The planning committee for Fairy Trail Garden
Lookout Mountain volunteer Jimmy Campbell announces the completion of a new park, Fairy Trail Garden, located on Whitt Road across from the Carter Soccer Field in Lookout Mountain, Ga.
Organizers said Fairy Trail Garden is an inviting pollinator and wildlife haven that beckons to each of us to slow down, look deeply into the natural world around us and let nature work her magic. A meandering woodland trail, peaceful seating, and an airy garden of native sun, shade, meadow, and woodland perennials draw residents in for a visit.
The garden was created to nurture, heal, and support our Lookout Mountain ecosystem of birds, bees, butterflies, bats, beetles, toads, turtles, owls, foxes and more. It also honors the unique natural wonders of the community by inspiring the use of less lawn, less water, fewer chemicals, and more native plantings that bring harmony to nature’s wildlife both above and below the ground. Butterfly host plants have been added so butterflies can complete their life cycle. A rustic arbor at the back of the garden leads to Fairyland School and has been named “The Jimmy Campbell Connector Trail.”
Dennis Bishop, owner of Going-Native Landscape, was hired to clear the area of invasive plants, design the garden, and oversee the purchase and installation of plants. A water source was added to ensure the sustainability of the plants. Over 150 trees and shrubs were planted in November of 2020 and over 2,500 perennials were planted in May and June of 2021. More plants will be added later this fall.
Planning for the garden began during the pandemic in 2020 after the city received an $85,000 grant from the Riverview Foundation. Mr. Campbell and City Manager Kenny Lee spearheaded the grant requests and then formed a planning committee made up of representatives from local garden clubs and the local Bee City USA committee chairs. Denise Taylor and Lulu Brock from The Garden Club of Lookout Mountain donated $5,000 for the purchase of perennials. Penny Simmons from the Lookout Mountain Beautiful Garden Club donated 1,000 bulbs to be planted this fall. Laurelwood Garden Club represented by Chrissy Jones donated $100 towards the development of the garden. Ann Brown and Candance Wells, Lookout Mountain Beautiful Garden Club members and Bee City USA advocates, suggested a list of native plants indigenous to the Cumberland Plateau.
The garden was created using Bee City USA guidelines, “Thinking globally and acting locally, Bee City USA provides a framework for communities to come together to conserve native pollinators by providing them with healthy habitat that is rich in a variety of native plants, provides nest sites, and is protected from pesticides.”
Plant identification signs will be added to let visitors know what plants are beneficial to the wildlife, especially pollinators. The Fairy Trail Garden adds one acre, or 43,560 square feet, of pollinator habitat to the mountain. As advocates for pollinators on Lookout, we are very thankful for Jimmy Campbell, Kenny Lee, and the committee of mountain residents for this amazing gift, said organizers.
Mr. Campbell points out, "Even though this garden is on the Georgia side, it is a garden to be enjoyed by all the residents on Lookout Mountain."
Fairy Trail Garden is dedicated to the city of Lookout Mountain’s Founding Fathers of the Past and to our Caring Community Members of the Present.
For more information and plant lists, contact Ann Brown at brownw01@yahoo.com.