American Beauties gives back

HOCHESSEN, Del. -- American Beauties Native Plants, a partnership between North Creek Nurseries in Landenberg, Pa. and and Prides Corner Farms in Lebanon, Conn., has donated 3,000 plants for education and disaster relief projects this year.

On Earth Day, New York City Eco-elementary school received 650 native plants -- one for each student. Together with 100 teachers and Park Rangers natives were planted in a 17-acre wetland park across from the school where students care for trees, conduct summer pond clean-ups, and collect water quality data for the U.S. EPA.

In May,1,350 plants were delivered to the Gateway National Recreation Area as part of a Hurricane Sandy restoration project. National Park Service and NWF volunteers all converged at the Ecology Village garden that week to restore a site badly damaged by Hurricane Sandy. Once it is rebuilt, the garden will be used for school group educational programs and for growing native plants for relocation around the park.

Students at Chisago Lakes Middle School in Lindstrom, Minn. will be planting a meadow for pollinators this fall. American Beauties donated 500 plants to help turn a vacant lot across from the school into a wildlife habitat. This school has a history of hands-on teaching about the environment. The students have planted more than 3,000 trees since 2007, raised enough money to fund a10 Kw photovoltaic solar array, have put in two rain gardens and recycle 90 percent of their food scraps by sending them to a pig farm rather than a landfill.

One more special project will be announced this fall.

“We’re proud to be able to give back to so many worthy causes with our partner the National Wildlife Federation. Education, especially children’s education is part of our mission," said Steve Castorani, co-owner of American Beauties Native Plants.