The Shelby Avenue Arboretum installation is in full swing, so what better time than now to review what the different planned sections mean for Nashville. No street along this Nashville arboretum is getting anything less than the full treatment, so read on and learn how we’re regreening our city piece by piece.
The project has multiple themed sections that exhibit different aspects the natural splendor that trees can provide. There are numerous themed sections including:
Trees That Bloom
Large Canopy Tree Exhibit
Native Trees
Redbud Colorburst
Trees in Memoriam
Native Evergreens
Pollinator Meadow
Maples From Around the World
Trees in Tough Places
Cherry Blossom Exhibit
These segments will be designated by physical signage that will be installed at the beginning and end of each segment. These segments are meant to create additional interest in the arboretum and help create an educational and curated experience for residents and visitors on the arboretum.
Tree species were selected carefully given the following parameters and challenges:
1) Safety & Infrastructure Constraints: Did the section over Shelby Avenue have powerlines? Were there underground utility lines? How close to the intersection can we plant trees? These are all questions we factored into our tree selections. Overhead powerlines were especially a constraint we had to work with during planning the arboretum in Nashville.
2) Hardiness of Tree Species: These trees would be planted in between concrete and asphalt, surrounded by the constant bombardment of urban pollution, these trees will get bumped, run over, snapped, hit by hail, and may be very tasty to hungry pests living in the city. We had to select trees that were going to be tough enough to live in this very urban densely populated area of town.
3) Arboretum Status: This project will become a certified arboretum from multiple sources and an arboretum is a living tree museum and sometimes used for research purposes. The more varieties of tree species we have the more interesting and higher-level certification this project will receive from commissioning sources. We did our best to create as many varieties in this arboretum as possible.
4) Inspirational Beauty: We wanted to make sure the trees we selected in the project would be of visual interest to people living near and visiting the project. We intentionally picked trees that were colorful and interesting through the changing of the seasons.
Here are the following details of each segment:
Trees That Bloom – Located between South 7th Street and South 10th Street on the north side of the street, this area of Shelby Avenue was constrained by overhead powerlines which limited our options for tree planting. We selected small and medium canopy tree species that prolifically bloom such as Kwanzan, Yoshino, Akebono, and Okame cherry blossom varieties, ‘Purple Robe’ Black Locust trees, D.D. Blanchard Southern Magnolia, and Redbud varieties. This section had pre-existing trees we worked around including large Crape Myrtles and Crab Apple trees. This section is more of a work in progress than other sections currently due to the many pre-existing trees already in place here. Over the years we will gradually remove and replace trees in this section with additional blooming trees and will work towards a beautiful curated experience along this section of the street.
Large Canopy Tree Exhibit – Located between South 7th Street and South 10th Street on the south side of the street, this area of Shelby Avenue was not constrained by overhead powerlines and so we decided to plant trees with the largest potential here. We selected a handful of oak tree varieties, cypress, ginkgo, elm, and maple trees to run up and down the hillside of Shelby Avenue. This area was also challenged by pre-existing trees planted in the median and so the experience is a work in progress as we gradually remove and replace trees that are more fitting for the curated experience.
Native Trees – Located between South 15th Street and South 16th Street on the south side of the street, this area of Shelby Avenue had just the right conditions to plant some of our favorite native Nashville trees that could withstand the harsh life of a tree between concrete and asphalt. Constrained only by overhead communication lines, we could plant medium and small canopy tree species here. We were able to source American Hornbeam, Blackgum, Kentucky Coffee Tree, and Yellowwood tree species. Further down the street into Shelby Park near the hairpin curved road hillside named the ‘Pollinator Meadow’, every tree species except for two are a native tree species — nearly 120 native trees are planted in this area.
Redbud Colorburst Exhibit – Located between South 16th Street and South 19th Street on the north side of the street, this part of Shelby Avenue had overhead powerlines which limited our options to small canopy tree species. When reviewing the availability of tree species from our suppliers, we found an inspiring selection of redbud trees available and so we decided to dedicate an entire section of this project to show off this beloved versatile tough native tree in all its splendor and forms. Amongst the varieties growing are: Eastern Redbud, Western Redbud, Rising Sun Redbud, Alleycat Redbud, Flamethrower Redbud, Carlina Sweetheart Redbud, and Burgundy Hearts Redbud
Trees in Memoriam – Scattered throughout the project will be special trees in memoriam for individuals and communities of people. A segment planned for dedication to military service men and women is planted between South 14th Street and South 15th Street. Sangu Kaku Japanese Maples and Twobley’s Red Sentinel Japanese Maple are especially red leaf and twigged varieties that symbolically represent the sacrifice and passion of service members in our community.
Native Evergreens – Located at the bottom of the Shelby Park below the spring cave is a display of native evergreens. Eastern Red Cedars, Virginia Pine, and Loblolly Pines are planted in abundance in these areas.
Pollinator Meadows – Located on the hill next to the Tennis Courts of Shelby Park is a ‘No Mow’ area with about 120 native trees planted throughout the hillside. Included in this area are Bur Oaks, Shagbark Hickory, Dogwoods, Serviceberry, Bald Cypress, Sourwood, Southern Magnolia, Pecan Trees, Persimmon, American Beech, Ohio Buckeye, and Paw Paw trees.
Maples from Around the World – This exhibit located between South 15th Street to the entrance of Shelby Park, displays a variety of maple trees from all over the planet. This display of trees shows the versatility and global footprint of the maple tree. Species include Sugar Maple, Armstrong Columnar Maple, Tartaricum, State Tree, Ruby Slippers, Hot Wings, Pacific Sunset, and Emperor 1 Japanese Maple.
Trees in Tough Places – Located between South 10th Street and South 11th Street, this inhospitable area of concrete and asphalt displays how adaptable some tree species can be in harsh urban environments. Chinese Pistache, Zelkova, and Hedge Maple trees grow here comfortably in this area.
Cherry Blossom Exhibit – Located down South 12th Street, over 90 Akebono Cherry trees line both sides of the street. In early spring, these trees put on a dazzling fleeting show just for a few days turning both sides of the street on this rolling hill into a soft pink springtime show.
Ultimately, the vision of the Shelby Avenue Arboretum is to connect people to nature in their everyday urban neighborhood experience. The trees planted in this project are interesting, at times unique, and beautiful. This project endeavors to inspire the next generation of naturalists, or at the very least, help people see nature in its splendor.
If you want to take part in this mission, you can support the project directly. Also, be sure to check out our Nashville tree sale to improve the splendor of your own Nashville property! And feel free to contact us with any questions or comments — we’d love to hear from our neighbors!