Beyond Beauty: The Wildlife Value of Natives and Native Cultivars in Mt. Cuba Center’s Trial Garden

Join Sam Hoadley, the Manager of Horticultural Research at Mt. Cuba Center, as he highlights native plant species and cultivars from Mt. Cuba’s trials that will make beautiful and ecologically valuable additions to your garden. Take a deep dive into the insect and pollinator observations from the concluded evaluations of Monarda, Phlox, Echinacea, wild hydrangea, Vernonia, and Solidago and get a preview of the pollinator data from ongoing trials including oakleaf hydrangeas and Pycnanthemum. In addition, get a sneak peek at the Asclepias trial which is being evaluated for both pollinator value and for its capacity as a larval host plant for monarch caterpillars.

Sam Hoadley is the Manager of Horticultural Research at Mt. Cuba Center where he evaluates native plant species, old and new cultivars, and hybrids in the Trial Garden. Sam earned his degree in Sustainable Landscape Horticulture from the University of Vermont. You can learn more about Sam and Mt. Cuba’s Center by visiting their website to access resources including free downloadable reports, sortable plant spreadsheets, and educational classes.

This lecture is hosted in partnership with Trees Atlanta.

Free and open to the public. No registration is required. This program will be live streamed on the Garden’s Facebook. If you have any questions or concerns about this program, please contact classes@atlantabg.org.

The Philip and Elkin Alston Lecture Series is made possible by generous support from the estate of Elkin Goddard Alston.