Huntingdon Valley GC Partners with Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust

October 21, 2021

Multi-phased Redesign Project Begins with Renovation of Entryway

The Huntingdon Valley Garden Club (HVGC), Pennsylvania, recently partnered with the Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust on a multi-phased redesign project. The Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust is a private, non-profit land conservancy located in Huntingdon Valley, fifteen miles northeast of central Philadelphia. As the steward of 852 acres of protected meadows, woodlands and floodplain forest, the trust manages Montgomery County’s second-largest privately owned natural area that is open to the public, promoting education, conservation, and ecological restoration.

As part of this partnership, HVGC plans to assist in the renovation and replanting of the Pennypack’s entryway with native plants to create a more sustainable, welcoming, and engaging gateway to the preserve. Upon completion, the hope is that the refreshed entrance will make a statement to all incoming car traffic, signifying this venue as a truly special place. In pursuing this entryway renovation, HVGC members are eager to do their part as mindful conservation stewards while also giving back to the local area in both service and community outreach.

The club decided the best way to move forward with optimal project success was to plant a test garden at the entryway to see how well plants thrived over the course of a year. A majority of these test plants were propagated through the Pennypack Trust. The temporary test garden was planted in June after club volunteers cleared the site, weeded, and even added a small rock wall to edge the space.

Additions such as a deer fence and mulch for moisture retention have recently been added. Next summer, when project leaders have a good indication of how various plants thrived in the space, HVGC will continue to proceed with the final phases of the project.

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