H-E-B Helps Jasper Bloom: $4,000 Grant Plants Seeds for New Pollinator Garden

The Buzz and Bloom Sensory Garden will give Jasper children hands-on ways to learn about pollinators like bees and butterflies. Photo by Rita Shipp.

JASPER, Texas — Soon, a patch of dirt near the Jasper Children’s Clinic will be buzzing with bees, blooming with wildflowers, and teaching little ones why pollinators matter.

The Longleaf Ridge Master Naturalists, in partnership with the Jasper Master Gardeners, have received a $4,000 grant from H-E-B to build what they’re calling the Buzz and Bloom Sensory Garden. The Jasper Hospital District has already pitched in with about $6,000 in in-kind support, making this a true community project.

The garden isn’t just about pretty flowers — it’s about saving pollinators like bees, butterflies, moths, and even bats, whose populations in Texas have taken a hit in recent years due to habitat loss and roadside spraying. Without them, crops don’t get pollinated, ecosystems falter, and those spring blossoms we love so much don’t survive.

What makes this garden different? It’s being designed with children in mind. Families visiting the clinic will be able to explore a space filled with sights, smells, sounds, and textures, along with fun “wacky facts” that explain why pollinators are so important. Think of it as part playground, part classroom, and all heart.

“We want kids to experience the magic of pollinators up close,” said Laura Clark with the Longleaf Ridge Master Naturalists. “If they can see a butterfly land on a flower or hear the buzz of a bee while learning why it matters, they’ll carry that lesson for life.”

And they’re not stopping at the garden. The group is rolling out a community challenge: property owners who pledge to protect their land for pollinators and plant wildflowers can receive a free ‘No Mow, No Spray: Pollinators at Work’ sign. Those signs will be available at the group’s booth during upcoming Jasper events.

So whether it’s through planting wildflowers in your backyard or taking your kids on a tour of the new sensory garden, Jasper residents will soon have plenty of ways to help the pollinators — and the community — bloom.

For more information, contact:

Laura Clark

409-594-0821