Tag Archives: Planting

Planting

End of an Era, Beginning of an Era

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When my family and I moved into Inman Park in 2000, just over two decades ago, the neighborhood was full of mature trees, primarily water oaks (Quercus nigra), which shaded our streets and yards.

Here are some photos taken from Google Maps of Waverly Way from 2007 and January 2022, looking east and west of our home at Waverly Way’s intersection with Hurt Street. Note the red arrow.

Waverly at Hurt, looking east, in 2007
in January 2022
Waverly at Hurt, looking west, in 2007
in January 2022

Recently the city had to take down the last of the roughly 80-year-old water oaks along Waverly Way. The crown of the tree was healthy, but its buttress roots could no longer be counted on to keep the tree standing through a high wind or ice storm.

How quickly things change!

And change again! Here are some blackgums (Nyssa sylvatica ‘Wildfire’) which the Pattersons agreed to have planted in tree wells along their Hurt Street sidewalk. They will reach 40-60 feet eventually. And the two white oaks (Quercus alba) that they planted in their front yard years ago (not pictured here) could grow as high at 80-100 feet.

Our next Inman Park tree planting will be Saturday, January 21. Let us know if your yard or sidewalk strip needs a tree!

Planting

Hey, Inman Park! How About a New Tree?

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Each winter, Tree Watch plants 50 to 60 new trees in Inman Park. We plant in sidewalk planting strips, and we plant in homeowners’ yards, front or back. We’ll be planting again this winter, Saturday, January 13, beginning at 9:00 AM.

Do you want a new tree or trees for your home?

Please fill out the contact form below, and we’ll be in touch with you to set up a consultation. We’ll even bring along a landscape architect/arborist from Trees Atlanta. You can meet us at your home, show us your property, and discuss your preferences with us.

(Note: if your new tree happens to be covered by an existing contract that Trees Atlanta is fulfilling, it may be that you’ll incur no cost at all. Otherwise, you’ll be invited to make a donation to defray some of the expense.)

Planting

Planting

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Each fall, Inman Park Tree Watch begins planning its next tree planting project, which typically takes place on a Saturday morning early in the new year. Here’s how it works.

  1. Working closely with arborists and landscape architects at Trees Atlanta, we identify broad areas and individual locations in Inman Park that need new trees.
  2. We contact these property owners, urging them to work with us to get new trees in the ground. At the same time, we place notices in the fall issues of the Advocator,  advertising to homeowners the opportunity to make their yards just a little greener.
  3. We meet individually with each interested home or business owner to present our recommendation. Discussion about species and planting site(s) continues by phone or email for as long as is necessary to ensure that the property owner is excited to participate.
  4. We order, have delivered, plant, water, and mulch as many at 60-70 new trees on that winter morning, relying on the strong backs and willing hearts of dozens of volunteers.
  5. Owners of our newest trees are invited to make a donation to Inman Park Tree Watch through Friends of Inman Park, a 501(c)(3) organization. In some cases, the cost of a tree may be funded by the City of Atlanta itself.
  6. Trees planted in the sidewalk planting strip are maintained by an urban forestry crew at Trees Atlanta for two (2) years, courtesy of funding from the City of Atlanta.

Planting a tree in your own yard and need some guidance? Never fear! Trees Atlanta has a wonderfully helpful tutorial.