Pollinator Garden To Be Installed at Bertram Woods Branch this spring

A pollinator garden is coming soon to Shaker Library's Bertram Woods Branch. The library will host a reception and ribbon cutting to celebrate the garden's installation on Saturday, June 27 from 2 - 4 p.m.

The garden will be proposed, designed, and planted by Shaker resident and landscape designer Ann Cicarella.

Cicarella received grant funding from the Shaker Lakes Garden Club ($3,225) and several local Greater Cleveland Rotary organizations ($1,000) to make the garden a reality.

“Not only can the garden enhance the building’s aesthetic appeal, but it can provide a living, vibrant educational space for visitors of all ages. In 2024, the Bertram Woods Branch had 38,011 visitors. The opportunity to model native plant gardens for homeowners and other public entities is extremely impactful,” Cicarella wrote in her grant application.

Bertram Woods Branch Manager Lynne Miller echoed Cicarella’s enthusiasm, saying, “One of our library’s core values is sustainability. We hope library customers will enjoy the garden and maybe get inspired to help the environment in their own ways. We’ve got lot of resources to get them started.”  

Planting for the garden will begin in May. Cicarella and many dedicated community volunteers will install plants for butterflies, birds, native bees, beetles and flower flies and hummingbirds. The plants will include red cardinal flower, purple coneflower, milkweed, asters, bee balm, mountain mint, and many others.