Replant Mount Oread: Refreshing a Historic Gateway

Replant Mount Oread is an effort to bring together campus departments, student organizations, community members, and alumni to help plant trees and develop a fund to support future tree replacement. Since 2012, the program has planted over 200 trees and added new shrubs and perennials to the campus landscape. From planting Oak Trees in Marvin Grove to replacing Crabapples behind the residence halls on Daisy Hill, our goal is to maintain the campus forest and ensure future Jayhawks can enjoy the spring bloom of our flowering trees and a shaded walk to class.  

This year we are Replanting an area that was first landscaped as part of a gift from the Class of 1947. The row of pear trees that welcomes visitors as they pass the Chi Omega Fountain are showing their age, and the planting beds around them need a refresh. On November 1, we will be planting 14 trees – Elms, Maples, and Pines – and adding Hydrangeas, Hostas, and flowering perennials to the beds along Marvin, Lindley, and Jayhawk Boulevard. (We planted new Pear trees as part of a Replant project in 2014 in anticipation of the current Pears starting to fade.)  Thanks to a generous contribution from the Student Senate Renewable Energy & Sustainability fund, the project will also include a new seating area, allowing students and visitors to take a break under the shade of the sprawling Maple tree and enjoy the new landscape.

This program relies not only on the volunteers who help with planting each year, but on the generous support of community members and alumni to fund the purchase of trees and planting materials, as well as rewards for our volunteers. In order to keep this new tradition alive, we need your support. Whether you give $10 or $200, your contribution will have a lasting impact and be enjoyed by future generations of Jayhawks.

For more information about Replant Mount Oread and to volunteer to help us plant on November 1, visit www.replant.ku.edu.