Friends of Forest Hill Park Awarded a $500 Green Grant

Friends of Forest Hill Park is awarded e a $500 Green Grant from Keep Virginia Beautiful to create a Demonstration Garden, as one of the grants awarded throughout Virginia in June as part of Keep Virginia Beautiful’s 12th Annual “Green Grants” Program.

Friends of Forest Hill Park is a nonprofit organization with a mission to encourage and safeguard responsible use and care of the park.  They work in collaboration with the Richmond Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities, and aim to promote a broader understanding and knowledge of the park’s history as one of the oldest public gathering places in Richmond.

The garden will consist of native herbaceous plants and woody native shrubs. The designated, cleared site is in the southeast corner of the park and next to a large, (granite) stone pyramid. The pyramid has stood in the park for many decades, yet it is a relatively unknown amenity. The area is accessible by a short, level, unpaved pathway connecting to an asphalt pathway used by walkers and bikers. Thus, the area is easily accessible to visitors on foot, bicycle or via city bus line. A native plant garden near the pyramid would make this area a gathering place, and it would incorporate these aspects of placemaking: streets and walkways; architecture; sustainability and resilience; public health.

Native plants will create local habitat and food (pollen, nectar, berries) for native insects, bird species, and other wildlife. Most of the plants selected are deer-resistant and provide multi-season interest. The project will create an aesthetically pleasing collection of native, flowering plants/shrubs which can be enjoyed by people who visit the park for recreation and mental wellbeing. Plants will be labeled so that local residents can become familiar with and grow more native plants in their own gardens.

Congratulations to the Friends of Forest Hill Park — thank you for the beautiful work you’re doing!