Oatland Island Wildlife Center's New Pollination Garden Explodes with Color

5/27/2009 10:51:00 AM

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The Garden was funded through a generous donation from the Garden Club of Savannah in 2008.

Oatland Island Wildlife Center's New Pollination Garden Explodes with Color
Oatland Island horticulturist, Holly Dunbar, has been very busy the past few months. Not only has she been weeding and pruning the many gardens at the Center, she has also been busy trying to identify the dozens of new species of insects, birds and other pollinators that have been drawn to Oatland Island Wildlife Center's new Pollination Garden.

"This is a great time of year to visit the garden. The flowers are in full bloom: red cannas, purple sage, golden lantana and, the butterflies are still outnumbering the mosquitoes!" said Dunbar. Featuring over 40 species of plants selected specifically for their ability to draw in butterflies, hummingbirds and other nectar loving species, the Garden was funded through a generous donation from the Garden Club of Savannah in 2008.

"We wanted to improve upon an already existing discovery garden and add a more full botanical experience for our many guests" said Dunbar. "We had an idea to add the pollination garden and the Garden Club was very excited to help fund the project." Oatland Island asked long-time Oatland Island supporters, John and Serena Nasworthy, for help in developing a layout for the garden. "John and Serena are professionals" said Chris Gentile, Oatland Island's Director "they owned and operated a very successful nursury on Wilmington Island for years. We knew they would come up with a great design."

With helping a hand from the Jr League of Savannah, the garden was designed and planted by the end of August. Usually it takes a few years for a pollination garden to mature, but with a lot of TLC, this one has blossomed much earlier than expected!

The Oatland Island Wildlife Center of Savannah is home to over 150 animals from 50 different species. The center is open daily from 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. and is located 5 miles east of Historic Downtown Savannah on President Street (Islands Expressway). The center is a unit of Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools.

For more information, contact the center at 395-1212 or visit their website at http://www.oatlandisland.org/.

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