April is the month when many folks start visiting local garden centers to buy plants for their gardens. Many plant sales are also held in April or early May. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, all physical plant sales have been cancelled and garden centers have been closed unless they’re a part of a larger store, like Lowe’s. So what can you do? Here are a few options where you can order plants and pick them up locally.

Since the annual Spruce Hill May Fair has been cancelled, the University City Garden Club is holding an online plant sale (until 11 a.m. on Monday, April 20). There is a large selection of annuals and perennials, and herb and vegetable plants. Orders will be available for pickup on Saturday, May 2 on Woodland Terrace near the 40th Street Trolley Portal. Go here for more info and to shop.  Continue Reading

UPDATE (4/15/2020): SEPTA began offering free surgical masks to riders on some buses and subway trains and at 69th Street, 15th Street, Suburban and Jefferson stations, according to reports. This is a temporary initiative intended for riders who have not yet secured their own masks or facial coverings. It will only be available while supplies last, according to CBS Philly.

4/14/2020: SEPTA’s “Lifeline Service Schedule,” designed for safer traveling for essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, went into effect on April 9th. The new schedule includes suspended select trolley lines and bus routes and also closed select trolley and train stops/stations.

The original Lifeline Service Schedule, published last Wednesday, has been updated. Some El stations in West Philadelphia that SEPTA had planned to close, including the 46th Street station, remain in operation.  Continue Reading

Councilmember Jamie Gauthier is launching a new Town Hall series to continue a dialogue with the community during the COVID-19 crisis. Town halls will take place every other Thursday at 4:30 p.m. The first town hall will be Thursday, April 16 and will focus on public benefits and how to access them. A representative from Benefits Data Trust will share information and answer questions about public assistance, including programs like WIC, unemployment, and Medicaid.  Continue Reading

UC Green, the non-profit community greening organization serving West Philadelphia zip codes 19143, 19139 and 19104, is accepting applications from property owners (residents or organizations) for a free street tree through Tuesday, May 5. Trees will be planted in November 2020.

UC Green is encouraging residents to plant a tree as a great way to invest in the future of their neighborhood. UC Green’s services include cutting cement for tree pits where needed, facilitating the city permitting process, procuring 4-to-6-foot-tall saplings, planting the trees with community volunteers, and supporting tree care and maintenance at no cost to the applicant. These services are provided in partnership with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society Tree Tenders Program.  Continue Reading

“This is perhaps the best rainbow I’ve ever seen from my South 46th Street porch – a welcome counteroffensive to the darkest days most of us have ever experienced.”

Photo and caption by Marshall Ledger.

All Philadelphia public school buildings will remain closed through the end of the 2019-2020 academic year, according to an announcement on Thursday by the School District of Philadelphia. This decision was made in compliance with a new directive by Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf, in an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Instruction and learning will soon begin remotely. A “review and enrichment learning phase” for all students will take place for two weeks beginning April 20. Instruction will continue beginning May 4 with new lessons in all content areas, aligned to grade-level standards made available to teachers on a weekly basis.  Continue Reading