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'Choose native plants': Tree Museum opens in Pittsboro

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Spring foliage blooming in Chapel Hill N.C. as pictured on Monday, Mar. 6, 2023.

The Plant, a food, beverage and event space in Pittsboro opened their Tree Museum this past Saturday. Fittingly located on Lorax Lane, the event space is a vibrant cultural hub that celebrates the outdoors. 

Situated on the sprawling 17-acre campus of The Plant, the Tree Museum features over 20 different types of specimen trees — trees planted to be focal points in gardens. These include pecan, Chinese chestnut, red cedar, fig, heirloom pear and many others. The museum is also complete with an orchard, full of fresh produce. 

Signs are perched in front of each tree informing visitors of facts such as height and soil requirements. 

Lyle Estill, one of the creators of The Plant, invented the Tree Museum to combat the significant tree loss Pittsboro has suffered due to recent population growth and subsequent development

“I'm just an aging tree hugger, an aging hippie, among all my tree-hugging friends,” Estill said. “I've lived here for the past 35 years, and the astonishing rate of canopy loss that's going on down here is breathtaking. And it drives me nuts.” 

The museum's name comes from Joni Mitchell's environmental anthem, “Big Yellow Taxi.” In it, she sings, “They paved paradise, put up a parking lot. ... They took all the trees, put 'em in a tree museum. And they charged all the people a dollar and a half to see 'em. Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone.” 

The Plant anticipates the museum space becoming an event space for weddings, festivals, live music and more, especially as the young trees reach full maturity. 

“[We are] incorporating a space into our community that's not only to hang out and to bring your family and to have a picnic, but also trying to be educational about what native plants are and how they benefit our ecosystem — and our environment — and how important they are to maintaining and keeping within our environment,”2 Kali Willard, the events director at The Plant, said

Rachel Nelms operates a plant nursery on the campus and serves as the landscaping head for the museum. 

Nelms and Estill constantly work to enhance the vegetation health of The Plant property. They do this by removing invasive plants to allow both older and younger trees to take their place. 

“I hope that people will come, whether tomorrow or the future, and think about how beautiful native plants can be, native trees and shrubs,” Nelms said. “We're hoping that the information signs can be one way to get there, to help inspire folks to choose native plants.”

Beyond the newly-opened Tree Museum, natural scenety in The Plant's main area also makes it a popular wedding venue. The space offers everything from live music, open mics and dances to markets, game nights and improv shows. It is also home to the Smelt Art Gallery and an art walk.

“We’re the place for emerging artists,” Estill said

The Plant also holds many annual festivals. These include PepperFest, a celebration of sustainable agriculture, Chestnut Carnival, described as a day of all things chestnuts and PBO Pride in June. 

The space is entirely kid-friendly, with playgrounds, sandboxes and places to ride scooters. 

“It's quirky, it's funky, but I think most of all it’s inclusive, and it's safe,” Willard said. “We are constantly trying to build this atmosphere of ‘everybody's welcome.’”

@dthlifestyle | lifestyle@dailytarheel.com

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