Orlando resident Valeria Yon was awarded a Mayor’s Matching Grant in 2023 for a special project she dreamed up to replace non-native, invasive plants with more sustainable natives.
Yon, a self-described native plant enthusiast, and former Conservation Corps (Website) member, applied for the grant out of City Hall to remove invasive plants from Colonialtown Square, a small pocket park in the heart of the neighborhood where a Pulse memorial labyrinth was installed in 2017.
Yon will lead an outreach event on Saturday, May 20, to showcase a new native garden alongside local vendors, environmental exhibitors, and organizations with a lineup of speakers as well. A free raffle of native plants from Green Isle Gardens Nursery and raised beds that were built by the Florida Native Plant Society will also take place.
Click HERE to RSVP.
