Free Native Garden Templates from PollinateHV
Just in time for planting season, PollinateHV launches a series of free garden designs for backyards, schools, libraries, municipalities, and more. Each of the eight new designs uses locally native plant species that support the Hudson Valley’s most vulnerable native pollinators. The designs suit a range of site conditions common to the Hudson Valley, from sunny borders to pond edges to shady woodlands, and all can be easily adapted to fit different spaces. Each design package can be printed at home and includes a full-color garden layout drawing, photo-based plant list, and seasonal bloom calendar.
“We are thrilled to add these design tools to our PollinateHV resource,” said Avalon Bunge, head of the PollinateHV program at Partners for Climate Action (PCA). “Since we launched PollinateHV in 2024, simple native garden designs that home gardeners can implement have been a constant request from our users. We can’t wait to see these gardens thriving in communities across the Hudson Valley.”
The design packages include borders that fit next to a building or beside a path, as well as “patch” gardens that can replace larger sections of lawn. PollinateHV encourages gardeners to get creative by repeating design “building blocks” to cover larger areas, or planting partial designs in smaller spaces. Those with existing gardens can use the templates to get ideas for native plants that grow well together and thrive in similar garden conditions, or to expand the bloom season of established plantings.
PollinateHV.org includes many more resources to help gardeners succeed with native, pollinator-friendly plantings, including a native nursery list, an ecological landscaper directory, and a comprehensive plant list detailing the connections between over 150 native plant species and the native bees, butterflies and moths that rely on them. The free online resource also includes step-by-step instructions for site preparation, planting, and maintenance, geared toward small gardens and large-scale wildflower meadows.
The new garden designs were created by PCA, Studio Hopeland, and Tiny Meadow Farm, and were made possible through generous funding from the New York Community Trust, the Office of the New York State Attorney General, and the New York Pollinator Conservation Fund.
