Trees Lexington

📖 This is the story of a Cherrybark Oak. In early 2019, it was a young sapling in a Pocket Nursery, somewhere from 12”-18” tall.

🍂 Trees Lexington’s Pocket Nursery program distributed 600 trees tucked into 100 45-gallon grow bags to people across Lexington in the spring of 2019. These “parents” kept them watered and loved, watching them leaf out and grow through the summer months. Some baby trees received songs, jokes, and coffee dates as they worked hard on growing a strong root system. After deciding what trees to keep and plant for themselves, the parents distributed the remaining trees for planting in the fall of 2019 to family, friends and neighbors for planting across Lexington. Trees Lexington board members retrieved those that still needed homes and got them planted in local parks and green spaces.

🌳 This particular Cherrybark Oak found a wonderful home along a route one of our staff members sometimes takes. In addition to the Baldcypress from her Pocket Nursery that she planted in her own yard, she’s watched with delight as this tree has grown beautifully and rapidly, becoming a part of this family’s story as their roots in the neighborhood deepen. It was a part of her Pocket Nursery, after all.

🏡 We talk a lot about tree canopy cover as we work toward a shared citywide goal of 30% cover. Trees must be 15 feet tall to be calculated into tree canopy cover. Both specific trees referenced in this post have passed that milestone, continuing on a journey of growth and maturing into the trees they were meant to be.

📝 We've linked a brief survey in the comments (bio on Instagram) for Pocket Nursery parents or those who planted a tree from a Pocket Nursery. We would love to know how your tree (or trees!) are doing! Please take a moment to fill it out, and send the link along to someone you know with one of these trees.

🎓 We want to dedicate this post to the high school graduating Class of 2026. At the same time these trees were planted, young middle schoolers were wrapping up their first semester of 6th grade. By the first spring these trees were in the ground a few months later, the world had shut down for a global pandemic.

💚 The trees, the students, and Trees Lexington have grown immensely since then. We are so grateful for the growth you’ve helped achieve, the growth of the trees you’ve planted with us at home or across town, and this shared commitment to growing a more vibrant community. As so much of our work lately has been planting trees with students at Fayette County Public Schools, we are especially honored and proud to be a part of the educational experience of hundreds of students a year, and the legacy they help to plant at their schools.

🌟 Congratulations to the Class of 2026 (and the Pocket Nursery trees) for all you have accomplished, how you’ve grown, and the great things you are going to do for our community. Senior parents - grab that photo of your graduate next to that special tree, take a deep breath, and hug them both.

It's KY Gives Day and any gift at any time today has the chance to be doubled or win an additional prize donation! Supporting Trees Lexington means a direct investment into the health and happiness of our community. Love trees? Help us plant trees and more love across Lexington! Link to give in comments!