BLUE GRASS AIRPORT AND THE ARBORETUM PARTNER ON NATIVE KENTUCKY LANDSCAPE PROJECT

Lexington, KY — Blue Grass Airport and the University of Kentucky Arboretum are partnering to create a native Kentucky landscape at the airport’s main entrance at Man O'War Boulevard and Terminal Drive. This 1,500 square foot garden will soon be supplemented with over 400 Kentucky grassland species, all of which have been grown from collected seeds and nurtured in a greenhouse.

Plantings for this naturalistic garden will include waves of wildflowers amongst a variety of ornamental grasses. Perennials include Prairie Dropseed, Creeping Phlox, Little Bluestem, Orange Coneflower, Columbine, Purple Coneflower, New England Aster, Virginia Bluebells and many more. These plants were selected based on their size, color, availability, texture, beauty and ability to grow in the draught-tolerant conditions typically found in gardens along major roadways.

"Through this partnership, we will provide visitors and local residents a rare opportunity to experience plant species native to the state of Kentucky," said Michael Gobb, executive director at Blue Grass Airport. "These plants, most of which are recognizable, will promote the unique character of the Commonwealth and will help visitors connect to our region."

The airport and the arboretum will work together over the next several years to enhance the beauty of the landscape. Plants will be monitored to see how they adapt to their surroundings and how they change throughout the seasons. Additional plant species will be added in the future.

James Lempke, curator of native plants at The Arboretum, designed the layout of the garden with the hope that it will preserve the character of the region and that other companies will begin a native garden of their own. "This project is an example of how we can establish conservation gardens of the future across the Bluegrass region," said Lempke. "An aggregate of many small gardens such as this could add up to something very significant."

"This project is another example of how the airport is working with the community to honor the beauty of the state," added Gobb. In October 2005, the airport completed an award-winning, one-of-a-kind mural wall and landscape design along the historic Versailles Road corridor.

About The Arboretum

The Arboretum was created in 1991 as a joint effort between the University of Kentucky and the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government. Named as the "Official State Botanical Garden for the Commonwealth of Kentucky" in March 2000, The Arboretum is 100 acres of preserved green space in the heart of Lexington.