A children's garden at Pennypacker Mills in Schwenksville and a rooftop garden at a county facility in Norristown have been honored by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) as "community greening champions."
The Children's Heritage Garden at Pennypacker Mills, which is open to the public from mid-May through mid-September, was the result of an archival research effort to determine the types of flowers and vegetables were historically planted at the colonial-era mansion and farmstead. Visitors can smell, taste, and touch the garden's herbs, flowers, and vegetables on garden tours.
The PHS called the Children's Heritage Garden "an outstanding public planting…improving the quality of life through horticulture."
The Rooftop Gardens at the Human Services Center in Norristown are open to county employees, who volunteer to help tend its crops of herbs and vegetables.
The two gardens were among 67 PHS honorees from the wider region. Judges evaluated sites based on plant variety, design, use of space, and horticultural practices. Representatives from both gardens traveled to Harrisburg for an awards presentation hosted by Pennsylvania First Lady Susan Corbett.
