Hingham Land Conservation Trust Begins Work on a Demonstration Native Pollinator Garden

May 4, 2020 submitted by Eileen McIntyre, Chair, Hingham Land Conservation Trust

Pictured above, HLCT Board Members Don Kidston and Art Collins at work. Photo courtesy of Eileen McIntyre.

The Hingham Land Conservation Trust (HLCT) Board of Trustees made important decisions about programs originally planned for this spring. As announced to supporters in a letter this week,

• The HLCT annual meeting has been rescheduled for September 23rd, at 7 PM in the Whiton Room at the Hingham Public Library.
• The public health emergency made it necessary to cancel the HLCT Spring Walk, which would have taken place on May 2^nd. But the HLCT expects to replicate the planned walk – designed to spotlight work underway to restore the Weir River herring run – in Spring 2021.

Happily, one 2020 HLCT initiative that required prep work this spring has moved forward. You will hear more about our new Demonstration Native Pollinator Garden Project at the HLCT annual meeting in September. We are excited, though, to report on progress already made.

The project formally began when HLCT Board Vice Chair Art Collins, with the support of Loni Fournier of the Hingham Conservation Commission, made our presentation in January to the Bare Cove Park Committee, seeking permission to establish a demonstration native pollinator garden for the Town, in a prominent location that was previously a cultivated garden at Bare Cove Park. Art describes the HLCT goals of the initiative: “This native pollinator garden can showcase the beauty of native pollinator-friendly plants, and as the project moves forward we will educate Hingham residents about the important benefits of converting portions of their yards to such plantings, which reduce the need for fertilizer and pesticides, lower water use because native plants are adapted to the local climate, and support pollinators, whose numbers have been dropping precipitously due to habitat destruction.”  The HLCT proposal was met with enthusiasm and the wholehearted endorsement of the Bare Cove Park Committee, whose Chair, Ted Matthews, said: “The Triangle Garden is an ideal location and we are happy to partner with the land trust to bring this pollinator garden to life.”

Planning for the native pollinator garden project has continued as a collaborative effort. The HLCT has received hands-on support from the Bare Cove Park Committee; along with the local chapter of the native plant educational organization known as “Wild Ones,” led by Britt Drews of Hingham, co-president of Wild Ones, Massachusetts; and Hingham High School botany teacher Katie Roberts. Under Katie’s supervision, Hingham High School Botany Club members planted seeds for the project this winter in the school greenhouse. (Katie took the seedlings to her home for continued care when school closed due to the public health emergency.) We also ordered seedlings of native pollinator plants to supplement those being grown from seed.

In early April, garden preparation began when a hard-working team of several HLCT Board Members, assisted by Ted Matthews, all practicing social distancing, cleared the inner portions of the Triangle Garden—the first area of focus for our native pollinator garden.

Providing invaluable help was Bare Cove Park Ranger Scott McMillan, who hauled away non-native invasive plants and weeds removed from the site. Temporary signage was posted so that walkers in Bare Cove Park would have an initial understanding of the activity underway.

Later in the month, working as individuals and two-person teams, HLCT board members Art Collins, Helmut Fickenwirth, and Don Kidston, tilled and raked, laid out wet cardboard, and spread composted leaf mulch supplied by Hingham’s DPW.

Special thanks go to Scott McMillan for sourcing the mulch, as well as the cardboard (recycled appliance boxes from George Washington Toma.) Next step: some temporary fencing will be installed to protect the seedlings, which will be planted in May with the assistance of volunteers from the Wild Ones. "Our Wild Ones - South Shore chapter is thrilled to participate in this project,” said Britt Drews. “Native plants thrive here, generally need no supplemental water once established, and most importantly are the only source of food for the larval stage of about 90% of native insects. In addition, these beneficial and important insects feed our beautiful songbirds! We look forward to seeing this wonderful project grow and thrive."

All of the May planting activities are being planned with precautions including social distancing. By summer, the HLCT will be looking for volunteers to help with scheduled watering of the new plantings. Meanwhile, if you are out walking at Bare Cove Park, take a look at the site as work progresses.