Amidst all of the heartbreaking news and stories from Ukraine, one more catastrophic loss that will be felt around the world is in the area of agriculture—Ukraine’s largest export industry. “These people are farmers,” said Kennett Beautification Committee member JoAnn Donlick, “and they cannot plant this year.”

As Southern Chester County residents eagerly await the spring planting season this year, Donlick and her fellow committee members are raising awareness and showing solidarity with Ukrainians by featuring sunflowers at their annual plant sale. 

“We’ll have sunflower starts and seed packets as well,” Donlick said. “Sunflowers are a powerhouse providing food, shade, and energy in addition to being pollinators and there are many different cultivars, from tall varieties to smaller ones.”

Pratt’s Greenhouse, at 634 Hillendale Road in Avondale, will once again host this year’s Kennett Beautification Committee Plant Sale on Saturday, April 30 (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.) and Sunday, May 1 (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.). The sale moved to Pratt’s last year, and the new location was a great success. Customers appreciated the wide variety of beautiful and well-tended annuals and perennials for sale, including plants that local garden club members bring from their gardens. Pratt’s offers a spacious layout and plenty of free parking. The two-day format was also popular, organizers say.

The Greater Philadelphia Dahlia Society was unable to attend last year’s sale due to COVID, but they will be back with a table at the plant sale this year.

Those who don’t have the space for extensive garden beds can still brighten up window boxes, hanging baskets, and containers with colorful blooms and textured, multi-hued foliage. All proceeds from the Kennett Beautification Committee Plant Sale pay for the spring and summer plantings in the large planters up and down State Street enjoyed all season by locals and visitors alike.

In addition to the costs of the plants themselves, the design, planting, and maintenance of these planters requires a significant investment of time, hard work, and expertise from many different community members. Bill Reynolds of Pratt’s Greenhouse has designed the Kennett Square planters for years. Having studied the daily patterns of sun and shade in the various locations of these planters, he selects a variety of plants for maximum effect and interest throughout the season.

Volunteers from local garden clubs, including Barb Kurowski from the Four Seasons Garden Club, Diane Cannon and Marge Brant from Seedlings, and Michelle Springer and Abbey Reece from the Spade and Trowel Garden Club, do the planting, and the hardworking staff from the Borough of Kennett Square’s Public Works Department prepare the planters and keep them watered throughout the season. The gardenscapes and placemaking projects that Kennett Collaborative is implementing as part of their Kennett Blooms 2022 initiative, said Kennett Collaborative executive director Bo Wright, will once again complement the planters to make Kennett Square as beautiful and vibrant as possible this season.

Kennett Beautification Committee members JoAnn Donlick and Prissy Roberts thank the community for their continued support of the plant sale and look forward to seeing both new and familiar faces at the sale on April 30 and May 1. They invite everyone to support a great cause and beautify their gardens or containers in time for Mother’s Day.