While our state’s most famous groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, has packed his bags for warmer digs this month, hope springs eternal we will be back to work in our beloved greenspaces soon after the big thaw. Our neighborhood is blessed with more than two dozen greenspaces large and small, ranging from parks, courtyards and green entrances. Many have friends groups with volunteers who donate their time and talents. Winter gives us a brief time to recharge and plan ahead. If you are new to the area or are passionate about the outdoors, these volunteer days are a great opportunity to meet your tribe, so consider this an open invitation.

This month, I caught up with three of our greenspace partners who shared updates on activities planned and what they accomplished in 2025.

From Jean Warrington – Jenks Playground and Children’s Park

The Children’s Park at Jenks, located in the heart of Chestnut Hill, has been a significant community space since its construction in 1997. The park, now under the jurisdiction of the School District of Philadelphia, faces challenges due to aging equipment but big things are in the works with a $500,000 state grant earmarked for improvements. The Friends of the Children’s Park, including three of the original parents and architects from 1997, have commissioned an assessment from Leathers & Associates, the company that managed the community build of the playground. Principal Corinne Scioli is talking to the School District about a major restoration. The capitals from the top of the column court in the playground are being rebuilt. Volunteers pruned, cleared and planted bulbs in 2025 and volunteer days will continue in the spring. The most pressing need is to find an experienced volunteer to assist with oversight of the grant and the restoration project. All are welcome to help with volunteer days and enjoy the greenspace.

From Emily Daeschler – The Chestnut Hill Garden District Fund

Founded in 1999, the Chestnut Hill Garden District Fund works to beautify the Chestnut Hill shopping district and Germantown Avenue, one of Philadelphia’s great main streets. You see their work with hanging baskets, barrels and window boxes, as well as at Cliff Park, Memorial Park, Peace Park and the welcome gateways.

Each spring, Germantown Avenue — and portions of Bethlehem Pike and Evergreen Avenue — burst into bloom with a joyful display of flowering annuals. In 2025, the Chestnut Hill Garden District Fund planted and maintained 32 storefront boxes and urns, more than 90 sidewalk barrels, and approximately 70 hanging baskets adorning lampposts throughout the business district. These plantings have become a signature of Chestnut Hill. The annual spring planting — carried out over several weeks with the help of more than 50 dedicated volunteers — is one of the Fund’s flagship community events.

A tranquil island of green at the base of a rocky outcrop and stone wall that give the park its name, Cliff Park is part of a cluster of pocket parks that serve as Chestnut Hill’s southern gateway. In 2025, the Fund planted annuals and continued to provide comprehensive landscaping maintenance, updated annual and woody plantings, and lighting improvements. In 2026, Cliff Park — along with our other parks and Germantown Avenue — will be planted in red, white, and blue to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of our country.

Memorial Park is a triangular patch of green dominated by a large, illuminated Celtic cross honoring residents of Chestnut Hill and Mt. Airy who lost their lives in World War I in France in 1918. It remains a peaceful and well-loved spot, often serving as a welcoming place to pause while waiting for a northbound bus toward the top of the Hill. The Fund maintains Memorial Park with regular landscaping, planting and upkeep.

Located at Germantown Avenue and East Mermaid Lane, Peace Park was renamed in 2019 in collaboration with the International Institute for Peace Through Tourism and the Chestnut Hill Rotary, honoring the memory of Johanna Sigmund, who was killed in the September 11th attacks. This frequently visited park is planted each year with an ever-changing palette of annuals. In 2025, the Fund replaced many overgrown woody shrubs and added new perennials. In 2026, we will continue this renewal.

The Fund maintains the flower plantings beneath and around the two “Welcome to Chestnut Hill” signs — one marking the northern gateway on Bethlehem Pike and the other at the southern entrance on Germantown Avenue. In 2025, we planted three redbud trees at the Bethlehem Pike entrance. In 2026, these gateway plantings will be adorned with red, white and blue in honor of the nation’s 250th anniversary.

From James McNabb – Friends of Pastorius Park

Pastorius Park is a 16-acre park maintained by Friends of Pastorius Park and the Fairmount Park Commission. Established in 1915, this American park was named in honor of Francis Pastorius, a leader of early German immigrants to the area. It is located at Lincoln Drive and Abington Avenue.

The year 2025 marked its first as an accredited arboretum, and the park landscape continued to mature, evolve and teach us. We cared for recent plantings, responded to natural losses in the aging canopy, and added new trees. Volunteer engagement remained strong, highlighted by successful spring and fall work days. We strengthened our collaboration with Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, which supported storm cleanup and hazard removals.

Volunteers and community partnerships are key to keeping up the demands of a large park. A Spring Volunteer Day on March 21 is a great chance to get involved for general park cleanup. The Paul W. Meyer Northeast Woods Restoration Project, including tree removals, site work, and ecological restoration activities, will extend into early summer. Large-scale implementation of the Northeast Woods restoration planting plan is scheduled for fall 2026.

Many more of our greenspace partners are keeping equally as busy and we’re thankful for all that these groups do for the neighborhood. Please check out their social media sites for volunteer days and other ways to support their efforts.