Come celebrate the arrival of spring, the return of wildflowers, and the beginning of another gardening season at the Central Pennsylvania Native Plants Festival at Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center! Sponsored by PNPS and Shaver's Creek Environmental Center in conjunction with the Penn State Extension Master Gardeners. This is our second year of partnering with Shaver’s Creek. Come on out for a hike, a picnic…and enjoy one of the scheduled educational walk/programs on native plant gardening. In addition to expert speakers, there will be native plants for sale; local seasonal prepared foods and breads for sale; and educational resource tables where you can have native plant and gardening questions answered. Admission to the festival is free but please come prepared to support one of our vendors through purchases of plants and/or food.

Schedule of events:

10 am - Plant and food sales begin
11 am - Guest speaker (lower classroom): Gardening for pollinators

Presented by Pam Ford and members of the Penn State Master Gardener Program.
The numbers of both native pollinators and domesticated bee populations are declining. As homeowners and gardeners, we can take a proactive role in conserving and enhancing pollinators by taking steps to help pollinator populations thrive. Penn State Extension Master Gardeners of Centre County will demonstrate what we can do to help support pollinators’ need for habitat. By adding plants to the landscape that provide food and shelter for pollinators, and by adopting pollinator friendly landscape practices, we can make a difference to both the pollinators, and the people that rely on them.

12:30 Guided plant walk: A tour of the Shaver’s Creek native plant gardens

Led by Eric Burkhart, Plant Science Program Director with Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center.
Eric will lead a ~60 minute leisurely stroll throughout the Shaver's Creek front yard gardens to introduce attendees to some of the more showy and non-fussy Pennsylvania native plants that can be used in urban or rural landscapes.

2 pm Guided plant walk: Attracting birds to your landscape using native plants

Led by Stan and Alice Kotala, naturalists and board members for Juniata Valley Audubon (www.jvas.org).
Stan and Alice will lead a ~45 minute leisurely stroll throughout the Shaver's Creek grounds while discussing native plants and their role in attracting birds to your yard by providing both food and shelter.

3 pm Vendor sales end

Additional Featured Educational Opportunities:

All day Native plant gardening resource tables

Have any gardening or native plant gardening questions? Wonder which native plants to put in your yard or landscape? Stop by informational tables featuring PA Native Plant Society board members, Penn State Master Gardener volunteers….and other knowledgeable folks who will be happy to talk with you and gardening and native plants.

All day Edible native plants and mushrooms information tables

Chat with knowledgeable folks about native plant and mushroom foraging! Seasonal items like wild leeks (ramps) and morels will be available to look at. Featuring guest forager and wild food purveyor Tom Patterson of Wildpurveyors.com.

1:00-3:00 Meet the Shaver’s Creek birds of prey programs

An opportunity to see some of our resident raptors up close and learn some interesting facts from Shaver's Creek expert volunteers Carolyn and Rodney. You will have opportunities to touch raptor wings and talons as well as to ask questions.

Plant vendors:

• Go Native Tree Farm, Lancaster, PA (http://www.gonativetrees.com/)
• Keystone Wildflowers, Robesonia, PA (keystonewildflowers.com)
• Spring Haven Nursery, Newburg, PA (springhavennatives.com)
• Perennial Gardens, New Bloomfield, PA
• Moonstruck Gardens, State College, PA
• Sammis Greenhouses, Centre Hall, PA
• Common Ground Organic Farm (http://www.americantowns.com/pa/springmills/organization/common-ground-organic-farm)

Food vendors:

• Eden View Organics, Tyrone, PA (edenvieworganics.com)
• McAlevy Bakery of McBurney Manor, McAlevy’s Fort, PA (mcburneymanor.com)

Other vendors:

The Soap Sprite, Darlene McNeal, Pennsylvania Furnace, PA (soapsprite.com)

Click here for a printout of events

Click here for directions to Shaver's Creek