Saturday, December 4, is the official 2010 Bazillion Blooms tree-planting day, when Dogwood Arts and its program sponsors and supporters will dig in for a day of restoration and beautification.

More than 1,080 bareroot dogwood trees will be planted this day, predominantly along the Dogwood Trails and garden byways. A few groups getting together are:

• Starting first thing in the morning, along the North Hills Garden Byway, the North Hills Garden Club will be working hard to get all of their trees planted
• Along the Morningside Garden Byway, there will be volunteers planting trees at Beck Cultural Center [1927 Dandridge Avenue]
• Along the Chapman Highway Trail, a group of Boy Scouts will be planting dogwood trees in Doyle Park
• The Modern Woodsmen of America have underwritten the purchase of 84 trees to be purchased along our Trails and Garden Byways. At 9:00 am, a Modern Woodsmen of America representative will be present and planting at 3000 Gibbs Drive, along the Fountain City Trail. There will also be a representative present at the entrance to the Timberline/Halls Garden Byway at 10:00 am.

Bazillion Blooms is a collaborative effort between the City of Knoxville, Knox County, UT Institute of Agriculture, area garden clubs, and neighborhood associations. Dogwood Arts established this three-year program to restore the former vitality of East Tennessee's dogwood tree population in Knox and surrounding counties. The dogwood tree is vital to East Tennessee's economy, environmental health, and heritage and is a source of community pride and tradition.

Published December 2, 2010