New Pollinator Bed on Four Season Boulevard, Sponsored by Hendersonville Tree Board
The young plants in the recently-installed pollinator bed on Four Seasons Boulevard are already blooming and growing. A new irrigation system helps keep them stress-free and healthy. By next spring we imagine the little garden located in the green triangle on the north side of the boulevard bounded by 7th Avenue E., Duncan Hill Road, and Four Seasons Boulevard will be well established and will be a busy place for insects, pollinators, brave birds and butterflies throughout the season.
Landscaped on about ¼-acre of enriched soil, the pollinator garden is protected on the west side by a berm of well-established trees. This gives the six medium-height pollinator-friendly trees, the 43 flowering shrubs, a number of tall grasses, and hundreds of plugs of perennial flowers a cozy spot to flourish. As the plants mature, passersby headed toward town and those stopped at the traffic lights will be treated to a range of colors at different heights during the season. Flowering dogwoods and serviceberry trees and mountain laurel in spring, joined by butterfly weed and coneflowers later on, then salvia and Joe Pye weed, and in late season the colorful tall grasses and tall sunflowers will be enhanced by fall colors of sourwood.
“Landscape designer Bruce Lowe selected a variety of pollinator-friendly plants, trees, and shrubs to also reflect the name of the street – Four Seasons Boulevard. While there isn’t pedestrian access to this pollinator garden, tens of thousands of people will enjoy it as they drive past,” said Mark Stierwalt, Hendersonville Public Works Superintendent of Buildings, Properties, and Cemetery. “We want it to be beautiful for travelers as well as contributing to increase pollinator habitat. This is a great collaboration and shows our commitment as a Bee City.”
This new pollinator bed is one of three planned to be created along Four Seasons Boulevard within two years. Next spring, a similar landscaped area will be installed on about 1/10th acre on the south side of the boulevard near Starbucks on Mitchelle Drive. In 2025 the largest project – pollinator-friendly landscaping of the large median at the entrance to Highlands Square – will be done.
“These are all located on the right-of-way of the NC Department of Transportation,” Stierwalt continued. “But NCDOT officials have given permission and the City has encroachment rights for these projects.”
Hendersonville Tree Board is the sponsor of this project. Commissioned by the City of Hendersonville to provide advice on the selection and care of trees and shrubs in public places, the Tree Board also educates the public concerning the economic, environmental, and aesthetic benefits of trees, shrubs, and native plantings. The Arbor Day Foundation has recognized Hendersonville as a Tree City USA for over 30 years because of its high level of urban tree management. In 2018 the N.C. Forest Service recognized the city as Tree City of the Year in North Carolina. The municipality has been a designated Bee City USA since 2015. To learn more about Hendersonville Tree Board and its projects visit the webpage at http://www.hendersonvillenc.gov/tree-board.