Bazillion Blooms

December 1, 2012

Bazillion Blooms is a dogwood tree-planting program to beautify our East Tennessee communities, improve the health of our environment and foster community support and pride in our beloved native dogwood.

Our goal is to restore dogwoods to their former vitality in Knox and surrounding counties. Over the years, dogwoods have died out due to disease, development and neglect. Our dogwoods are battling to survive. In the last three years, more than 4,000 dogwood trees have been planted in East Tennessee through the Bazillion Blooms program!

Dogwood tree planting instructions are located here!

2012 Bazillion Blooms Order, Donation, and Volunteer form is here!

Our Partners

City of Knoxville
Knox County
UT Institute of Agriculture
Urban Forestry Riverdale Nursery

Bazillion Blooms Planning Committee

Amy Styles, Committee Chair
Vicki Baumgartner
David Brace
Annette Brun
Jim Cortese
Michael Croyle
Lisa Duncan
Alaine McBee
Janice Mitchell
Lorna Norwood
Vivian Vega
Melynda Whetsel

Bazillion Blooms top supporting real estate agents.
Helping to beautify neighborhoods we work and live in!

Lee Mrazek
REALTOR, Associate Broker
ABR, AHWD, CIPS, CNE, CRB, CRS, e-PRO, GRI, LTG, PMN, RECS, RRC, SRES
Address: 105 Center Park Drive, Suite 200, Knoxville, TN 37922
Cell: [865] 679.9007
Office: [865] 862.6161
www.sweethometn.com

Alcoa Foundation Grant to Benefit East Tennessee’s Dogwood Arts Festival to Open New Walking Trails

The Dogwood Arts Festival’s goal of adding a bazillion dogwood blooms to the East Tennessee landscape is getting a huge boost with the announcement of a grant from the Alcoa Foundation. The Alcoa Foundation in conjunction with the American Forests’ Global ReLeaf Partnership for Trees has awarded the Dogwood Arts Festival’s Bazillion Blooms a $12,500 grant to plant dogwood trees in Knox, Blount and surrounding counties. The grant is locally supported by Alcoa Inc.’s Tennessee Operations’ employees who will participate in the planting process. “ We are delighted that Dogwood Arts Festival was one of only 22 organizations across the globe and one of only 11 in the United States selected to receive a grant as part of Alcoa Foundation and American Forests’ Global ReLeaf partnership,” said Christy Newman, community relations manager, Alcoa Tennessee Operations. “Dogwood Arts Festival’s Bazillion Blooms campaign is a perfect fit with Alcoa’s ‘Ten Million Trees’ program.” Alcoa’s Ten Million Trees initiative launched on Earth Day 2003. The goal is to plant 10 million new trees, which can absorb more than 250,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year during their lifetime, by 2020. The grant will help the Dogwood Arts Festival plant thousands of dogwood trees along the trails, garden by-ways, parks and new walking trails, according to Lisa Duncan, executive director of the Dogwood Arts Festival. “We are grateful to Alcoa Foundation for this grant which will allow us to plant many dogwoods and establish new sustainable urban walking trails,” said Duncan. “Our dogwood trees provide a number of important benefits. They help to clean the air, raise property values, and reduce energy costs. The Dogwood Arts Festival is proud to partner with Alcoa to make our communities cleaner, greener and more beautiful.” The Dogwood Arts Festival Bazillion Blooms is bringing back last year’s very popular dogwood tree sales offering: buy four dogwood trees, and get a fifth tree free! Individuals and organizations can take advantage of the special offer and help the Festival restore dogwoods to full bloom spring after spring. The trees are bare root and available in pink or white. The cost is $25 per tree or five for $100. The cultivars created by the University of Tennessee have been selected for hardiness against powdery mildew or Anthracnose disease. Also, when planted properly a bare root tree grows at a faster rate and is generally healthier. Tree orders are being taken now through October 2011. The trees will be available for pick up and planting on Saturday, Dec. 3, which coincides with Dogwood Art’s annual Bazillion Blooms community-wide dogwood tree planting day. Bazillion Blooms is a dogwood tree planting program of the Dogwood Arts Festival. The goal is to reverse a trend of dwindling numbers of dogwood trees and to make sure our communities have an abundance of healthy, beautiful, blooming trees for generations to come. In addition, Bazillion Blooms will again partner with local garden centers to promote dogwood tree sales in October and November. Late fall and early winter are the best planting times for dogwoods. The garden centers will offer a variety of trees cultivated specifically for resistance to anthracnose or powdery mildew. Participating garden centers are: Ellenburg Landscaping & Nursery, Mayo Garden Centers, Stanley’s Greenhouses and Plant Farm, and Thress Nursery Gardens. The program is a collaborative effort between local groups, including the City of Knoxville, Knox County, UT Institute of Agriculture, UT Gardens, Knoxville Garden Club and Cortese Tree Specialists.

Maryville Daily Times: “One dogwood tree in a Bazillion” – 12.20.2011

Genesis Rock hosts… Planting Seeds and Building Dreams: A Seed Planting Celebration at Knoxville College

On Saturday, December 3, 2011, at 12 Noon, Genesis Rock will host the “Planting Seeds and Building Dreams” celebration at 901 Knoxville College Drive. The public is invited to attend this community celebration in honor of our youth and the Bazillion Blooms program, which is sponsored by Dogwood Arts. The significance of planting one thousand dogwood trees on the Knoxville College campus is that the one thousand dogwood trees represent one thousand students growing and blossoming at Knoxville College. The “Planting Seeds and Building Dreams” celebration will begin shortly after the first set of dogwood trees are planted firmly on the Knoxville College Campus. The purpose of this celebration is to encourage youth to dream and “bare good fruit” throughout their academic journey. In addition to encouraging young minds to dream, the celebration is an effort to support a Performing Arts Charter School, “The Dream Academy,” co-created and spearheaded by Cylk Cozart, a native of Knoxville. Dogwood Arts is working in partnership with Genesis Rock, the City of Knoxville, local businesses, and community organizations to preserve and enhance the natural beauty of our region. The “Planting Seeds and Building Dreams” celebration will not only commemorate Dogwood Arts mission to enhance the natural beauty of our region, but it will also commemorate the beauty of nurturing youth to dream, grow, and thrive throughout their life’s journey here on earth. Some of the highlights during the celebration include:

Special Guest MC’s
Local Guest Performers
Special Guest Speakers
Extraordinary Youth

Everyone is welcome to attend this special occasion to honor community-wide efforts to beautify our region and develop extraordinary youth to ensure that such youth are “planted” and grown on good soil. For additional information regarding the “Planting Seeds and Building Dreams” celebration, please contact Becky at (865) 237-6968.

The trees arrive at UT Gardens on Thursday, December 1, 2011! Thank you, Hidden Hollow Nursery!

Bazillion Blooms Committee members Janice Mitchell, Amy Styles, Jim Cortese, Vivian Vega, Alaine McBee and Michael Croyle join Dogwood Arts Executive Director, Lisa Duncan, as Sam Adams of Cortese Trees Specialists presents a $3,000 check from money raised for Dogwood Arts Bazillion Blooms tree-planting program in a WUOT pledge drive earlier this year.