Overview: McKinney Green Gardens
This recurring volunteer project focuses on maintaining a native plant landscape demonstration to promote water conservation and watershed protection.
- Schedule: Last Saturday of every month (Community Workday).
- Host: McKinney Office of Environmental Sustainability and McKinney Parks & Rec.
- Location: 3339 Alma Rd, McKinney, TX 75070.
Quick Volunteer Guide
- Tasks: Planting native species, trimming, weeding, and mulching.
- Parking: Directly across from the garden. Strictly avoid parking by or blocking the water tower.
- Amenities: Restrooms are a short walk away at The Courts McKinney Pickleball and Tennis Center.
- Gear: Tools are provided, but you are welcome to bring personal gloves and hand tools. Don’t forget water, sunscreen, and bug spray.
VMS Logging & Registration
- Log Opportunity: BPTMN: McKinney Parks Projects
- Log Description: Start with “McKinney Green Gardens,” then list your specific tasks.
- Find additional Volunteer details on the VHAT Calendar (Look for the last Saturday, and then (VH – Green Gardens at Gabe Nesbitt Park)
- Registration/Updates: Volunteer McKinney Portal
- Contact: Mary Abercrombie ([email protected]).
Recents posts – McKinney Green Gardens
Update – Last Saturday Workday – McKinney Green Gardens at Gabe Nesbitt Park
Check out these photos from our Last Saturday Workday in Green Gardens at Gabe Nesbitt Park! We offer hands-on opportunities focused on native and drought-tolerant gardening, composting, water conservation, and general garden maintenance.
Last Saturday Workday – Green Gardens at Gabe Nesbitt Park
Join us for the Last Saturday Workday in Green Gardens at Gabe Nesbitt Park! We offer hands-on opportunities focused on native and drought-tolerant gardening, composting, water conservation, and general garden maintenance.
We NEED you to help us transplant over 400+ Native Plants!
Join us on Saturday, October 25th at McKinney Green Gardens in Gabe Nesbitt Park for a special workday! We’ll be transplanting over 400 native plants, and we’d love your help to make it happen.
McKinney Green Gardens Last Saturday Workday Update
Wow, what an incredible Saturday. We had our largest turnout yet at the Green Gardens! 💚 We are so grateful to everyone who came out and made this our largest workday ever. Your generosity of time and spirit creates lasting impacts: healthier soil, thriving pollinators, and the joy of native plants taking root in McKinney. 🌱🐝🌸
BPTMN Grant Program Update September 2025
The Blackland Prairie Texas Master Naturalists (BPTMN) are dedicated to various conservation efforts. Their “Eco Explorers” program educates Girl Scouts, while their “Texas Bat Acoustics” project monitors bat populations. They assist the Blackland Prairie Raptor Center with equipment and invasive species removal. Habitat restoration projects at Collin College and Prosper United Methodist Church show successful native plant growth. The Green Gardens of McKinney project is creating a learning garden, and community outreach efforts are bolstered by grant funds.
Rooted in Paulette: The First Books & Blooms Library Blooms at Green Gardens
Mary Abercrombie, Class of 2020 – Books & Blooms, a new passive engagement program that reimagines Little Free Libraries as vibrant community touchpoints for ecological literacy and neighborhood beauty.
Our very first Books & Blooms installation is now blooming at the Green Gardens of McKinney at Gabe Nesbitt Park, and we couldn’t have asked for a better partner to bring this pilot to life than Paulette Platko, local artist, garden steward, and Texas Master Naturalist with the Blackland Prairie Chapter.
Summer hours for McKinney Green Gardens Last Saturday workday!
Mary Abercrombie wants to share to good news! McKinney Green Gardens is updating its summer hours to help beat the heat.
McKinney Green Gardens Workday: A Community Success!
The McKinney Green Gardens restoration project, a Blackland Prairie Master Naturalists (BPTMN)- approved project and a Chapter grant recipient, experienced a highly successful workday on July 5th.
Leading the charge were two dedicated BPTMN members: Mary Abercrombie, who also works with the City of McKinney Office of Sustainability, and Paulette Platko.
McKinney Gardens – Last Saturday Workday
Join us to tend to the McKinney Green Gardens. Volunteers must supply their own tools, including gloves. Volunteers will pull weeds, spread mulch, and complete other tasks around the garden. This recurring workday will have many learning opportunities about native and drought-tolerant gardening, water conservation, and watershed protection.
McKinney Green Gardens Workday – Second Saturday of the Month
Mary Abercrombie, Environmental Outreach & Engagement Coordinator, City of McKinney and Class of 2022 Date: Second Saturday of the MonthTime: 9 am – 11 amLocation: McKinney Green Gardens, 3339 Alma Rd, McKinney, TX 75070What to Bring: Bring tools to work in the garden. Tools include wheelbarrows, clippers, hand shovels, shovels, rakes, gloves and water. Sunscreen and bug spray are recommended.Registration: Through Volunteer McKinneyParking: Directly across from the garden. Volunteers are not permitted to park next to the water tower or block access to the water tower.Bathrooms: The nearest restrooms are within walking distance located at The Courts McKinney Pickleball and…
Our Tribe’s Fortune 500 Hours – Paulette Platko
Paulette Platko, 2021 – “I’ve enjoyed projects that include prairie restoration, native garden maintenance, butterfly pinning, and working with children at the Heard. I love activities that facilitate my
greater understanding and knowledge about the environment and ecology.”
Our Tribe’s Fortune 250 Hours – Paulette Platko
By Paulette Platko, 2021 – I’m a member of the 2021 class. I have been volunteering mostly at
Erwin Park in McKinney, at the Heard Nature Preserve, and at Clymer
Nature Preserve. I’ve enjoyed projects that include prairie
restoration, native garden maintenance, butterfly pinning, and working
with children at the Heard.