This spring, our team at Lloyd EcoDistrict and several amazing volunteers worked over two days to revamp our beloved Pollinator Bike Corridor along NE Multnomah St. from NE 2nd to NE 15th. It had been several years since the planter beds got some attention, especially after the 2021 heat wave that knocked out dozens of plants (see photos below). We transplanted several new plants into the beds thanks to the support of Portland’s Bureau of Environmental Service’s Native Plant Certificate initiative. A special thank you to the team at SymbiOp Garden Shop, who helped us source native plants to reintroduce to the area!

On our first day of maintenance, an especially rainy day in May, volunteers from Bonneville Power Administration helped by weeding the planters along the north side of NE Multnomah and planting several new trees and shrubs. Thank you to the fantastic volunteers who took time out of their busy work days to help beautify our neighborhood, protect pollinator species and habitat, and improve street safety!

During our sunny second volunteer day, an environmental science student at Portland Community College came out to help Joshua, Kristin, and I wrap up the job. We finished weeding the remaining planters, taking out a lot of Lilyturf (Liriope muscari), whose tubular and dense roots took strength to pull up!

To create a diversity of plant species in each bed, we planted the following in the empty spots

•  Osoberry (Oemleria cerasiformis)
• Pacific Ninebark (Physocarpus capitatus)
• Oregon Tea Tree (Ceanothus sanguineus)
• Evergreen Huckleberries (Vaccinuim ovatum)
• Mock Orange (Philadelphus coronarius)

These planters play an important role in Lloyd, creating safety for bike users and opportunities for our local pollinators. Thank you to all volunteers who helped in this maintenance project. I am looking forward to seeing how the beds fill out in the following months (and years!). Make sure to stay up to date on all of our volunteer opportunities by visiting this page. 

Check out some photos!