Garden Club of Allegheny County Uses GCA Grant to Partner with the Southwestern Veterans Center to Restore a Wellness Garden.

Local Youth have joined the GCA-funded Project in Pittsburgh, PA, to Collaborate in Garden Upkeep

January 14, 2026

By: Jennifer Muse

In 2023, the GCA awarded Garden Club of Allegheny County (GCAC) a Partners for Plants (P4P) grant to restore a native plant garden at the Southwestern Veterans Center, in Pittsburgh, PA. The hillside garden behind the Southwestern Veterans Center had been neglected due to Covid when the absence of volunteers allowed invasive plants to thrive. The garden needed attention, so the VA requested help from GCAC to restore the garden into a well-manicured, peaceful sanctuary for its residents.   

The P4P project served both as a bonding project for first-year club members and as part of GCAC’s tradition of carrying out a hands-on endeavor annually. The new members sought guidance from long-term GCAC members knowledgeable in horticulture to determine what trees and shrubs would thrive on the steep bank above an outdoor recreational space.  GCAC members also selected annuals to plant in raised beds.

In May, 2023, 25 club members gathered at the garden to remove invasives and plant the horticulture specimens chosen by the new members.  One club member brought her father, who had been an Army tank commander in Korea.  He worked alongside the GCAC members planting annuals in the garden. While GCAC still is involved intermittently, resident veterans are tasked with tending and watering the raised beds.

GCAC’s efforts at the VA served as the foundation for what grew into a larger community project with more partners: University of Pittsburgh students have been enlisted to maintain the garden and they, in turn, have recruited Eagle Scouts to help with upkeep.  Everyone’s efforts culminated in a new flagpole being erected and a dedication ceremony for the rejuvenated garden on Veteran’s Day, 2023.