Daffodils Are Waking Up Across White Plains!
Spring is on the way, and daffodils planted through The Daffodils Project by WPBF and our community partners are starting to bloom across the city.
See a daffodil display you love? Send a photo or tell us the location, and we’ll do our best to feature it! Email info@wpbf.org with the subject line “Attn: Daffodils in WP”
Welcoming Pollinators to Our City
Under the auspices of WPBF, Pollinators of White Plains is joining communities throughout Westchester and Connecticut to bring back the pollinators in an exciting new initiative, called Pollinator Pathways. In White Plains, the effort has two key areas of focus – gradually converting WPBF gardens to native plant gardens and educational and fun programs for the public, for people of all ages. The goal is to improve our habitats for pollinators by planting native plants and understanding the importance of eliminating pesticides. The garden above at the intersection of Main Street and Broadway is among the first to be converted.
While the program is national, implementation is local and adaptable to each community. Check out WPBF’s Pollinator Pathways – White Plains page here. Learn more details from “This Blooming City” episode focused on Pollinator Pathways-White Plains and watch this video of the celebration and ribbon-cutting for the new plaza at the White Plains Library filled with native plants. Please consider becoming a Pollinator-Pathways Ambassador to help establish this initiative. We are looking for a core of committed individuals willing to devote time, expertise and resources to develop a program that will educate our community and design and support pathways. An extensive knowledge of native plants or pesticide-free gardening is not needed. There are many varied projects that can be done, and we will match the project to your interests.
Keep checking back for more information and contact us at pollinatorswp@gmail.com to express your interest or to get more information.
Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day
Each year, WPBF joins the city’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, walking alongside local organizations and neighbors in celebration of community and tradition.
A year after our beloved showpiece basket at the South Broadway/Armory Plaza traffic island was damaged beyond repair by a car, we celebrated the replacement of a replica planted and sponsored by Amodio’s Garden Center, one of WPBF’s diamond sponsors. The project was been a collaboration between WPBF and the City of White Plains’ Department of Public Works. WPBF commissioned the construction of the original basket in 1996 and donated it to the city, where it stood laden with vibrant flowers and foliage until last year.
After much discussion about materials, size, waterproofing and how to proceed, WPBF and the City sought a craftsman who could essentially replicate the basket. Winning the bid was Frank Usowski, a custom homes builder. The new basket weighs approximately 3,000 pounds and is made of red cedar that is naturally resistant to rot and insects. The wood has been left natural to weather into shades of gray. At night the basket will be lit with LED bulbs in the basket handle and from the exterior.
Among the members of WPBF and city officials on hand to watch the installation were (see photo #7 in slide show above captioned “WPBF members and city officials” – from left) Cecelia Spilotros, Joanna D’Addario, Mary Ann DeRosa, Mayor Thomas Roach, Cormac Daly, Deputy DPW Commissioner Stefania Mignone, DPW Commissioner Richard Hope, Jean Bello, Deborah Donahoe.
To see the installers in action, click here and here and here.