Bring clippers and pruners to help cut English Ivy from trees, or swing by just to say "Hello!”
Those coming to work can fill out an information form online or in-person on the day of the event. Register Online.
Join us for an afternoon of neighbors, clippers, and donuts! We're going to start the work of removing ivy from the park's trees. We'll have some tools to use, but feel free to BYO pruners, loppers, or hand saws. Volunteers must complete the Lower Merion Township Information and Waiver form.
English Ivy has been planted all over Lower Merion as an ornamental groundcover, but it has become a problematic invasive in our area. The ivy forms dense mats that crowd out native species. It climbs trees, contributing to tree loss by weighing down branches in storms, shading the canopy, and damaging bark, providing entry points for disease. The dense ivy growth also blocks light to understory shrubs. Mature ivy--the kind we see on many trees around the park--produces berries that are dispersed by birds, starting new invasive colonies.
We can start to free our park's trees from their ivy burden by girdling the ivy at the base of the trunk. The ivy gets its nutrients from the ground, not the trees, so if we make sure all the stems are cut, all the overhead ivy will die back. Our plan is to completely remove ivy from a six-foot circle around the affected trees, up to a height of about four-or-five feet on the trunk, then leave the rest of the ivy to dry out and eventually fall off. We're going to start this month with the trees in Buttercup Field--the triangle of parkland to the west of Indian Creek. The trees there have mature ivy infestations, but they aren't surrounded by impenetrable thickets, so it should be a good place to hone our skills.
Don't feel like cutting or pulling ivy? No problem! Stop by to say hi, talk about the park, and meet some friends and neighbors, have a donut. We want to make sure that the Friends of Penn Wynne Park is an organization for all the park's stakeholders, not just gardeners. Kids are welcome too, of course, whether they want to lend a hand or just run around.
Nick Cronin & Shelby Sparrow
Co-Chairs, Friends of Penn Wynne Park