by Hannah Bement

Scientific Programs Coordinator

Making Trash Bloom is an initiative to help landfills establish native plants on closed trash mounds instead of using ecologically worthless plants like turfgrass or other invasives. This summer, the Sustainability Matters Science Team is making weekly visits to experimental plantings at the Shenandoah County Landfill to collect data on their establishment, germination, and use by pollinators. I hope that you will follow along with me as I share a little bit of what’s blooming each week. These native plants are not only great at turning landfills into wildlife pollinator oases - but are great choices for your yard as well! Look below to see what’s blooming and click the images to learn more. Thank you for planting native!