Planned Improvements in Ned Wolf Park

At the Winter Meeting of the Friends of Ned Wolf Park held in January 2013, it was decided to move forward with the Terrace Wall Capital Campaign.  We're working to raise funds to remove all the creosoted landscape ties that were installed when Ned Wolf Park was created in the 1970's.  Now that those timbers are rotting and becoming more hazardous, we are seeking to replace them with durable stonework, including local Wissahickon schist and Pennsylvania bluestone.

We've already amassed the funding to build Phase I, which would replace the steps with bluestone treads and schist risers.  And we're working with the City of Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Department to get that done this year.  But we need to raise funds for the terrace wall, which we've designed to include a functional bluestone cap which would act as continuous seating around the central terrace.  If you'd like to contribute to our Terrace Wall Capital Campaign, please contact Friends of Ned Wolf Park treasurer Janet Novak at janet@indri.org.

Ned Wolf Park Plant Sale: Philadelphia's Best!

Friends, it's time for the biggest horticultural event of the Northwest Philadelphia gardening season: the Friends of Ned Wolf Park Plant Sale!

The plant sale will happen on Saturday, May 21 from 10-1. We're expecting beautiful weather and lots of beautiful plants. Fill your garden! Help your park! We'll see you at the plant sale!

Planning for the Plant Sale

Remember, it’s not too early to pot up your extra divisions, unwanted cuttings or runners for the Friends of NWP to sell at our Plant Sale slated for Saturday, May 21st from 10 am to 1 pm. [rain date: May 22nd].  This annual sale helps raise funds to maintain and improve Ned Wolf Park while it offers neighbors a chance to share both their plants and their knowledge.

In past years, generosity from many Mt. Airy and Chestnut Hill gardeners has yielded a fabulous variety of plants for sale to support NWP.  We hope to do the same this year as we ask for plant donations and volunteers from the community.  If you can contribute, please contact Eric (emsternfels@msn.com or 215.248.5533).  Please gear up for our May plant sale as April breathes its magic into Ned Wolf Park and our gardens at home.

April Plans in the Park

Already, some spring bulbs and early perennials are bursting into bloom at Ned Wolf Park and tender foliage is emerging through the mulch. Please enjoy the show in NWP as you shake off the long winter and get some fresh air.

This year, you can “LOVE your park” along with Philadelphians across the city, as NWP participates in a citywide spring clean-up event on Saturday, April 16th, from 9 am to 1 pm.  You can meet some neighbors and burn some calories, all the while examining the early progress of the perennial gardens that merited a first prize (small community park category) in the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s 2010 City Garden Contest. Not a gardener?  Fear not! All hands will be put to good use, as some experienced Friends of NWP gardeners will be on hand with tools to welcome you and to answer your gardening questions (about the park and about your own garden too). For more info about this event contact Janet (viola@indri.org or 215.248.2642).

As we begin tending our yards in earnest this April, it will soon be evident if January’s nitrogen-rich blanket of snow has yielded some bonuses in the garden.  Perhaps it’s time to divide the perennials, as many garden plants are invigorated by some thinning at this time of the year.  Or maybe it’s time to replace plants that are no longer suited to their too-shady or too-sunny location. And perhaps you plan some changes just to keep the garden exciting? That’s OK too!   April is the month to take stock and to take action to ensure glorious years ahead for our gardens.

Save the date! The annual Ned Wolf Park Plant Sale is scheduled for Saturday, May 21. More details coming soon!

Shrubs for Pennsylvania Gardens

We're under many inches of snow in the garden right now, which means it's time for the gardener's favorite cold-weather activity: looking at gardening catalogs! All of us have a stack of bulb, seed, and flower catalogs at home that we're using to fuel our creative energy for spring.

As you dream about your warm-weather garden next year, don't forget to check out the resources available through the Penn State College of Agricultural Science Cooperative Extension program. Soil testing kits, lists of native plants, tomato disease troubleshooting-- all of your gardening needs can be fulfilled.

I'm reminded of our friends at Penn State because of my reading material today: a handy publication called "A Guide For Selecting Shrubs For Pennsylvania Landscapes." It makes a good companion to all those garden catalogs.

Enjoy the snow!

The Shed Construction Project

As promised, here are some pix from the big NWP construction project!

This is what the shed looked like when it arrived in the morning. It was just a pile of cedar planks on a giant truck.

Turned out that those planks were actually pre-assembled walls and a platform. We had already prepared the site by leveling the ground, outlining the shed base with some repurposed timbers, and pouring a pea gravel base inside the timbers. Hopefully, this will keep the shed nice and dry during the summer monsoons we've been having for the past couple of years.

Aren't these guys good? They had the shell of the shed erected in no time flat.

At this point, the shed looked like a giant wooden box with no lid.

Then, it started to get even more exciting. Time for the roof!

This nail gun looks helpful. Maybe NWP should add "nail gun" to its wishlist of garden tools?

Up on the roof:

Since we couldn't help with the roofing, some of the Friends of Ned Wolf Park worked hard on weeding and clearing the beds for wintertime.

It was a beautiful, crisp Fall day. Even the fallen branches looked lovely.

Other Friends of Ned Wolf Park took the opportunity to catch up on the latest neighborhood news. This is how it goes in the garden: some work hard, some hardly work. :)

Roof shingles meant that the shed was nearly finished:

Wow! Isn't it a beauty?

We couldn't wait to go inside and check out the new space.

We couldn't resist the urge to pose:

Our hoses finally have a place to stay out of the elements during the winter. Thank you, all who contributed to this exciting project!

Ned Wolf Park has a New Shed!

Have you heard the news? There's a new shed in the park! All the gardeners agree: it's looking pretty snazzy. We can't wait until Spring comes-- there's plenty of opportunity to plant around our fancy new cedar shed. Stay tuned for some fun photos of the shed construction project!

Patch.com and Fall Cleanup

Mt. Airy Gardener columnist Virginia C. McGuire wrote a fantastic piece for Patch.com about Ned Wolf Park. Check it out, and if you're intrigued, we'd love to see you at our Fall Cleanup Day, Saturday Nov 6 from 10 AM to 1 PM!

Ned Wolf Park Wins PHS City Gardens Contest

We are pleased to announce that Ned Wolf Park has been awarded FIRST PLACE in the Community Gardens category of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's 2010 City Gardens Contest. Congratulations to all the NWP gardeners, and thanks to all of the community members whose dedication and contributions have made Ned Wolf Park bloom.

We'll be celebrating at the PHS Fall Garden Festival, held September 11 at the Navy Yard. Join us and help celebrate the season!

Third Annual Plant Sale

Please join us for the third annual Friends of Ned Wolf Park Plant Sale!

May 16, 9 am - 12 noon (Rain date: May 17)
Ned Wolf Park
Ellet & McCallum streets (Mt. Airy), Philadelphia, PA 19119

We'll be selling native plants, shade plants, specimen plants, perennials, heirloom tomato plants, and anything else we like.

To donate plants, or for details on the sale, contact Plant Sale Coordinator Eric Sternfels at 215-248-5533 or pourtensious@msn.com

New plants! You know you need them!