Downtown Lincoln Association Project Rejuvenates Planting Beds

Missouri Primrose

Contact: George Pinkerton (402) 441-0020, (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Contact: Todd Ogden (402) 434-6906, (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Downtown Lincoln Association Project Rejuvenates Planting Beds

Lincoln, NE – The Downtown Lincoln Association (DLA), aided by a $15,000 Nebraska Community Enhancement grant award, is in the midst of a project to completely revamp the downtown planting beds. The re-landscaping project calls for replacing aging plants in 85 planting beds with approximately 4000 plants from 26 varieties of primarily native plants. Once established, flowering perennials and decorative grasses such as Fireworks goldenrod, False Blue indigo and Northwind Switchgrass will require less water, fertilizer and general maintenance. Covering nearly 21,000 square feet, the planting beds are located from 13th Street and Lincoln Mall to R Street.

Planting began in mid-April based on an overall design and maintenance plan developed by DLA Maintenance Director George Pinkerton and University of Nebraska-Lincoln horticulture graduate student, Brian Munk in collaboration with the City Arborist and the Lincoln Public Works Department. DLA staff consisting of three certified Arborists and a maintenance crew with many years of horticultural experience will manage the planting bed care. “By using native plants adapted to Nebraska’s climate, they will thrive with minimal care but still give downtown visitors, residents and workers at least 3 to 7 months of color and texture,” said Pinkerton. “We envision the mature plants offering an oasis of environmentally-friendly greenery for our urban setting.”

Plans call for the planting project to be completed by September. When completed, each bed will contain a marker with contact information for
passers-by to use for a self-guided walking tour and to learn more about the various plant species. The DLA website, http://www.downtownlincoln.org, will also host a webpage with photos of the planting beds and plant identification information.
The Downtown Lincoln Association serves its downtown constituencies and the Lincoln community by providing leadership, marketing, management, maintenance, economic development services and events to ensure a vibrant, inviting downtown.

                                                        ###