Buzz & Bloom Sensory Garden Breaks Ground in Jasper

Volunteers of all ages turned out Friday morning to help break ground on the new Buzz & Bloom Sensory Garden at Harvest Church in Jasper. Photo courtesy of Laura Clark

JASPER, Texas — The Buzz & Bloom Sensory Garden officially broke ground Friday morning, November 14, on the campus of Harvest Church and Kingdom Roots Academy in Jasper.

Led by the Longleaf Ridge Chapter of Texas Master Naturalists, the project will feature native plants designed to attract butterflies, moths, beetles, bees, and other pollinators vital to the East Texas ecosystem.

Partnering with the Naturalists are the Jasper Master Gardeners, who were on-site for the event to help kick off the project and show support for the volunteers and students involved.

A Living Classroom

Once completed, the pollinator garden will be open to the public and serve as an experiential learning space for local students — especially those at Kingdom Roots Academy, which shares the church campus.

“We encourage the public to visit the garden as we make progress,” said project grant writer Anne Davis. “Children will be able to have a firsthand experience with native plants and the pollinators who need them.”

The Buzz & Bloom garden will include handicap-accessible paths, benches, trellis entrances, water features, and even “wacky fact” stations designed to make science fun for kids of all ages.

A Community Effort

The groundbreaking ceremony, held at 9 a.m., was led by chapter leaders Laura Clark and Anne Davis. Pastor Gary of Harvest Church opened the morning with a prayer to bless the garden before roughly 20 volunteers — including nine children — began cleaning the raised beds and prepping the soil for planting.

“We have a lot of work to do and need many hands to help pull this together,” said Clark. “But we’re thankful for the support of Harvest Church, the Master Gardeners, and H-E-B who have enabled us to make this a must-see attraction in Jasper.”

One volunteer, Sharon Lamoreaux, said she “found her calling in this garden.” Lamoreaux hopes to use the space and its covered carport as a classroom to host future educational programs.

Supported by H-E-B and Texas Parks & Wildlife

The project was made possible through a generous grant from H-E-B, which has awarded more than $80,000 in funding to Master Naturalist chapters statewide as part of its Pollinators for Texas initiative — a program administered by Texas Parks and Wildlife to raise awareness about the importance of pollinators in agriculture.

Get Involved

Additional garden days are planned throughout the winter and spring.Anyone interested in donating materials, funds, or volunteer time is encouraged to contact Laura Clark with the Longleaf Ridge Master Naturalists.

Location: Behind the fountain at Harvest Church / Kingdom Roots Academy

Learn more: Follow the Longleaf Ridge Master Naturalists or Jasper Master Gardeners on Facebook for updates.