Our Garden
Come visit the garden to see examples of host and nectar plants native to the Central Virginia Piedmont Region. With wildlife habitats declining and native pollinators disappearing at a rapid pace, learn how you can help by creating pollinator friendly gardens by using native plants in your home landscape.
In 1994, Fluvanna County purchased 960 acres of farm land that became Pleasant Grove Park. In 2015, the Fluvanna County Department of Parks and Recreation broke ground next to the Community Garden for a Pollinator Garden Project. The purpose of the Native Pollinator Garden (fondly nicknamed, The Butterfly Garden) is to be a model demonstration of landscaping with native plants and to provide opportunities for educational programs and events. The original plants were donated by the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (now DWR) and Will Shaw of the Virginia Native Plant Society. Over the years, many stakeholders have contributed to the garden including:
Virginia Dept. Of Agriculture
Fluvanna County Dept. Of Parks and Recreation
Fluvanna County Dept. Of Public Works
Fluvanna Public Schools (especially the 1st grade, 2015)
Virginia Tech, VCE and Fluvanna County Master Gardeners
Rivanna Master Naturalists
Tenaska Virginia Partners
The Rossnagel Family
Hands on Fluvanna
Bartlett Tree Experts
Native Plants in Our Garden
Brown-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia triloba)
American Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora)
Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum)
Beauty Berry (Callicarpa americana)
Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
Blazing Star (Liatris spicata)
Blue Mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum)
Blue Woody Aster (Xylorhiza glabriuscula)
Bushy Aster (symphyotrichum dumosum)
Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)
Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)
Canadian Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis)
Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)
Dwarf Golden Rod (Solidago nana)
Fleabane (Erigeron strigosus)
Garden Phlox (Phlox paniculata)
Golden Alexander (Zizia aurea)
Gray Beardtongue (Penstemon canescens)
Green-and-Gold (Chrysogonum virginianum)
Hyssop Leaf Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium hyssopifolium)
Jacob’s Ladder Red Bee Balm (Monarda didyma)
Lance-leafed Coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata)
Little Bluestem (Helictotrichon sempervirens)
Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum)
Narrow-leaved Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolium)
Native Red Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)
New Jersey Tea Plant (Ceanothus americans)
Obedient Plant (Physostegia Virginiana)
Ox-Eye Sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides)
Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
Rattlesnake Master (Eryngium yuccifolium)
Red Chokeberry (Prunus virginiana)
Scrubby St. John’s Wort (Hypericum prolifium)
Sedum (Autumn Joy) (Hylotelephium)
Smooth Blue Aster (Symphyotrichum laeve)
St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum)
Thimbleweed (Anemone virgiana)
Turtlehead (Chelone labra)
White Beardtongue (Pestemon digitalis)
Wild Basil (Clinopodium vulgare)
Wild Bergamot (Monarda Fistulosa)
Wild Blue Indigo (Baptisia australis)
Wild Geranium (geranium spp)
Wild Petunia (Ruellia humilis)
Wild Violet (Viola papilionacea)
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
Non-Native Plants in Our Garden
Foxglove (Digitalis)
Lamb’s Ear (Stachysbyzantina)
Lantana (Lantana camara)
Maltese Cross (Lychnis chalcedonica)
Parsley (Petroselinum crispum)
Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus)
Walker’s Catmint (Nepeta racemosa)
Zinnia (Zinnia elegans)