From Mowing to Growing: Public Service Plants Empty Plots with Pollinators

When spring arrives, Knoxville blooms with beauty. From the expansive Dogwood Trails to the public gardens getting ready for seasonal crowds, any visitor would praise the city for its gracious greenery.

In recent years, the City's Public Service Department has traded some mowing for more growing - transforming small City-owned lots into wildflower gardens that achieve multiple goals, including reduced mowing and increased biodiversity.

Public Service Central Manager Robbie Corum led a four-person team to install three pollinator gardens in 2025, adding a fourth in 2026. They plowed the lots, placed stakes and fenced off the areas where the seeds were planted.

Horticulture Manager John Hooper selected seeds for plants that will attract pollinators and benefit the community overall. Teams sowed columbine, foxtail grass, aster, and varying coneflowers, with hopes to incorporate more after determining the success of the founding gardens.

"The main goal is to reduce the vacant mowing space and instead work towards adding transformative gardens that will capture the attention of native wildlife and even some monarch butterflies," Hooper said.

By reducing the amount of mowing space, it frees up time for the Public Service sector to devote resources to other projects, while also increasing the native species that thrive throughout the community.

Fountain City resident Carol Shane has done her duty to promote wildlife in her own backyard, taking the steps to earn the title of a "Certified Wildlife Habitat," a designation by the National Wildlife Federation. Residents, neighborhoods and cities can be certified; Knoxville has been a Community Wildlife Habitat since 2017.

"It's really not that hard," she said. "You really just need to have some care for the plants and animals around you."

The application required that she have a source of water and food for wildlife - in her case, that was a birdfeeder and birdbath. She also had to provide a place of cover for wildlife, gesturing to the luscious grasses that remain wild in the back, where she said many rabbits and groundhogs make themselves at home.

While her garden doesn't fit what most would consider "well kept," the more natural look replicates an environment that attracts many native species and promotes growth. She encourages others to open their eyes to what could be beautiful, even if it doesn't look like the traditional suburban lawn.

"Maybe people need to cultivate a new idea of what beauty is," Shane said.

Residents who want to cultivate a natural landscape and ensure they follow City Codes will want to follow the City's Natural Landscape Guidelines.

Corum's crews have laid the groundwork for pollinator gardens on public property, and he hopes the practice can grow with the support of neighborhood volunteers - maybe even start a movement.

"A little prep and some seeds can go a long way toward beautifying public property," Corum said. "If we can reduce maintenance demands at the same time, it's a win-win."