UPDATE (3-21-26): Most of the buckthorn in this area was cut last fall… though it was not treated with herbicide, so additional management will be required. There are also still large patches of groundcovers that were garden escapees; they will need to be removed before we can plant those areas. And there will be a lot of weeding to do in the coming years while the native plants fill in. HOWEVER, we were able to start planting plugs in late October and early November of last year, AND also spread seed over most of the area during the winter. Yay!  Most of the plants will need a couple years to get established before they bloom, but there is one species of annual that you can look for in mid-summer this year: the partridge pea.

If reading through the Planting Plan was too dull, we now have PDFs to show you what was planted. They are:

• the northern section (shown in YELLOW) is divided into two:
  • SUN
  • SHADE      
• the SOUTHERN SECTION (shown in GREEN on the map below) 

 (Note: Most of the images in the PDF are from PrairieMoon.com, where we order our flower seed.)

UPDATE (8-27-25): We have permission to plant! Here is the plan that was approved by Public Works: Planting Plan. Though it's possible for us to get this project started with a one-person team, it would have better long-term success with a larger team. Please contact us if you're interested in helping.

UPDATE (7-1-25): We were fortunate to partner with Boston Scientific to tackle some of the burdock on the west side of the park. Twenty volunteers came out in the heat and rain over the course of three days to dig the mature burdock that was getting ready to bloom. We are also working to remove the remaining buckthorn. We are hoping that--later this month--we can get permission to plant native vegetation. If so, it will be a slow process and community involvement would be helpful. Please contact us if you're interested in joining our team!

(2024) This northwest corner of Cummings Park saw some drastic changes in early 2024 with the removal of several ash trees and buckthorn. Some residents expressed concerns about what would be done to fill in the new bare areas. Unfortunately, as you can see in the photo below from June, it has filled in with a number of invasive species such as burdock and garlic mustard.

This area COULD be restored with native vegetation, but that is not likely to happen unless we can find a crew of volunteers willing to tackle the problem (short-term) and monitor/maintain the area (long-term).