Pittsburgh Botanic Garden has been working for several years removing old coal mines, renovating, and repopulating a section of Settler's Cabin County Park with a diverse array of plant life.

In 2011, the organization built a nursery to raise plants from seeds and sprouts for use in creating their gardens. The funds for this project were obtained from The Sprout Fund's Spring program. In recognition of the support, Pittsburgh Botanic Garden named their new facility the Sprout Nursery.

"The Pittsburgh Botanic Garden has increased its capacity and competency due to the Sprout Nursery funding," says Greg Nace, President of the Pittsburgh Botanic Garden. "We are deeply grateful for The Sprout Fund's investment in the early stages of the region's only outdoor, comprehensive botanic garden."

Currently, the nursery houses 21 young apple saplings, two seedlings of the newly developed strain of American Chestnut trees, Black Walnut saplings, and tiny sprouts of American Beech, Tulip Poplar and a variety of oaks. These saplings will beautify and restore areas of the garden.

Kitty Vagley, Director of Development, reaches out to the public for help in this effort. "We rely on volunteers to bring the Botanic Garden to life! Please help us plant native trees for three days in the fall. [We're asking people to] mark September 15th, September 29th, and October 13th on [their] calendars."

"Pittsburgh Botanic Garden is building an important ecological asset in our region that will preserve and restore plant species native to Appalachia," said Dustin Stiver, Program Officer at The Sprout Fund. "At Sprout, we were able to support grassroots initiatives like these through our Spring program that catalyzed 20 projects to enhance biodiversity in the Pittsburgh region."

Plant trees in the fall to support Pittsburgh Botanic Garden! Volunteers are encouraged to call 412-444-4464 or send email  to: info@pittsburghbotanicgarden.org to schedule a work day.

6/18/2012