Keep Greene Beautiful
Pollinator Gardens
Greeneville’s downtown corridor and Big Spring area serve as central gathering places for thousands of residents and visitors during signature events such as the Fourth of July and Christmas parades. We had an opportunity to transform these high-traffic public spaces into visible symbols of Greeneville’s commitment to sustainability during America’s 250th birthday celebration. Pollinator gardens offer an effective, low-cost solution to cool urban spaces, support native species, and create welcoming environments that foster community pride.
Keep Greene Beautiful proposed installing multiple large, potted pollinator gardens in in Becky's Sandwich House parking lot at the corner of Baileyton Road and North Main Street and assisting the Town of Greeneville in planting a permanent pollinator garden behind the Greeneville-Greene County Library in the Big Spring area, the site of Fourth of July festivities.
Grant funding allowed KGB to purchase native plants, containers, soil, mulch, and educational signage, while engaging volunteers and partners in installation and long-term care. These projects will beautify landmark public spaces, demonstrate practical green infrastructure solutions, and bring residents together to celebrate community, conservation, and the Greatest American Cleanup.
Keep Greene Beautiful is an affiliate of Keep Tennessee Beautiful and Keep America Beautiful.
Six Facts
About Pollinators
Pollinators Help Feed Us
About one out of every three bites of food we eat depends on pollinators. Bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, birds, and other pollinators help plants produce fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds.
Tennessee Has Hundreds of Native Bee Species
While honeybees get most of the attention, Tennessee is home to more than 400 species of native bees. Many are solitary bees that rarely sting and are excellent pollinators of wildflowers and crops.
Monarch Butterflies Need Milkweed
Monarch butterflies can only lay their eggs on milkweed plants. Without milkweed, monarch caterpillars cannot survive. Planting native milkweed helps support monarch populations throughout East Tennessee.
Pollinators Need Food All Season Long
Different pollinators are active at different times of the year. Gardens that bloom from spring through fall provide a continuous food source for bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other wildlife.
Native Plants are Pollinator Powerhouses
Native plants such as purple coneflower, bee balm, black-eyed Susan, asters, and goldenrod provide the nectar and pollen that local pollinators have depended on for thousands of years.
Bonus Fun Fact
Ruby-throated hummingbirds, the only hummingbird species that regularly breeds in East Tennessee, can visit hundreds of flowers each day while feeding on nectar and helping pollinate plants.
Book Recommendations
For Kids
About Plants & Flowers
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What's Inside a Flower? by Rachel Ignotofsky
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The Big Book of Blooms by Yuval Zommer
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Flower Talk: How Plants Use Color to Communicate by Sara Levine
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Nature All Around: Plants by Pamela Hickman
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Flowers Are Calling by Rita Gray
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The Night Flower by Lara Hawthorne
For Kids
About Pollinators & Insects
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Insects for Kids: A Junior Scientist's Guide to Bees, Butterflies, and Other Flying Insects by Sharman Johnston
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The Bat Book by Charlotte Milner
About Nature & Environmental Stewardship
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Old Enough to Save the Planet by Loll Kirby
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Outside, You Notice by Erin Alladin
For Adults
About Gardening for Pollinators
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The Regenerative Garden by Stephanie Rose
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101 Organic Gardening Hacks by Shawna Coronado
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Lawns Into Meadows by Owen Wormser
About Pollinators & Ecology
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Keeping the Bees: Why All Bees Are at Risk and What We Can Do to Save Them by Laurence Packer
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The Incomparable Honeybee and the Economics of Pollination by Reese Halter
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Garden Allies: The Insects, Birds, & Other Animals That Keep Your Garden Beautiful and Thriving by Frédérique Lavoipierre
About Plants & Nature
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The Cabaret of Plants: Forty Thousand Years of Plant Life and the Human Imagination by Richard Mabey