Avondale Estates, GA — Avondale Estates now has 30 granite tree markers along the verges, the planting strip that’s between the street and sidewalk, on Laskeshore Drive, Clarendon Avenue and Wiltshire Drive.

The markers were placed during two Saturdays in March by members of Avondale’s Arboretum Board and volunteers from the Avondale Estates Garden Club, according to the city’s May 17 e-news.

In May 2019, the City Commission established the Arboretum Board for the purpose of establishing an Avondale Neighborhood Arboretum that would serve as a tree museum. Usually an arboretum is found in a botanical park or nature preserve and neighborhood arboreta encompass an entire community. It may include trees found in yards, city street verges and parks. The neighborhood arboretum would give residents the chance to live in the tree museum.

The Arboretum Board will provide the city with a list of tree species planted in the verges of the Avondale’s historic district. The list will be a resource for those who wish to know more about the trees in the city.

The placement of the granite markers were the first steps taken for the establishment and accreditation of and Avondale Estates Arboretum. The markers were donated by the Avondale Estates Garden Club. The supplier of the markers, D&S Monuments, is accepting orders for additional markers that are 8-inch by 8-inch by 6 inch granite blocks. They are engraved with the botanical name and common name of the tree, according to the e-news.

The board is asking residents to help fund additional granite markers. The cost of each marker is $70, if the board orders 30 or more markers. Donations can be made by checks payable to the Avondale Estates Garden Club with a memo noting it is for the Avondale Arboretum. Checks can be mailed to the garden club’s treasurer, Peg Wyse at 1 Lakeshore Plaza, Avondale Estates, GA 30002.

Donations can also be made through Paypal by sending $72.64 to the garden club using the email address [email protected] and noting that the payment is for the Avondale Arboretum. The garden club is asking for an extra $2.64 for Paypal payments to cover Paypal’s transaction fee.

The Arboretum Board and the garden club will place the order once they have raised at least $2,100, which is the cost of 30 markers. If anyone has questions, they can contact Arboretum Board Chairman Steve Sanchez at [email protected].

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