4TH ANNUAL SASSAFRAS AWARDS
Apply by June 1st 2025
The Native Plant Rescue Squad (NPRS) is launching the 4th annual Sassafras Awards to celebrate local native gardens and their stewards in the Knoxville community and raise awareness about the importance of native plants.
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Our awards will honor both individual residential gardens and organizational/institutional gardens, in two separate categories, for their outstanding commitment to creating and restoring native habitat in East Tennessee.
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A panel of judges of local native plant allies will evaluate each garden for its:
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We are looking for residential gardens that excel in the following criteria:
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Ecological health
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Integrated natural systems
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Transformation of land
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Biodiversity
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Design & aesthetics
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We are looking for public gardens that excel in the following criteria:
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Public Accessibility
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Educational
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Transformation of Land
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Biodiversity
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Design & Aesthetics
our mission
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Native Plant Rescue Squad (NPRS) is an educational non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation and restoration of the rich diversity of the native flora in East Tennessee. NPRS works with entities such as builders, developers, and landowners to rescue native plants that would otherwise be destroyed during clearing, building, and development. The rescued plants are then made available for educational opportunities and restoration projects with the goal of increasing the overall ecological health of our region.
We house our rescued plants at the Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum. The official address of the gardens is Knoxville, 2743 Wimpole Ave, Knoxville, TN 37914, but if you drive further down from that spot, you can park across from the Martha Ashe Garden in the grass on Wimpole. You’ll see a sign directing you to NPRS where the the Pollinator Pods are situated. We are the Stone Greenhouse on the map (#7)
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Click below to view the map
Our home
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