Veteran Memorials Circle Pollinator Garden Nears Completion
August 21, 2025 – The Garden Club of Yorktown is almost finished with the second phase of a new native-species garden at Veteran Memorials Circle.
The pollinator garden is a formal, demonstration garden in the circle that educates the public while honoring veterans by using hardy native species that represent the resilience of the American spirit.
By Veterans Day, the club intends to install interactive signage allowing visitors to identify the plants in the garden and find more information about those plants using QR-codes that link to the club’s website. Phase two of the project included the installation of an irrigation system paid with a $5,000 Greenway grant secured by the Town, and the removal of Japanese knotweed, an invasive species.
“We're really trying to encourage the public to remove their lawns and put in native gardens,” said the garden club’s vice-president Renee Fogarty.
The first phase of the project in September involved replanting the main park circle—a former locomotive turnaround—with native flora that are sun-loving, drought-tolerant and beneficial to pollinators and birds.
“This new native species garden is a loving and living tribute to everyone who has served our country,” said Supervisor Ed Lachterman, who visited the work site on Monday. “The garden is in its full summer splendor, and I invite everyone to visit the circle, contemplate the garden’s beauty and express gratitude to the fallen heroes who protected our way of life.”
The circle behind Town Hall is the location of five memorial stones, armed services flags, and other tributes to current and former service members. Next year Yorktown officials hope to add a new memorial to commemorate Revolutionary War combatants on the 250th anniversary of the Second Continental Congress’ adoption of the Declaration of Independence.
