Elgin unveils its first pollination garden and plans 5 more

Milkweed and other native plants swayed in the light breeze off the Fox River Tuesday evening as members of Elgin’s Sustainability Commission joined city officials and residents in celebrating the city’s first pollination garden.

Part of the Rooted in Elgin project, the garden is the first in the commission’s plan to establish six similar pollination gardens throughout the city, including one near Elgin’s post office, where there’s little landscaping.

“We’re working as much as we can this year while it’s still planting season,” commission co-chair Leslie Porter said.

City crews have already put in eco-friendly native plants like milkweed at Pioneer Park, southwest side of Kimball Street and the Fox River Bike Trail, she said. Additional native plants were placed in spots along the Fox River with plaques explaining the plant’s benefits.

Besides requiring less water, native plants reduce pollution, support pollinators like bees and butterflies, and create a habitat for birds and other wildlife, according to Elgin’s website.

“The idea behind this project is pretty simple. You don’t need a huge amount of space to make a big impact,” Porter said. “These are little spots that will attract pollinators, connect to each other and make a bigger impact on our sustainability.

“Just a few plants give the butterflies and pollinators a place to live, to breed and to eat. It keeps the ecosystem going,” she said. “(They) are critical to a healthy ecosystem; we want to make them welcome here.”

Another perk of such gardens is, unlike lawns, you don’t have to mow them to maintain them, she said.

Mayor Dave Kaptain, who spoke at the ribbon-cutting event, said he and Councilman John Steffen started talking about exploring sustainability options nearly 20 years ago.

At the time “nobody had an idea of what it was,” Kaptain said. After nothing came of the city hiring a consultant to help with the concept, he and Steffen went to the council. “We said we think we can do this ourselves.”

When they announced plans to seek volunteers for the new Sustainability Commission, 120 people responded, the mayor said.

Since then, the group has worked on countless projects with the mission of engaging the community by promoting environmental stewardship, energy conservation and community education, according to the city’s website.

The event Tuesday served as an opportunity to provide education about pollination gardens. Commission members provided information sheets, free seeds and advice on how to start one to those in attendance.

Creating a pollinator garden can be intimidating, Kaptain acknowledged.

“Everybody is a little scared of doing a garden like this,” he said. “We are all used to using the things people (always) did. You plant impatiens. You plant geraniums. That’s what your mothers and grandmothers did. This is different. These are wildflowers.”

He encouraged Elginites to give it a try.

“When you see the incredible variety of bees, butterflies and caterpillars you will get in a garden like this, it’s worth it,” Kaptain said.

Elgin is making it easier to afford to plant such gardens through a pilot project called Pollinators at Home. It provides grant money to help residents replace traditional turf grass with native landscaping. Eligible homeowners can receive up to $300 in reimbursement for approved native plants and multiple purchases.

Funding is available on first-come, first-served basis until Dec. 31. For more information, go to elginil.gov/2469/Sustainability.

Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The (Elgin) Courier-News