Elgin Recreation Center Pollinator Gardens
The Elgin Recreation Center was originally constructed in 2018 with the standard Texas landscaping of drought tolerant plants that offer little in the way of visual interest or support to local fauna. The monoculture of grey santolina blended in with the concrete and made the building a stark figure in the surrounding Elgin Memorial Park. As the home of the Elgin Parks & Recreation Department, this lack of biodiversity struck a jarring chord, urging staff and Rec Members to work together to transform the space from “traditional landscaping” to a biologically diverse, drought tolerant garden that supports pollinators and other wildlife. Not only did the staff of the Elgin Recreation Center want something attractive that better represented their commitment to our natural environment, but they also set the goal of creating a space that encouraged community members to become active environmental stewards at home.
Since the project to convert the existing landscape to a Pollinator Garden began in 2019, the Santolina, Brake-Light Agave and occasional Crepe Myrtles have been supplemented with Greggs Mistflower, Datura, Salvias, Bluebonnets and other native wildflowers as well as plants donated from the community such as Milkweed, Lantana, Plumbago, Cannas, Cosmos, Marigolds, and more. Staff and volunteers are focusing on including as many native plants in the Pollinator Garden as possible to ensure that native flora is represented but are accompanying these plants with adaptive plants that are of equal value as host plants or nectar plants to support the newly returned wildlife.