Kim Patten directs the Wilderness Greenhouse & Native Plant Nursery, a program of the Diakon Wilderness School located just outside of Boiling Springs in Cumberland County.

While new to professional horticulture, Kim has been a gardener, educator and avid environmentalist for many years, having spent 15 years with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, teaching hands-on watershed education and engaging citizens in environmental advocacy and restoration projects to protect our water quality.

She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council (CCLC).

The Diakon Wilderness School, a program of Diakon Lutheran Social Ministries, has been serving at-risk youth of central Pennsylvania for over 30 years.

While the greenhouse offers more than 200 different species of flowering plants, ferns, grasses, shrubs and trees for both retail and wholesale customers, first and foremost , the greenhouse is a teaching nursery, offering students an opportunity to learn valuable skills, gain workplace experience, and deepen their understanding of the relationships in the world around them.

Kim frequently talks to groups about the development of the Wilderness Greenhouse native plant program and will provide some helpful hints on specific plants that we can incorporate into our landscapes to encourage and support birds and wildlife.

On March 17, Kim will give a presentation at the Appalachian Audubon Society program entitled Go Native at the Christ Presbyterian Church, 421 Deerfield Road, Camp Hill, Cumberland County starting at 7:00 p.m.

For more information on the program, visit the Wilderness Greenhouse & Native Plant Nursery webpage.

(Reprinted from the February/March Kingfisher Courier newsletter from the Appalachian Audubon Society.)

2/8/2016