Pollinator and Bird Garden
H.O. Smith Botanic Gardens at the Arboretum at Penn State
Institution Type:
Higher Education
Project Class:
Land Development, Classroom, Museum, Site Improvement
Project Delivery System:
General Contractor
Construction Type:
Addition
This 4.5 acre project expands the existing pollinators’ garden, nearly doubling the size of the H.O. Smith Botanical Gardens at the Arboretum at Penn State. The main goal of this project is to attract native pollinators to the campus.
Areas include a central sun garden with a raised corten disc as the focal point. There are habitat gardens that showcase native woodland, wetland, and meadow environments. A small pond with a natural stone terrace creates the wetlands area.
Research gardens create a working space for demonstrations and an observation pavilion for honeybees and bumblebees. A backyard pollinators garden provides a sustainable model garden that can be used in urban, suburban, and rural landscapes. Shade and evening gardens are made of a birch tree grove and various vining plants. Food gardens include a working honeybee hive display, hops tunnels, and fruit trees.
Space will be graded and reserved for a future bird garden to complement and work with the pollinator garden.
Work includes site demolition, major excavation, boulder retrieval, temporary fencing, changing soil depths, pond creation and plantings.
