New trees, flower pot displays on Main Street

A worker from Siffring Landscaping plants the new Frans Fontaine Hornbeam trees along Main Street. The new trees and potted flower displays were funded by an anonymous donation.

These new Frans Fontaine Hornbeam variety trees are now fully planted from Second Street to Sixth Street along both sides of Main Street in Fremont.

Workers with Siffring Landscaping install the new trees during a work session last week. The trees, and new potted flowers, are placed along Main Street from Second Street to Sixth Street.

The downtown Fremont Main Street corridor has a bit more color and natural elements thanks to a generous and anonymous donation to the MainStreet of Fremont organization.

Lainey Paquette, MainStreet executive director, said numerous new trees are finally in the ground and flower pots filled with colorful flowers are hanging from lampposts from Second Street to Sixth Street along both sides of Main Street.

Paquette said the plantings were funded by an anonymous donor's generous contribution to the organization. The trees and flower pots were installed last week by Siffring Landscaping, who will maintain the trees as part of the donation for one year, she added.

"Typically, we would do this though a sponsorship, but this year we had a very generous anonymous donor give a donation to allow us to do this," Paquette said. "We wouldn't have changed the trees out, but we would have kept up the maintenance. So now, we have trees that are better for the space. These trees will be there for years to come."

The trees, Paquette explained, are the Frans Fontaine Hornbeam variety, which she said will live up to 120 years and grow to 20-25 feet in height and about 8 feet in circumference. The trees are intended to be less expansive, which is why landscape designers chose them, she added.

"They have a lifespan of about 120 years, but (after) 30 years, they won't grow much more," she noted. "They were put in place where the (prior) trees were before. (The landscaping) company chose the trees for the ‘bump out’ spaces. They are more conducive for the space."

Paquette said the new trees and potted plants are part of robust efforts from many entities — including MainStreet of Fremont — to beautify the downtown area as well as draw in visitors and shoppers.

"We just really enjoy having a downtown that our residents, Fremont people and also visitors to really enjoy, and to feel warm and alive," she said.

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