WMHC Therapeutic Gardens

10/23/2026

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If you come to watch the trains in the train garden at Western Maryland Hospital Center on Saturday 24 October from 10:00 - 11:30, you may want to explore our other gardens which are in their fall beauty now. The gardens are cared for by a team of people, some of whom choose to care especially for one garden.

Kathy Morrissey has worked as a volunteer in the Western Maryland Hospital Center Therapeutic Gardens since 2013. “Over ten years,” Kathy said.

She works in the small garden next to the westernmost entrance to the hospital off the patio. She told me that this was once Donna Brightman’s garden. History is remembered here.

Cathy pointed out the flowers in this garden.“Once there was a crape myrtle but it died and was replaced by a lilac bush. You can see the colorful autumn mums and the bubblegum petunias which last all season. Small plumbago covers the ground. Beautiful, not invasive, but not nourishing for insects either.”

In the corner is the blue globe thistle which Kathy is clipping. This herbaceous perennial is remarkably beautiful, non-native and non-invasive. It an excellent source of food for insects.

When you walk around the garden and you see a person working in a garden, you may want to ask them a question. The team who work on Western Maryland Hospital Center Therapeutic Gardens know so much about these plants and they are willing to share their knowledge.

10/23/2026

You are invited to Western Maryland Hospital Center Trunk or Treat on October 28th from 6:30 - 8:00 pm or until the candy is gone.

10/15/2026

10/08/2026

So many have worked so hard to make the Western Maryland Hospital Train Garden so beautiful. Come and visit on Saturday morning, October 10 from 10 - 11:30 at 1500 Pennsylvania Ave. We would love to show you the two running trains, the water falls, the new plants, the tunnel and the little village houses. And we will be closing soon for winter.

10/06/2026

05 October 2026
As the sun was setting on Sept. 24, Dusty Graham, Mike Shoop, Kelly Wilhelm, Joyce Randolph and Barb Jacob welcomed Skip Fielden and Chris Cass to the Western Maryland Hospital Center Train Garden.

We thanked them for the award from the Funkhouser Foundation to update the train garden. We showed them the changes we made, thanks to their help. We told them about the value and enjoyment of this train garden for the patients, staff, visitors, and local people.

Mr. Skip Fielden is the step-son of Mr. Funkhouser and the President of The Richard N. Funkhouser Foundation. When Mr. Funkhouser died he left money for the Foundation. He wanted to support projects in Washington County The Foundation was established in 1998. The Foundation has given over one million dollars to more than 64 grantees. The Foundation has helped a lot of people and organizations in our community.

Thank you, Funkhouser Foundation, from Western Maryland Hospital Center Therapeutic Gardens and the Train Garden.

09/24/2026

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The trains will run at the Western Maryland Hospital Center Train Garden this Saturday, 26 September, from 10:00 - 11:30. We are located at the back gardens on the hospital grounds at 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue in Hagerstown. Fall is here now. The end of our season is near. Please join us.

09/19/2026

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Here they are: the whole wonderful group of volunteers from CITI, Alternative Sanctions, and Congresswoman Delaney’s staff who posed in the auditorium of the Western Maryland Hospital Center after they had worked all morning in the Therapeutic Gardens on the 35th Anniversary of The United Way Day of Caring. We are all so grateful for their good work. Thank you.

09/18/2026

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Today was the thirty-fifth annual United Way Day of Caring. About twenty-eight people volunteered at Western Maryland Hospital Center Therapeutic Gardens. Twelve volunteers came from Citi and worked on the train garden, the pond, and in the small gardens of the upper level. Four men from Alternate Sanctions worked in the Memorial Garden, weeding and trimming the crabapple trees.

Our congresswoman of Maryland Sixth District, April McClain Delaney, sent her staff to attend the ceremonies here in Washington County. There was an opening ceremony at Hagerstown Community College. Then the five staff members of Congresswoman Delaney came to Western Maryland Hospital Center Therapeutic Gardens.

Anniston Cree, District Director of the Sixth District, and Kendall Abruzzese, Western Maryland Outreach Coordinator, worked together in the Shade Garden, #18. First they removed the lemon balm from under the dogwood tree. Kathy Morrissey of WMHCTherapeutic Gardens trimmed the dogwood tree. Then Anniston Cree and Kendall Abruzzese planted the shade loving plants: lariope, ferns and hostas, which are known as the “queen of the shade garden.”

The threatened rain storm came around 11:30, so volunteers hastily finished their tasks and gathered inside the hospital to enjoy lunch donated by Chick-fil-A. We had a lot of work and a lot of fun on this thirty-fifth anniversary day of the Day of Caring.