A WINTER DAY IN AN ECOLOGICAL LANDSCAPE

You’re sitting inside staying warm, happy that you’re not out in the freezing cold. You look out the window and watch the birds happily gathering around the feeders that you just filled up this morning. (I swear they’re waiting for me when I go outside to do that.) Soon the squirrels use their unbelievable athleticism to … Read more

Preparing your naturalized landscape for winter

Written by ROR Member Mark Eberhardt, Principal, MSE Landscape Associates, LLC. Your personal naturalized landscape or any public garden space can not only be beautiful in winter, but also can be functional to the ecosystem. Gone are the days of cutting back our gardens around Thanksgiving and calling it a season. With ecologically sensitive plantings, … Read more

Back to Our Roots: John Hershey and His Trees

Along the far eastern border of the borough of Downingtown exists an ever-dwindling grove of nut trees. Nestled in and around Woodbine Road, the historically significant “Hershey trees” were planted circa 1921, by John W Hershey, a botanist enthused by concepts of sustainable agriculture. Hershey owned a nursery in Downingtown and it was in Downingtown where he synthesized what many call … Read more

The Legacy of John Hershey

The name John Hershey is commonly referenced by Restore Our Roots (ROR) when presenting the type of projects we would like to pursue in Downingtown and when speaking to interested collaborators. Understandably, this may be the first time you have heard his name; I have only learned about him in the past two years from more knowledgeable Hershey enthusiasts including … Read more

Signs of Heat Stress

It has been an unusually dry spring. In the past 60 days we’ve only had 8 days of rain, hardly invoking thoughts of “April showers.” The lack of rain has not only prematurely ended the spring 2023 growing season but has also left many trees, shrubs, and crops in danger. Heat stress occurs when plants … Read more

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