Mary Abercrombie and Paulette Platko, Volunteer Service Project Co-Chairs
From Paulette – Forwarding Mary’s news about the Workday we had Saturday, August 30. We had a blast, it was cool and the threat of rain just made us work faster. BPTMN members Mary Abercrombie, Barbara Dupont, Kara Ezell, Dave Powell and Paulette Platko were joined with 23 community volunteers and we made significant progress on the garden.
This past Saturday, we wrapped up our workday just in time before the rain came pouring down!
Volunteers accomplished so much in just a few hours: mulching under the wax myrtles, clearing weeds from the decomposed granite paths and garden beds, creating native seed packets for distribution, and helping prep the site for our upcoming Make a Difference Day Planting in October. 🌱✨
Mulching is one of the most impactful tasks we can do, it helps the soil retain moisture, suppresses weeds, and gives the wax myrtles the best chance to thrive through hot and dry stretches. Likewise, pulling weeds is more than just tidying up; it removes competition for water and nutrients, creates room for native plants to establish, and ensures our paths and beds remain welcoming to visitors. 🌿💧
We are deeply grateful to everyone who gave their Saturday morning to this effort. Your time, energy, and care ripple outward, building healthier soil, supporting pollinators, and sharing the beauty of native plants with our community. Thank you for making a difference!
We’re so excited as we prep for fall planting, and we couldn’t do it without this amazing team. Please feel free to invite friends and family to future workdays; everyone is welcome, and there’s always something to learn and enjoy! Our next Last Saturday Workday is September 27th, 9 am – 11 am. Please be aware we’ve changed the time back to a 9 am start! 🌍👨👩👧👦💚
BTW – we have a lot of programs to offer this Fall. Please check out the following!
- GROW: Gardening, Resilience, Outdoors & Wildlife Series | Multiple Dates
- Once Earth One Chance: Green Ambassador Program | Multiple Dates
- Lights Out, Texas! Movie Night | October 3rd
- Make a Difference Day Green Gardens Planting | October 25th
Green Regards!
Mary Abercrombie
Environmental Outreach & Engagement Coordinator
City of McKinney │ www.mckinneytexas.org
Environmental Services, Office of Environmental Sustainability
3501 North Central Expressway, McKinney, Texas 75071
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