PHS’s Green Machine Makes Philly Parks Beautiful

I’d like to give a special shout-out today to the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society! Philly Mag did a nice write-up about President Drew Becher a few months ago, and they continue to make huge strides in the green community & beautifying Philly.

One of the latest efforts reaches out to youths – The Green Machine, a special program run by PHS and funded by the William Penn Foundation, is to deliver expertise and assistance to those who use and love Philly park & rec centers.  (And who doesn’t?!?)

The Green Machine’s program focuses on beautifying gardens within the parks and training volunteers how to care for them.  PHS provides weekly, hands-on education, plants, materials, and assistance to volunteers who plant and maintain gardens in neighborhood parks throughout Philadelphia, as well as assist park friends groups in creating maintenance plans for existing beds and planters.

This summer, the Green Machine has already:

• Worked with a youth summer camp at Carroll Park (58^th St & Girard Ave) to prune shrubs and improve perennial plantings
• Nurtured the vegetable beds at Cliveden Park (Johnson & Musgrave St)
• Replaced diseased roses with sustainable Gold  Medal shrubs (Dickinson Square-  4^th & Tasker St)
• Reclaimed space overrun with invasive plants in Gorgas Park (Ridge Ave. & Heritage St)

Projects are also under way in Campbell Square (Allegheny Ave & Belgrade St); Cianfrani Park (8^th & Fitzwater St); Conshohocken-Windemere Park (3910 Conshohocken Ave); Liberty Lands (N. 3^rd & Wildey St); Palmer Park (Frankford  Ave & Palmer St); Penn Treaty Park (Delaware Ave & Beach St); Reyburn Park (Lehigh Ave & 20^th) and Vernon Park ( 5818 Germantown Ave).

Subaru (sidenote: who has all of its products manufactured in zero-landfill production plants) donated an Outback for the project:

PHS President Drew Becher sums it up: “Parks and rec centers are once again points of pride for neighborhoods, and PHS wants to help enhance and sustain them. The Green Machine program is our way of delivering expertise and direct assistance to those who use and love their parks.”

For more info on the Green Machine, check out Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s website.

Posted by Julie

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Julie Hancher is Editor-in-Chief of Green Philly, sharing her expertise of all things sustainable in the city of brotherly love. She enjoys long walks in the park with local beer and greening her travels, cooking & cat, Sir Floofus Drake. View all posts by Julie Hancher