Missouri Gravel Bed

We’re excited for our new shipment of bare root trees newly installed in the city’s recently refurbished Missouri Gravel bed, all thanks to the hard work of the Roanoke City Tree Stewards! 

Our Missouri gravel bed was built in 2018 in partnership with Roanoke City Parks and Recreation’s office of Urban Forestry, which continues to provide materials for it’s operation. It is a bed of timer-irrigated pea gravel that serves as a nursery for bareroot trees over the course of the growing season. In the fall, the trees will be ready with a well-grown mass of fine roots that will encourage water movement and ease establishment after planting. Some advantages of planting with bareroot trees are reduced cost, reduced weight, and more natural root formation than container-grown. 

We’re already looking forward to fall plantings. Check back in to see how these trees will be utilized in our communities!

Fall 2023 - Belmont Park

This was a beautiful fall day for planting trees. Inspired by the recent loss of yet another majestic oak, volunteers helped plant 11 new trees along the paths and near the shelter of Belmont Park, including American hornbeam, redbuds, red oaks, and an ornamental cherry.

Fall 2023 - Old Southwest

On our most recent collaboration with the residents of OSW, those who were there will remember this as the most hard-digging event in recent memory, requiring the use of pickaxes and digging bars. But our volunteers persevered and prevailed, seeing 11 new lilacs, redbuds, honey locust, and more installed in and around the area of Mountain and 5th.

Fall 2023 - Elmwood Park

We are very pleased with the outcome of this project, which saw a stand of dogwoods that had long been in decline replaced with a new planting of ornamental cherries. These trees, Prunus ‘Helen Taft,’ are an introduction from the U.S. National Arboretum, and will make a fitting display at this prominent location off of Franklin Rd.

Fall 2023 - Kerns Ave SW

Inspired by and grateful for the generous fundraising efforts in this community, this was our first major project in the Wasena area. Residents were excited to have new white oaks, redbuds, and Kwansan cherries in the greenspace at Kerns and Hamilton, and we made a start on Kerns Ave with some Ivory Silk lilacs, a small stature ornamental great for small spaces. We look forward to doing more work in this great community!

Fall 2023 - Denniston Ave SW

This planting was invited by the adjacent resident, who’s interest in natives led us to select pin oak, river birch, and American smoketree.

Fall 2023 - Chapman Ave SW

Our first collaboration with the Mountain View Neighborhood Association was a fruitful one, with the planting of lilacs, redbuds, honey locust, and more all along the 1400 block of Chapman. We look forward to working more with the residents of this community to help build back their urban canopy!

Native Tree Project Garden City

Inspired by the film “Call of the Forest: The Forgotten Wisdom of Trees,” a group of Roanoke Tree Stewards formed the Native Tree Project with the aim of planting more native trees and promoting biodiversity in Roanoke City.   With the approval of the City, the first in a series of naturalization projects began in early 2020.  Young trees donated from a variety of sources, including Trees Roanoke, are being planted in one of Garden City's low-lying flood plains that has been removed from the City’s mowing cycle. By actively supporting the restoration of natural forest systems, we will positively impact local ecosystems, mitigate urban flooding, and help balance global climate change.

Tree Stewards planted 3 Butternuts, 2 Persimmons, 3 American Basswoods, 2 Kingnut Hickories, 4 Catalpas, and 4 American Hophornbeams.

 

New Tree Purchases

Trees Roanoke received our fall purchase of balled and burlapped trees for city plantings this fall and winter season. Thanks to our donors for making this purchase possible!

6TH ST, SE | HIGHLAND AVE, SE | UPPER BELMONT PARK

8 'Valley Forge' Elms, 1 'Exlclamation' London Planetree, 2 Catalpas