Come join the PLT Community Naturalists and learn more about native plants while participating in the 2023 Education Series featuring walks with the experts! See the complete schedule of free events on the News & Events page. Come for one; come for all!
At a time of anxiety over the effects of climate change and the mass extinction of wildlife, ecologists say that planting native plants can provide an opportunity to make a difference.
“What are the natural features which make a township handsome? A river, with its waterfalls and meadows, a lake, a hill, a cliff or individual rocks, a forest, and ancient trees standing singly…If the inhabitants of a town were wise, they would seek to preserve these things, though at a considerable expense; for such things educate far more than any hired teachers or preachers, or any at present recognized system of school education.” – Henry David Thoreau, Journal 3, January 1861
You Are Invited
SAVE THE DATE: 7 p.m., Thursday, April 27, 2023
The Restoration of the John Hope House:
Past, Present, Future
Plans are being finalized to preserve, stabilize, and restore the John Hope House, an 18th century house located on Baltimore Pike adjacent to the Pennsbury Township Municipal Building. For this year’s annual meeting presentation, The Pennsbury Land Trust has chosen to focus on the historic house’s architectural significance within local history, the methods used to investigate its structural history, and what the restoration plans are for the coming year. On behalf of The Pennsbury Land Trust and Pennsbury Township, Margo Leach, NCARB; Aaron McIntyre, Township Supervisor; and John Milner, FAIA, will co-present this comprehensive overview of the past, present, and immediate future of the John Hope House.
The free event, funded in part by PLT membership donations, will be held in the Harris Room of the Pennsbury Township Building, 702 Baltimore Pike, Chadds Ford, PA. Refreshments will be served.
The outline of the event is as follows:
The Story of the John Hope House (JHH)
- What is the architectural and historical history and importance of the JHH (Margo Leach, NCARB)
- How and why did the township acquire the JHH (Aaron McIntyre, Township Supervisor)
- What did the 2021 investigations of the construction of the JHH tell us (John Milner, FAIA)
- What is included in the JHH Partial Restoration Project of 2023-2024 (Margo Leach)
Native Plant Experts Grow PLT Education Programs
The Pennsbury Land Trust has boosted its educational efforts with the help of a volunteer group of long-time Mt. Cuba docents, coordinated by PLT board member, Karen Travers. With members averaging 11 years of horticultural education experience, this group is well-versed in all things related to native plants and ecological gardening.
Currently identified as a PLT committee, the members are already meeting regularly and developing ideas on how to publicize and promote the beauty and value of native plants. Their efforts will be helpful to Pennsbury residents who seek to cultivate a partial or full garden of plants native to the Mid-Atlantic that will attract the endangered monarchs, for example, and other pollinators.
A demonstration garden area has been established just inside the township park entrance on the right along the fence. Updates on the garden plants and activities will be posted on the park notice board. This is just the beginning.
The group has already started to host regular walks in the park to help local residents identify “good” native plants they may see in their own backyards and also the “bad” invasive plants that can disrupt the ecological balance.
See the complete schedule of free events on the News & Events page.
Future plans include establishing a pollinator garden and adding plants to increase the diversity of the current native plants in the park. The group will also offer tours of local backyard native plant gardens and carpool field trips to public gardens and natural areas.
Experienced in private consultations, many of the group’s members will be available to consult with homeowners on native plant and ecological gardening options. As educators, the members can easily adapt to any level of plant knowledge to assure a beneficial outcome for the landowner. (Note: There is a consultation fee that is paid directly to the consultant.)
If you’re interested in learning more about selecting or identifying native plants; or if you’d like to have an expert come to you to evaluate the plants in your backyard (consultant fee for this), reach out to Karen directly by calling 610-388-7995.
Click here to download a list of local native plants. (DOCX)
