Carrie T Watson Garden Club Prepares

The Welcome Garden At Asbury Woods

This spring, members of the Carrie T. Watson Garden Club have been busy cleaning and preparing the public "Welcome Garden" at Asbury Woods Nature Center for the busy summer season.

Asbury Woods is the premier nature and environmental center in Northwestern Pennsylvania with over 64,000 visitors each year, including thousands of children attending environmental educational programs.  The Center promotes environmental awareness through its many programs, and encourages the community to experience nature by offering over 200 acres of field, stream and forest habitat as well as several gardens and miles of hiking trails.  Our garden club has an ongoing commitment to Asbury Woods, both in leadership and financing.

The Welcome Garden is a certified backyard wildlife habitat which has been maintained by our garden club since 1979.  Specimens are labeled to assist visitors to learn the names of native plants.  Rotating teams of five garden club members, headed by team captains, clean, weed, prune, plant, and maintain this beautiful garden throughout the growing season.  

Our garden club has also provided funds towards the Center's "Green Roof," a living layer of soil and plants over a waterproof membrane covering a portion of the facility's roof.  This is planted with sedum, along with herbs and grasses adapted to the roof's harsh "alpine-like" conditions of severe heat and drought during the summer, and severe cold and snow during winter.  This living layer keeps the building cool during the summer, reducing cooling costs.  It also absorbs and recycles rainwater, reducing storm water runoff.

To visit The Asbury Woods Nature online, go to: asburywoods.org

Pictured, from left: Peep Brereton, Diane Weber, Kathy Scheider, Betsy Miller, Laurel Taft, President Susan Strayer, Louise Downey, Jeanie Long