We are honored to announce that Vernon Park will be the signature site for the Philadelphia Parks & Recreation LOVE Your Park: Fall Edition event on Saturday, November 5, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. At this event, we will complete and celebrate our rain garden installation. More details about this event appear below and on our Events page.          

PWD Commissioner Howard Neukrug, Reverend Chester Williams, Terry Johnson, TTF Board President Gerry Kauffman and Sylvia

Did you miss our Clearview Community Park Ribbon-Cutting ceremony last month? You can see it online! On September 17, dozens of neighbors, stakeholders and community leaders came out for a fantastic ribbon-cutting event at our newly-planted Clearview Community Park, a former vacant lot turned native garden in Germantown. After an inspiring dedication ceremony, we toured Belfield Avenue, Germantown's first Green City, Clean Waters green street! The event was covered in this great article from Mt. Airy Patch and you can see photos and video on our website and on our Flickr page. Thanks to everyone who helped to make this project such a great success!   

TTF is looking for a name for our monthly newsletter and we want YOUR input! We've already received some great suggestions, but the TTF staff will not be choosing a winner until the end of the year. Keep sending your suggestions to Katie Donnelly at katie@ttfwatershed.org. The creator of the winning name will win a beautiful Earthlust water bottle and a TTF bumper sticker!

Fall is the ideal time for planting native plants -- especially trees and shrubs -- which help to manage stormwater and prevent flooding. Check out the following list of native trees and shrubs available in local nurseries!

 

TREES:

Redbud (Cercis canadensis): tolerates wet to dry soil conditions; can tolerate some shade; bright pink flowers before leaves in late April; heart shaped leaves; brown seed pods July through December; red fall color.   

Red Maple (Acer rubrum): tolerates extreme wet and dry soil conditions and air pollution; red fall color.

Scarlet Oak (Quercus coccinea): prefers average to dry soils; needs sunny location; leaves persist into winter; scarlet fall color; high wildlife value.

Shadblow (Amelanchier canadensis): small tree that likes average to moist soil, but not flooded areas; very tolerant of shade; white flowers in April before leaves; fruit in June-July that has high wildlife value; orange to red fall color.

Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum): likes average soil and can tolerate some shade; golden orange fall color.    

Yellow Birch (Betula lutea): tolerates moist to well drained soil; most shade tolerant of all birches; bright yellow fall color; fruit has high value to songbirds.

SHRUBS: 

Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis): tolerates wet to dry soils and flooding; very shade tolerant; white flowers in late June; edible fruit in fall; high wildlife value.

Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum): tolerates wet to dry soils and flooding; small white flowers in late June; edible fruit July through August depending on variety; high wildlife value.

Northern Bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica):  semi-evergreen shrub that tolerates extremes of wet to dry soils and flooding; dried leaves stay on into winter; whitish-gray fragrant, fruit persists into winter; high wildlife value.   

Red-twigged Dogwood (Cornus sericea): tolerates wet to average soils; needs sunny location; white flowers in late May; red fall color; red twigs in winter; high wildlife value.

Sweetbay Magnolia (Magnolia virginiana): semi-evergreen shrub that likes wet to moist soils; white fragrant flowers late May-June; shade tolerant; reddish pink fruit in fall and winter.