to a native prairie for visitors to enjoy. It is their hope that as you drive by the Pavilion area, the flags across the road will attract attention and people will stop to take a look, since this has previously been an unused area. The Friends of the Refuge goal is to improve the pollinator habitat and repair Harmony Trail.

Marion Garden Club has added and maintained a pollinator garden in the back area of Carnegie Library. This will be its third year and the plants are doing wonderfully well with lots of pollinators visiting. With the library's community garden in the same area, this is a nice place to sit.

After the visit, members returned to the Heartland Christian Church for a light lunch and a business meeting. Reports on conservation, horticulture and ornithology were given by various members. There was a wrap up report of the tour on June 9. A total of 174 people visited the seven gardens on the tour, and from comments received, all enjoyed themselves. Comment cards were filled out that day and a drawing was held afterward, with the winner receiving a gift certificate from Plantscape Nursery in Herrin.

Garden of the Month for June is Tom and Debby Dibble, 405 S. Russell St., Marion. You have one more week to enjoy the garden and then we will be picking the one for July. Tom and Debby have done a beautiful job of creating this well maintained garden.

The club is busy getting ready to host the Fall District VII meeting of Garden Clubs of Illinois in October and will participate in the Williamson County Fair in August.

Pictures are posted on the website from the tour, so if you did not get a chance to come on the 9th, you can still see some of the gardens and if you were with us, you may see your picture. Website is mariongardenclubofillinois.weebly.com. Next meeting will be at the Heartland Church on July 18 at 1 p.m. The program will be "Preparing Horticulture to show at the Fairs."

Visitors are welcome.