It probably wouldn’t surprise you to know that with a population of close to one million people, Westchester County has its own initiative to encourage and empower residents to grow more plants.
The Planting Westchester project functions under the Westchester County Department of Planning, and is led by the County’s Program Coordinator for Water Quality and Planning Millie Magraw, along with Nikki Coddington, a volunteer specialist. They operate according to three main goals: to promote the importance of native plants; identify and eradicate invasive plant species; and address food insecurity through community gardens.
Magraw is passionate about getting home and property owners to use native plants in lieu of lawns. Not only are they easier to grow and require less maintenance, they also need much less water to thrive.
Just as important, native insects cannot survive on non-native plants. As gardeners have planted those non-native plants, insects struggle to find food which, in turn, can have disastrous effects for food webs. And with native birds depending almost entirely on insects to feed their young, the loss of insect populations also contributes to the loss of songbird populations.
Planting Westchester has created one-off programs to address those three primary objectives—even hosting a vine lopping workshop aimed at training people how to identify and remove invasive vines that grow on trees. If left untouched, these vines eventually suffocate healthy trees. Thankfully, concerned residents have formed “vine squads” to do this work. They’ve also educated like-minded people to form their own vine squads to address this huge undertaking.
With a high level of food insecurity in the county, estimated to be more than one in four people, the organization also works to promote community gardens to support local food pantries. Magraw notes that Bronxville and Pleasantville, in particular, have especially robust giving gardens that provide a variety of vegetables to those in need.
At its core, Planting Westchester aims to educate and facilitate people learning from each other, and making the county feel more like a community—where people can engage with each other, grow, and do some good by feeding themselves and feeding others.
For more information about Planting Westchester and to find out about upcoming programs, go to www.westchestergov.com/planting-westchester or email plantingwestchester@westchestergov.com.
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24 Feb 2025
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It probably wouldn’t surprise you to know that with a population of close to one million people, Westchester County has its own initiative to encourage and empower residents to grow more plants.
The Planting Westchester project functions under the Westchester County Department of Planning, and is led by the County’s Program Coordinator for Water Quality and Planning Millie Magraw, along with Nikki Coddington, a volunteer specialist. They operate according to three main goals: to promote the importance of native plants; identify and eradicate invasive plant species; and address food insecurity through community gardens.
Magraw is passionate about getting home and property owners to use native plants in lieu of lawns. Not only are they easier to grow and require less maintenance, they also need much less water to thrive.
Just as important, native insects cannot survive on non-native plants. As gardeners have planted those non-native plants, insects struggle to find food which, in turn, can have disastrous effects for food webs. And with native birds depending almost entirely on insects to feed their young, the loss of insect populations also contributes to the loss of songbird populations.
Planting Westchester has created one-off programs to address those three primary objectives—even hosting a vine lopping workshop aimed at training people how to identify and remove invasive vines that grow on trees. If left untouched, these vines eventually suffocate healthy trees. Thankfully, concerned residents have formed “vine squads” to do this work. They’ve also educated like-minded people to form their own vine squads to address this huge undertaking.
With a high level of food insecurity in the county, estimated to be more than one in four people, the organization also works to promote community gardens to support local food pantries. Magraw notes that Bronxville and Pleasantville, in particular, have especially robust giving gardens that provide a variety of vegetables to those in need.
At its core, Planting Westchester aims to educate and facilitate people learning from each other, and making the county feel more like a community—where people can engage with each other, grow, and do some good by feeding themselves and feeding others.
For more information about Planting Westchester and to find out about upcoming programs, go to www.westchestergov.com/planting-westchester or email plantingwestchester@westchestergov.com.