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Flower award participation falls; board discusses outreach, school seedling giveaways and wildflower pilot sites
Summary
At the June 4 Tree Board meeting, staff reported 1,562 seedlings given to schools this year — a drop from prior years — and board members proposed outreach changes for the Wellington Flower Awards, adjustments to scoring, and pilot wildflower plantings at several municipal retention/rights-of-way sites.
The Wellington Tree Board spent a large portion of its June 4 meeting discussing outreach and public programs: seedling giveaways to schools, the village’s Arbor Day/Earth Day event timing, the Wellington Flower Awards, and possible wildflower pilot plantings on public rights of way and retention areas.
Will (village staff member) reported that the village delivered 1,562 tree seedlings to schools this year and that participation has fallen from earlier years. “We only gave away 1,562 seedlings to the schools this year,” he said, and noted that previously larger deliveries went to certain schools (Binks Forest and Banks were mentioned as large recipients in past years) but that contact changes and teacher retirements reduced current-year participation. Staff said they will re-establish school contacts and consider distributing to other community groups such as the Boys and Girls Club and local homeschool organizations.
Board members reviewed the Arbor Day/Earth Day event held in April and agreed the event went well but conflicted with a larger plant sale at Mounts Botanical Garden that likely reduced turnout. Members asked staff to explore alternate dates (for example, a pre-Arbor Day weekend) and to coordinate with Parks and Recreation and event partners so dates do not clash with major regional sales.
The board reviewed low participation in the Wellington Flower Awards and proposed outreach and program changes to boost nominations: place the award form and criteria more visibly (newsletter, village website, kiosks), ask each board member to submit at least one nomination, work with code enforcement officers, and reach out to the Chamber of Commerce and local landscape professionals. Board members said recognition — a newsletter feature, website exposure and a plaque or nursery voucher — would encourage business and commercial entries.
Several members asked for changes to the awards scoring. The current application weights native-plant and Florida-friendly landscaping heavily; members proposed shifting points into a clearer “curb appeal” category that better captures visual impact from the street (trimmed hedges, design and visual interest) and removing “trash and debris” as a separate scoring item because it conflates maintenance with overall design. Board members agreed to treat the application and scoring as a working draft and to return with specific proposed edits at the September meeting.
Wildflower pilot plantings: the board discussed possible pilot locations for wildflower strips or meadow plantings on village property. Suggested sites included retention-pond bottoms along the east–west corridor, the roundabout at Stribling and Pearson, the strip under the C-9 power lines, and a stretch that runs adjacent to popular walking/biking paths. Members and staff noted operational constraints: signs would be needed to prevent mowing crews from cutting the sites during the wrong season, the village must coordinate with utilities (FPL) for rights-of-way, and seed mixes should match site hydrology. The board suggested consulting the University of Florida Extension or Master Gardener volunteers for seed-source and species guidance and targeted planting in November for best establishment.
Other items: staff and board members proposed renewing a proclamation for October as Native Plant Month and discussed logistics for administering the Flower Awards, including whether gated-community or institutional nominations (visible from public streets) should be eligible and how site visits should be scheduled consistent with sunshine laws.
Ending — less-critical details: The board agreed to homework over the summer: each member will review the existing award criteria and bring specific recommended edits, staff will research dates and seed sources for wildflower pilots and will assemble a contact list for schools and landscape professionals, and members will also consider promotional steps (newsletter items, photos and social media) for future events.
