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A nearly 4,000-square-foot Home Habitat Garden built by conservation partners will be one of the showcase gardens at the Pennsylvania Garden Expo, March 10-13, 2005 at the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg.

Designed to demonstrate how easily native Pennsylvania plants can be used in home landscapes, the Home Habitat Garden features a bird sanctuary, butterfly and bee niche, a pond, a rain barrel and rain garden, and landscaping with native stones and materials. “This is our biggest and best display of native plants to date,” said Michael DiBerardinis. “Thanks to contributors and our conservation partners, we are able to show homeowners that landscaping with native plants not only is good for species and the environment, it also reduces the need for excessive maintenance.”

Patrons enter the exhibit through a mission-style home front built by DCNR’s Penn Nursery. The “backyard” of the home features native plants that are well-suited for the region’s climate and soils, thereby reducing the need for supplemental watering and fertilizing.

Native plants are more resistant to diseases, pests or physiological disorders. And because the native species are a part of a larger biological community, they create the foundation for a healthy, diverse backyard habitat.

To help educate homeowners on “what not to plant,” the garden display features a section called Invasive Alley, featuring those plants that spread rapidly and multiple in the wild, displacing native species.

The garden also feature s display of garden art—sculptures that complement the plants and natural materials.

The Home Habitat Garden is designed, constructed and sponsored by DCNR, Audubon Pennsylvania, the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, the Pennsylvania Game Commission and Debra Kirkpatrick of Landscape Architectural Design.

Admission for the show is $10; children under 12 are free. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. March 10-12, until 6 p.m. on March 13. For more information, log on to www.pagardenexpo.com

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NOTE to my readers: We provide resource links to help you protect and nurture your natural resources. Tip: when you contact suppliers in person, online, by phone or email...please ask them about alternatives that are sustainable, green, or habitat-healthy. By asking, we advocate for better protection of our natural resources. Thank you, Carolyn.