Friends of Hominy Creek Greenway have been awarded $300 in grant funds for seeds and plants to establish a native shrubs and perennials in a prominent area adjacent to the main trail and a newly installed tool shed. Community gardeners will be engaged in a public planting day and the community will be encouraged to remain involved to maintain the planting.

Hands of Sean Perry Company received $300 to fill a galvanized steel stock tank with colorful sun-loving annuals and perennials. Funds will be used for the tank, seeds and plants, soil, manure and mulch. In 2015 WAGS grant funds were used for two other flower-filled galvanized containers, making this the third to decorate the front of their business on Haywood Rd.

The West Asheville Cooperative School (WACP) will use $300 to install and maintain a pollinator garden in the playground behind the Grace Baptist Church. The funds will be used to purchase seed and plants, landscaping material and interpretive signage. Design, implementation and garden maintenance will be part of the curriculum for the schools 3, 4 and 5 year olds and signage will educate students and the public about the importance of ecological interactions between native plants and pollinating insects.

Asheville Preschool and Primary School have been awarded $300 for perennial starts and potting soil needed to establish a pollinator garden that extends a corner garden started in 2014 using a WAGS seed grant. Extending the current bed along a stone retaining wall with herbs, sunflowers and perennials will combine with existing beautification efforts on that block to create an urban garden oasis.

Neighborhood Median Beautification – $300 will be used to beautify the medians along Dorchester and Florida avenues. In 2016, neighborhood gardeners volunteered their time to clean up the medians and to begin planting perennials. Funds will be used for additional multi-seasonal annuals, perennials and mulch to support continuing those efforts.