Native Plants at Wright Library
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Funding & Support
We give thanks to our generous financial supporters and numerous volunteers: Four Seasons Garden Club, MOMs of Oakwood, Girl Scouts of America, Wright Memorial Public Library Foundation, Montgomery County, Green Oakwood, Dayton Area Wild Ones.
About Wright Library's Native Plant Gardens
Two gardens featuring Ohio's indigenous plants were established on the site of the Wright Library in Spring 2022. The project grew out of support from local civic groups and individuals energized by the library's Ecology & Nature programs and the idea of adding native plants in a suburban landscape to support local and migrating pollinators and birds. A great deal of inspiration and guidance came from the 2021 Community Read of the book Nature's Best Hope by Douglas Tallamy.
Native Pollinator Sun Garden
Located on the southeast corner of the library (near Telford Avenue), the Native Pollinator Sun Garden consists of over 40 different plant species and qualifies as a Monarch Waystation Habitat. Signs within the garden educate on the importance of pollinators and the benefits of including native plants in the urban landscape. [Plant List PDF]
The library continues to gather community support, create community partnerships, locate funding, and add to the garden. Green Oakwood, a local citizen group focused on sustainability, as well as the Dayton native plant nursery Tadmor Greenes have been heavily involved in the progress. The sun garden is a combined effort of Wright Library, OSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteers (OSUE MGV); Dayton Area Wild Ones; Oakwood Girl Scout Lilly Rich; and Green Oakwood.
Native Shade Garden
Located on the northeast side of the library (near Aberdeen Avenue), the Native Plant Shade Garden features over 35 different plant species that thrive in shadier spaces. A Serviceberry tree is surrounded by native bushes and a variety of Ohio’s beautiful spring ephemerals, wildflowers, and groundcovers. [Plant List PDF]
Volunteers aligned with the mission bring a depth of knowledge and commitment to the shade garden development and community education: Greater Dayton Partners for the Environment, Green Oakwood, MEEC (Marianist Environmental Education), Tadmor Greenes, and Dayton Area Wild Ones.