The Fallsington Library installed a new Reading Garden this past spring/summer. The garden features medicinal herbs, small shrubs, and a dogwood tree, along with benches to welcome readers and anyone who would like to sit and enjoy the peacefulness of Fallsington.
The Reading Garden was funded by a donation made by Library Board President-Emeritus Jody Pendle, in memory of her nephew, Thomas Rindock.
A garden was chosen as a fitting memorial because Thomas enjoyed reading as a child and as an adult, and because he loved to garden with his mother, Cindy Rindock.
Cindy remembers that Thomas’s favorite flower was the snapdragon. Two large flowerpots of snapdragons anchor each end of the garden. A dedication stone, made by Jody, sits among the plants.
The Reading Garden was planned by Library Director Charlene Rendeiro, who was inspired by the Benjamin Rush medicinal plant garden at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia.
Plants include lavender, bee balm, feverfew, chamomile, rosemary, celandine, wormwood, and European sage. Part of the garden features butterfly-friendly plants, including milkweed and butterfly weed.
The work of digging and planting the garden was a community effort, and began this past March. Many of the historically medicinal plants for the garden were donated by the William Trent House, Trenton’s oldest house.
The Trent House gardens were redesigned this past summer, and some of their outgoing herbs found a new home in the Library’s Reading Garden. Hand-painted plant identification slates were added in August as a final touch.
The Fallsington Library hopes that visitors who would like a tranquil place to sit and read, rest during a walk around town, or take a break during the day, will enjoy the garden for years to come.
Cindy and Jody hope that this memorial to Thomas will bring solace to those who visit.
To contact the library call 215-295-4449 or visit fallsingtonlibrary.org.