Hoover residents help plant fruit orchard for 2021 Arbor Day
Hundreds of people came out to Aldridge Gardens today for the city’s annual Arbor Day celebration.
The city had 250 trees to give away for people to plant in their yards, and the community this year was invited to help plant 26 fruit trees near the entrance to Aldridge along Lorna Road.
Trees given away came from 16 species, including hazel adler, Southern crabapple, wax myrtle, American fringe tree, dahoon holly, flowering dogwood, trident maple, Eastern red cedar, sweetbay magnolia, river birch, basswood, red maple, bald cypress, black gum, white oak and bur oak.
They were in containers small enough to carry away by hand but can grow up to 10 to 80 feet high and 8 to 80 feet wide, depending on the species. Specialists were present to advise people on the right type of tree for the location they have in mind.
Aldridge also had five varieties of apple trees, three varieties of pear trees and a true Southern crabapple tree for people to help plant at the gardens entrance, Executive Director Rip Weaver said. All of those were purchased from The Wildlife Group in Tuskegee.
The trees were planted next to some blueberry, raspberry and blackberry shrubs, fig trees and Oriental persimmon trees that were planted there in 2020, Weaver said. He expects the trees to bear their first apples, pears and crabapples in about a year and a half.
The community orchard is open for people to come and pick fruit as they please, but Aldridge asks that people not abuse the privilege and take a limited amount, leaving fruit for others to enjoy as well.
The Hoover Beautification Board also honored winners of an Arbor Day essay contest for fourth-graders in Hoover public schools. Students were invited to write 300-word essays, describing what makes trees in cities and towns so terrific, identifying their favorite tree or tree place in Hoover. And explaining how planting and preserving trees is helpful to Hoover.
The winner was Laurel Stokes of Bluff Park Elementary, who received a one-year family membership to Aldridge Gardens.
Stokes — along with nine honorable mention winners from other schools — also received a guide to trees in Alabama, a cash award from Ace Tree Service, a tree cookie from Good Neighbor Baking and gift certificates from Chick-fil-A, The Whole Scoop, Brixx Wood Fired Pizza, Tip Top Grill and Hoover Climbing & Adventure.
The honorable mention winners were Coco Parker fo Brock’s Gap Intermediate School, Ava Horne of Deer Valley Elementary, Olivia Creed of Green Valley Elementary, Ellis Byrne of Greystone Elementary, Kaileigh Grace Whitt of Gwin Elementary, Adriana Hayes of Riverchase Elementary, Ayden Henderson of Rocky Ridge Elementary, Josephine Harper of Shades Mountain Elementary and Ava Collins of Trace Crossings Elementary.