Wimberg Landscaping Receives Statewide Merit Award for Oakley Pollinator Garden

Wimberg Landscaping announced it has received a merit award for Show & Display Gardens from the Ohio Landscape Association (OLA) for its work creating a thriving pollinator garden at the corner of Wasson Road and Paxton Avenue, adjacent to the Wasson Way Trail in Cincinnati’s Oakley neighborhood.

The Ohio Landscape Association is a statewide nonprofit dedicated to promoting professionalism, education and excellence in the landscape industry. Its annual Landscape Ohio! Awards Program recognizes outstanding landscape design, construction and maintenance across Ohio.

The award-winning garden was installed on a small parcel of land left behind following a roadway improvement project. With sidewalk and roadbed removed, the area was likely to be sodded and regularly mown. Instead, Wimberg Landscaping stepped in to design, install and now maintain a pocket pollinator garden — transforming an underutilized urban space into a lush and ecologically valuable greenspace.

The planting plan, created by Horticulturist Jennifer Smith, was brought to life in vivid detail through a three-dimensional walkthrough video designed by Sarah Geiger-Behm, garden designer at Wimberg Landscaping. The immersive rendering allowed project reviewers to fully experience the future garden before the first plant even went in the ground.

Pollinators began arriving as planting began, and today the garden thrives without built-in irrigation, showcasing the resilience of drought-tolerant plant choices and sustainable design principles. A mix of native and cultivated plants provides year-round interest and biodiversity in an otherwise hot, high-traffic corner of the city.

“This space is loud, hot and urban, but the garden offers a surprising sense of calm — for both people and pollinators,” said Smith, horticulturist. “It shows that even small, overlooked areas can be transformed into something beautiful and ecologically valuable.”

“This is exactly the kind of project we’re passionate about,” said Peter Wimberg, CEO and president. “It brings life to a challenging site, supports pollinators and proves that sustainable design can be impactful on any scale. We’re honored by the recognition from the Ohio Landscape Association.”To learn more about Wimberg Landscaping’s pollinator-focused designs and ecological landscaping practices, visit wimberglandscaping.com.

Pictured: The pollinator garden on the corner of Wasson Road and Paxton Avenue is “loud, hot and urban” but offers a surprising sense of calm. Photo provided.