native Archives - Sustainable Saratoga

Press Release: Pollinator Palooza 2026

Caroline Rothaug — Wed, 13 May 2026 18:16:32 +0000

PRESS RELEASE – For immediate release May 13, 2026

Turn Your Yard into a Pollinator Paradise: Sustainable Saratoga Hosts Annual Pollinator Palooza Native Plant Sale on May 30

Media Contact: Caroline Rothaug (caroline@sustainablesaratoga.org)

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY – As the Capital Region bursts into bloom, Sustainable Saratoga invites the community to give back to the bees, butterflies, and birds that keep our ecosystem humming. The annual Pollinator Palooza Native Plant Sale returns on Saturday, May 30, 2026, offering gardeners of all skill levels the chance to bring home locally-grown treasures that do more than just look beautiful.

From 10 am to 3 pm at Oligny’s Country Gardens in Gansevoort, the greenhouse will be overflowing with over 30 varieties of native perennials—from the vibrant Cardinal Flower to the whimsically named Obedient Plant. Each plant has been lovingly raised by Sustainable Saratoga volunteers specifically for their hardiness in local conditions and their ability to provide vital habitat for native pollinators.

“Your yard has an important role to play in protecting the natural world,” says Dianna Goodwin, Chair of the Pollinator and Native Plant committee. “Pollinator Palooza is about more than just buying flowers; it’s about meeting neighbors, learning from experts, and taking a small but powerful step toward a more sustainable future.”

A Family-Friendly Celebration of Nature: Pollinator Palooza is a full day of community and conservation, featuring:

The Main Event: Over 30 varieties of native plants for sale at just $10 per 2-quart pot (cash or check preferred).
Expert Advice: Meet with Master Gardeners from Cornell Cooperative Extension and representatives from local conservation groups like the Southern Adirondack Audubon Society and Wild Ones.
Free Soil Testing: Bring about 1/4 cup of dry soil for free pH testing by Cornell Cooperative Extension to ensure your new plants thrive.
Kids’ Activities: Engaging ways for the next generation of environmental stewards to learn about the magic of pollinators.
Food for sale by The Galway Local
Give the gift of a green thumb! Pollinator Palooza E-Gift Cards are now available online, perfect for as a gift or a treat for yourself.

Event Details:

When: Saturday, May 30, 2026, 10 am – 3 pm (Rain Date: May 31)
Where: Oligny’s Country Gardens, 390 Wilton Gansevoort Road, Gansevoort, NY
Parking: Across the street at 393 Wilton-Gansevoort Road.
Pro-Tip: Bring your own wagon for easy shopping! Please note that while we love animals, this is a “no pets” event.

Whether you have a sprawling meadow or a single sunny porch pot, come find the perfect native plant to help our local pollinators flourish. For a full downloadable plant list and more information, visit https://sustainablesaratoga.org/projects/pollinators-and-native-plants/pollinator-palooza-native-plant-sale/

ABOUT SUSTAINABLE SARATOGA

Sustainable Saratoga is a not-for-profit organization that promotes sustainable practices and the protection of natural resources, through education, advocacy and action, for the benefit of current and future generations in the Saratoga Springs area. Since 2008, Sustainable Saratoga has been a leader in promoting awareness of environmental issues and what we as a local community can do to minimize our ecological impact while maintaining a high quality of life.

The post Press Release: Pollinator Palooza 2026 appeared first on Sustainable Saratoga.

Press Release: Pollinator Palooza 2025

Caroline Rothaug — Thu, 15 May 2025 18:35:39 +0000

PRESS RELEASE – For immediate release 5/15/25

Sustainable Saratoga Hosts Pollinator Palooza Native Plant Sale Event on Saturday, May 31st, 2025

Media Contact: Beth Plummer; beth@sustainablesaratoga.org

Saratoga Springs, NY – Pollinator Palooza is Back! Join Sustainable Saratoga on Saturday, May 31st from 10am-3pm to buy native plants and meet people dedicated to protecting our precious pollinators, their habitat, and other natural resources.

Pollinator Palooza offers a wonderful array of native flowering perennials that attract pollinators as sources of nutrition, and homeowners will love the colors, fragrances, and beauty these natives bring to yards and gardens. Sustainable Saratoga volunteers have been growing 1,600 plants for the last 2 months and they are ready for their new homes.

Dianna Goodwin, Pollinator Committee chair for Sustainable Saratoga says, “Every garden, no matter how small, has an important role to play in protecting pollinators. Planting native plants is an essential part of creating food and habitat for our native pollinators. However, finding native plants can often be a challenge. The Pollinator Palooza native plant sale offers a variety of plants to gardeners in the local area.”

EVENT DETAILS:

When: Saturday, May 31st, 10am-3pm
Where: Oligny’s Country Gardens, 390 Wilton-Gansevoort Rd, Gansevoort
Parking: Across the street at 393 Wilton-Gansevoort Rd.
Pet policy: While we love our four-legged friends, we kindly ask that you leave your pups at home. No pets at the event, please.
Payment by cash or check preferred

This family-friendly event includes

Over 30 varieties of native plants for sale
Information about native plants and pollinators
Free soil pH testing by Cornell Cooperative Extension (bring about 1/4 cup of dry soil)
Help with your gardening questions
Local organizations focused on native plants and ecosystems
Kids’ activities
Raffles to win books, gift certificates, plants, and more
Food Trucks

New this year, give the gift of native plants to someone you love by buying a Pollinator Palooza e-gift card prior to the event. Electronic gift cards are now available on the Sustainable Saratoga website for purchase. Good for purchase of plants in the Sustainable Saratoga greenhouse or for raffle tickets. BUY YOURS HERE.

For more information on the Pollinator Palooza native plan sale, visit:

https://sustainablesaratoga.org/projects/pollinators-and-native-plants/pollinator-palooza-native-plant-sale/

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION
Sustainable Saratoga is a not-for-profit organization that promotes sustainable practices and the
protection of natural resources, through education, advocacy and action, for the benefit of current
and future generations in the Saratoga Springs area. Since 2008, Sustainable Saratoga has been a
leader in promoting awareness of environmental issues and what we as a local community can do
to minimize our ecological impact while maintaining a high quality of life.

The post Press Release: Pollinator Palooza 2025 appeared first on Sustainable Saratoga.

A HUGE Pollinator Palooza Thank-you

Caroline Rothaug — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 15:19:57 +0000

Video produced by David Washburn and Kelsey Trudell

A HUGE Thank you to all who helped make the third annual

Pollinator Palooza native plant sale a success!

Sustainable Saratoga is delighted that so many people turned out for the Third Annual Pollinator Palooza at Oligny’s Country Gardens on June 1, 2024. We are proud to announce that over 2,000 native pollinator plants were purchased and found their way into the hands and gardens of Capital District and North Country residents. This is terrific support for pollinators and Sustainable Saratoga! Thank you!

The Palooza’s success was owed to the volunteerism and generosity of many individuals including the Oligny family and Sustainable Saratoga’s Pollinator and Native Plant Committee. Here is our recognition of the people who made it happen…we apologize if we missed anyone…please let us know if we did!

Our Hosts

Thank you first and foremost to Brian and Debbie Oligny of Oligny’s Country Gardens for letting us use their greenhouse to grow our plants and then letting us host the Palooza on their beautiful property in Gansevoort. They have been steadfast supporters of this event from the moment we suggested it more than three years ago. We could not hold the Palooza without them and thank them for their warmth, advice, and good-natured tolerance of people trooping in and out of their greenhouse for months.

Thank you to the Olignys’ neighbor, Jeff Mancini, for letting us use his property as a parking lot for the second year in a row. We really appreciate the ability to handle crowds safely because of his generosity. If you came to the first Palooza, you know how important the parking lot is to the event.

The Palooza Planning Team

A huge thank you to Christine Burghart, who is the founder of Palooza and its chief cook and bottlewasher. She conceived of the event, named it and made it happen. Without her, we would just be handing out seed packets at the farmer’s market instead of supplying the region with thousands of native perennial flowers.

The Team: Christine Burghart, Johanna Garrison, Dianna Goodwin, Jennifer Michelle, Tina O’Hanlon, Wendy Mahaney, Paul Murphy, Caroline Rothaug and Kelsey Trudell. It took a lot of time and effort to pull it off again, and we did it!

Johanna Garrison and Wendy Mahaney. Along with Chris, they are the brains behind the event. The three of them work hard to choose the plants, provide information on them, pot them up and staff the greenhouse.

The potting crew who carefully potted up all our seedlings: Lori Bishop, Christine Burghart, Nora Cheek, Kathryn Edwards, Johanna Garrison, Dianna Goodwin, Shelley Hachenski, Julie Holmberg, Bethany Khan and Natalie, Wendy Mahaney, Jennifer Michelle, Alexandra Morgan, Tina O’hanlon, Caroline Rothaug, Mary Jo Salomon, Susan Taylor, Karen Totino, Maria Trabka, and Kelsey Trudell.

The greenhouse volunteers who watered and cared for our plants daily for nearly two months: Chris Burghart, Dianna Goodwin, Caroline Rothaug and Kelsey Trudell.

Thank you to Candice Bergmann for making our social media look so good. And to Beth Plummer, Sustainable Saratoga’s Media Coordinator, for help with getting the word out. And to Jodi Visconti and the Saratoga Springs High School Graphic Design and Printing Club for our beautiful new banners.

Our generous donors

Kudos to Jennifer Michelle for soliciting an amazing array of donations for the raffle for the third year in a row, and to Jennifer, Kate Edwards, and Maja Mahaney for selling the raffle tickets and minding the table. Congratulations to all the winners!

Thank you to the businesses and individuals who donated items for our raffle: 9 Miles East Farm, American Beauties Native Plants, Balet Flowers and Design, Booth’s Blend Compost, Chris’ Garden Glass, Dawn’s Wild Things Rescue Nursery, Eastern Mountain Sports, Kayak Shak,Roosevelt Baths and Spa, Saratoga Olive Oil Company, and Saratoga Quality Hardware.

A special thanks to Martha Johnson at Slack Hollow Farm for planting and growing out the milkweed seedlings we gave away at the Sustainable Saratoga table. Thank you to Janet Britt for helping plant the fly-away milkweed seeds.

Food for mind and body

Click the arrows to scroll through the photos

We truly appreciate the participating organizations and their tables filled with information and demonstrations to educate us on land preservation and the importance of native plants to our birds and pollinators: Capital Region PRISM, City of Saratoga Springs Participatory Budgeting, Cornell Cooperative Extension Saratoga County Master Gardeners, Grassland Bird Trust,Merck Forest and Farmland Center, North Shore Animal League, Saratoga PLAN, SoBro conservancy of Saratoga, Southern ADK Audubon Society, Wild Ones Capital Region, and Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park.

Thank you again to the food and beverage truck vendors who provided sustenance to the hungry crowds: Coach’s Corner and Sustainable Eats.

An enthusiastic round of applause to the Saratoga Springs High School Fiddle Club who entertained us all. Come back again next year!

Our incredible volunteers

Thank you to our Palooza volunteers who prepared for the day, set up the event, directed traffic, staffed the tables, answered questions in the greenhouse, cashiered, kept things flowing, and cleaned up at the end. In alphabetical order they are: Braelyn Bourgeois, Michael Cohen, Alex Couture, Serene Couture, Leanne Donelan, Amy Durland, Kate Edwards, Anne Ernst, Susan Fairchild, Laura Faulk, Dianna Goodwin, Barbara Lasher, Elaine McArdle, Tom McNamara, Dave McKeighan, Shannon McKeighan, Jennifer Michelle, Alexandra Morgan, Paul Murphy, Tina O’Hanlon, Maja Smemo, Mathew Smith, Judy Staubo, Chuck Tirone, Maria Trabka, Ben Trudell, and Jody Visconti.

And YOU!

And, finally, a big thank you to all the gardeners who gave new homes to the plants we grew. Expand your garden beds and come back next year! Consider volunteering! We need you!

Get more info on our Pollinators and Native Plants pages

See the details of the most recent Pollinator Palooza, including plant lists and photos

The post A HUGE Pollinator Palooza Thank-you appeared first on Sustainable Saratoga.

What’s in our seed packets

Caroline Rothaug — Wed, 10 May 2023 11:03:14 +0000

If you picked up one of our seed packets at an event, here’s what you need to know to plant:

Shady Native Wildflower seed mix

from Earthwise Seed Company

Despite its name, this blend of annuals, perennials and grasses can handle conditions from full sun to part shade. One of our packets covers approximately 6 square feet, or a 2 by 3 foot area.

For best germination, sow in fall and expect plants to sprout in spring. Clear the soil of all grass and weeds. Sprinkle the seed mix over the soil and lightly scratch into the top of the soil, then press the soil down. Most of the seeds need light to germinate. Keep the soil moist. Continue to water young plants for the first season and remove weeds to eliminate competition for nutrients and water.

Or, plant in seed flats or pots. Great for winter sowing.

Contains (in order of volume):

Schizachyrium scoparium (Little Bluestem)
Elymus virginicus (Virginia Wildrye)
Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower)
Elymus hystrix (Bottlebrush Grass)
Rudbeckia hirta (Blackeyed Susan)
Chamaecrista fasciculata (Partridge Pea)
Heliopsis helianthoides (Oxeye Sunflower)
Penstemon digitalis (Foxglove Beardtongue)
Zizia aurea (Golden Alexanders)
Liatris spicata (Marsh Blazing Star)
Aster macrophyllus (Bigleaf Aster)
Baptisia australis (Blue False Indigo)
Anemone virginiana (Tall Thimbleweed)
Gaura biennis (Biennial Beeblossom)
Lespedeza capitata (Roundhead Lespedeza)
Rudbeckia triloba (Browneyed Susan)
Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Milkweed)
Aster pilosus (Heath Aster)
Asclepias syriaca (Common Milkweed)
Monarda fistulosa (Wild Bergamot)
Pycnanthemum incanum (Hoary Mountainmint)
Solidago bicolor (White Goldenrod)
Solidago nemoralis (Gray Goldenrod)
Tradescantia ohiensis (Ohio Spiderwort)
Aquilegia canadensis (Eastern Columbine)
Aster prenanthoides (Zigzag Aster)
Solidago juncea (Early Goldenrod)
Penstemon hirsutus (Hairy Beardtongue)
Penstemon laevigatus (Appalachian Beardtongue)

The post What’s in our seed packets appeared first on Sustainable Saratoga.

Replace Your Invasives with Keystone Plants

Caroline Rothaug — Tue, 28 Mar 2023 20:37:26 +0000

The Garden Club of America has proclaimed April 2023 Native Plant Month. Take a look around your yard and garden as they wake up from winter and identify invasive plants that should be replaced by natives.

Invasive species

These non-native species of plants spread and cause ecological or economic harm to their new environment. They adversely affect the food web by suppressing the growth of native plant species, which have co-evolved with native animals in the region and which are necessary for their survival. Not all introduced plants are invasive: many non-invasive exotic plants do not spread on their own or escape their plantings to outcompete native species. But even non-invasive introduced plants have low food value for our native animals compared to the plants that occur here naturally.

Keystone plants

These are the most important plants for wildlife and for maintaining biodiversity, in that they are major caterpillar and/or bee host plants. Caterpillars are the most important link in the food chain between plants and insect predators, like birds, ladybugs, and other insectivores. Native bees pollinate plants that provide food throughout the ecosystem, including food for humans. Keystone plants are different species in different parts of the country, but where we live, in the northern temperate forest, the keystone species are listed in this downloadable guide from the National Wildlife Federation’s Garden For Life program.

To support and conserve our wildlife, including birds and insects, it is important to plant keystone species and to get rid of invasive plant species in our roadsides, waterways, woods, and backyards.

Most invasive species are introduced by humans, including some common plants that people use in landscaping because they are pretty with showy foliage or flowers. Many of us have invasive species of plants in our yards.

This growing season, please do not plant the following species and please consider replacing the invasive species on your property with native keystone species suitable for our region. Even if you are not replacing an invasive, work some keystone species into your landscaping plan to maintain and strengthen the local food web. Not all of the plants listed below as alternatives to invasives are considered keystone species, but all are native plants that look similar to the invasive listed and provide food to native wildlife. If you want birds in your yard, plant keystone flowers, bushes and trees that will help feed them.

The following is a partial list of damaging invasive plant species commonly found in yards in this part of New York State. If you have an invasive tree in your tree lawn (aka hell strip, or right-of-way: the strip between the street and sidewalk) owned by the city or village in which you live, contact your public works department to find out options for removal of the invasive and replacement with a native keystone tree species, like a white oak, river birch or black cherry. Although trees can be expensive to remove, the ecological damage invasive trees are causing makes the investment well worth the expense.

Highly Invasive Species to Replace

Native: Swamp white oak

Invasive: Norway Maple

Norway Maple– These common street trees were planted in past decades by the city of Saratoga Springs in tree lawns all around town. They outcompete native maples because the seedlings are shade tolerant and the trees grow a dense canopy, blocking out the light to the understory. If you break a twig, the Norway maple has a milky sap that distinguishes it from native maples. Replace it with a native keystone shade tree, like a white or black oak, a black cherry, a hickory or a native maple tree.

Invasive: Callery pear

Native: Redbud

Bradford or Callery Pear Tree – These commonly planted invasive trees have a profusion of white blooms early in the spring with a distinctive and unpleasant odor. Birds are attracted to them as an early food source so they spread their fruits and seeds into forests, where they outcompete native trees and severely reduce biodiversity. They are so invasive in the southern part of the US that some states offer replacement trees free of charge to homeowners who cut them down. Replace with other early blooming native tree species like redbud, native plum or crabapple.

Invasive: Burning bush

Native: Blueberry in fall color

Burning Bush – The bright red bush with the squared stems that you notice all over Saratoga in the autumn is the highly invasive burning bush. It is remarkably hardy and spreads rapidly by underground roots and shoots and is carried into woods and fields by birds that eat the berries. It takes over quickly, outcompeting native species. Replace it with highbush blueberries, oak leaf hydrangeas, choke berries or serviceberry.

Invasive: Bamboo

Native: Ninebark

Running Bamboo – This type of bamboo, as contrasted to clumping bamboo, spreads through underground rhizomes and can quickly establish a dense stand that strangles out any other plants in the area, thus creating what is known as a bamboo desert. Once it gets established, it is hard to control. Replace it with a serviceberry or ninebark hedge in your yard.

Invasive: Japanese barberry

Native: Northern bayberry

Japanese Barberry – This small dense bush used in landscaping spreads through seed dispersal by birds and mammals and through underground roots. It outcompetes local vegetation, partly because deer won’t eat it. Replace it with highbush blueberry or northern bayberry.

Native: Trumpet vine

Invasive: Oriental bittersweet

Oriental Bittersweet – This beautiful vine was cultivated for autumnal flower arrangements but has now run amok all over the Northeast. It chokes out trees, shrubs and other vegetation and can be so dense and heavy that it actually uproots trees. Tear it out if you have it and plant American bittersweet, Dutchmen’s pipe or trumpet vine instead. Good luck getting rid of it, it can take several seasons of concerted effort.

Invasive: Forsythia

Native: Golden currant

Forsythia – Alas, the glorious yellow forsythia is in fact an invasive species, spreading by laying down canes on the ground that take root, creating a forsythia thicket that outcompetes native species once it escapes from your garden. Forsythia is an early bloomer and attracts bees, but it is sterile and does not make pollen so it is not a food source for them. Give the bees something to eat by planting a different early blooming shrub like spicebush or golden currant.

Invasive: Japanese honeysuckle

Native: Trumpet honeysuckle

Japanese Honeysuckle – This extremely vigorous perennial vine forms dense mats that outcompete native honeysuckles and other vegetation. It endangers trees by wrapping around the trunks and girdling them and by climbing into the canopy and blocking light and weighing down and breaking the branches. Replace it with native trumpet honeysuckle.

Invasive: English ivy

Native: Virginia creeper

English Ivy – A common, pretty vine widely used as ground cover, it spreads quickly and chokes out trees and other plants, outcompeting and killing them within a season. It should never be planted, but if you have it, pull it out and replace it with a native vine like native trumpet honeysuckle (not Japanese honeysuckle, that is also an invasive), Virginia creeper or American (not Asian) wisteria.

Invasive: Common privet

Native: Elderberry

Common (European) or Chinese Privet – This popular, fast-growing hedge plant is invasive because it is readily adaptable to all kinds of light conditions and because it spreads both by windborne seeds and by underground root suckers. Replace it with serviceberry trimmed into hedges, native viburnum or elderberries.

Japanese Knotweed

Invasive: Japanese knotweed

Although it is not sold in garden centers, there is also a lot of Japanese knotweed in the region. If you have it, please, please get rid of it and replace it with a keystone species. It is notoriously difficult to get rid of and spreads rapidly. Consult with your local Cornell Extension office for help.

If you’re not sure if what you have is invasive, try using a plant identification app such as iNaturalist by National Geographic. Snap a photo and it will give you information, including native range for most plants, trees, and shrubs. Invasives captured in the app are picked up by various groups that track their locations.

When you find invasive species, you can report them via the iMapInvasives app. The organization provides self-guided and webinar training for recognizing invasive species and using the app.

For more information on invasive species in New York

Contact your regional PRISM (Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management) office https://www.capitalregionprism.org/

Contact Saratoga County Cornell Cooperative Extension: Phone: 518-885-8995; Email: saratoga@cornell.edu. Find other CCE office contact info here: https://cals.cornell.edu/cornell-cooperative-extension/local-offices

For more ideas on alternative native species to plant see:

Native plant finder from the Native Plant Trust

Invasive ornamental plant alternatives from Cornell University

Grow This, Not That: 12 Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants from Bob Vila

Alternative Species from Grow Native

Regional Picks: Alternatives to Invasives – Northeast from Fine Gardening

Ready to choose and plant a native tree? Download Sustainable Saratoga’s guide to recommended species and where to buy them and check out our Practical info for tree planting and care

The post Replace Your Invasives with Keystone Plants appeared first on Sustainable Saratoga.