STATE COLLEGE — Spring has sprung, kicking off another gardening season for Centre County residents. For those looking to spruce up their yards and gardens, the Pennsylvania Native Plant Society is hosting the 2025 Central Pennsylvania Native Plant Festival and Sale at Millbrook Marsh Nature Center in State College.
At the festival, there will be more than 275 species of native plants available for guests to purchase, informational presentations for gardeners and plant enthusiasts, educational tables to get questions answered, locally prepared food for sale and live music from The River Band.
The festival and plant sale will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 3, with free admission. While no sales will be available before 10 a.m., Plants can be pre-ordered by contacting the vendor directly. A list of vendors and plants can be found online at panativeplantsociety.org.
“Native plants are crucial in maintaining diverse and productive ecosystems that every living organism on earth needs to survive. They are hosts for native pollinator reproduction; provide nectar for pollinators including hummingbirds, bees, butterflies, moths and bats; and provide habitat and a vital food source for many other animals,” The PA Native Plant Society noted in a press release.
“Native plants are healthier and stronger having evolved along with native wildlife — they grow in harmony with their environment.”
According to the Pennsylvania Native Plant Society, there are tremendous benefits to adding plants native to Pennsylvania to your home garden.
“Native plants are low maintenance, far less costly than nonnative turf grass and help the environment as they require much less or no watering, fertilizer, and pesticides and eliminate the need for mowers and other equipment,” the Pennsylvania Native Plant Society continued.
“Native gardens of any size in residential areas — even the smallest patches — form ‘conservation corridors’ that support wildlife.”
The Pennsylvania Native Plant Society is a volunteer and member-based nonprofit organization headquartered in State College.
The organization was founded in 1979 to advocate for the conservation of plants and habitats native to the state as well as the promotion of the increased use of native plants.
“Native plants support pollinators and birds, are adapted to the growing conditions where you live, and are vital to the sustainability of our native flora and fauna,” the Pennsylvania Native Plant Society said.
“Native plants include all kinds of plants from mosses, lichen and ferns to wildflowers, shrubs and trees. Many non-native plants are also invasive and crowd out our native plant species.”
