Typically celebrated in late April, the City of Hopkinsville took time out of a perfectly-temperate Thursday afternoon to honor Arbor Day 2021 — by planting a singular redbud tree along the Greenway Trail at the downtown Westside Park.
It’s the beginning of what will be a full improvement of the large grassy knoll inside the 100-year-old facility — one that once bore the name “Wilgus Park” — that will eventually include more than 10 redbud and quanzhen cherry saplings along the sidewalk and wrap around to the fence row leading up to the basketball court and playground.
COVID-19 concerns in the early spring were one key reason for shifting the small gathering, but Public Works Director Mike Perry noted it’s actually much more efficient and healthier for new trees to be planted in the fall.
Perry suggests those looking to plant trees right now should follow a few simple do’s and don’ts for better success.
Make sure the top of the root ball is 1-to-2 inches from the top ground, because a common mistake is to bury a tree too deep. Furthermore, one should keep mulch away from the trunk base, and instead form a donut a few inches away so water can effectively collect.
Holes dug for trees should be twice the size of the root ball, too, in order to give the roots a fighting chance to take hold and ingratiate into the land. And staking a tree, Perry added, isn’t as necessary.
Perry was assisted by City Grounds Maintenance crewman Blane Ezell and Beautification Coordinator Heather Braun, while Hopkinsville Mayor Wendell Lynch and Christian County Judge-Executive Steve Tribble voiced a proclamation to recognize Arbor Day in the city.
A handful of local master gardeners were on hand for the presentation, as well, and Tribble said Christian County is the home of nearly 60 such elite green thumbs.
Proclamation:
