Restore Our Roots is a grassroots movement that works to connect the Downingtown community to nature. The organization is committed to environmental conservation, planting native plants and flower and beautifying local parks.
The founding members’ mission for Restore Our Roots is stated on their website. “Our desire is to bring the Downingtown community together in an effort to promote environmental literary and ecological existence. We plan to restore the local habitat through the usage of native plants and responsible gardening practices in hopes or uniting the community with its natural roots. This initiative has the potential to establish a unique identity to the borough by rooting a name for Downingtown within the prestigious horticultural community of Chester County.”
Restore Our Roots has been working closely with Downingtown Borough to beautify Johnstown Park. The borough had received funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. After hosting community planting events, selecting planting locations, and planting over 200 shrubs, saplings, and trees, the park is ready for the next step.
This next step is planting a pollinator garden. “Imagine walking in the park, seeing beautiful butterflies, happy bees, and a colorful palette of powerful pollinator-supporting plants!” The organization said on their blog.
Get involved! It’s up to the community to help make our green spaces beautiful. In order to take Johnstown Park to the next level, Restore Our Roots is hosting a community-focused event, Preparing a Pollinator Garden: Step 1.
Step 1 includes sheet mulching and smothering grass. Those who are interested in helping this community initiative, save your cardboard! The group will lay cardboard and leaf mulch to smother the grass near River Station bridge. The event is family friendly and educational. Volunteers can take what they learned back to their own home gardens.
Volunteers should bring:
- Garden rake, pitchfork, or broom
- Plain brown cardboard (the plainer the better). No wax coating and as little ink as possible! No Chewy boxes unfortunately, as they have too much ink to properly utilize them.
EVENT DETAILS
Date: March 29, 2025
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Location: Johnstontown Park
100 Viaduct Avenue
Downingtown, PA 19335
RSVP here.
Restore Our Roots would like to thank their partners for making this pollinator garden possible – Downingtown Borough and Public Works, PA Native Plant Society, MSE Landscape Associates, and Shade Tree Commission.
*All article photos are courtesy of Restore Our Roots’ website and Facebook.
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