As UNC students return to campus this upcoming week and line up to take their traditional First Day of Class sips from the Old Well, the landscaping around the iconic site will look a little different. Where hedges and bushes sat before, the land is either covered in straw or churned soil.
The changes are only temporary, and are part of the university’s Old Well Planting Project announced in July. UNC removed the hedges, hollies and azaleas and will be planting native species of plants and flowers throughout the fall for a new landscaping design.
In the description of the project on UNC’s Facilities Services website, the university says the change is meant to “visually reconnect the Old Well with McCorkle Place” while installing a new native plants to “provide seasonal interest throughout the year.” The updated landscaping will be much lower than the prior hedges and bushes on the edge of the Old Well site, with the maximum height around 3 feet to create a “more open atmosphere.”
A rendering of the new, planned landscaping design around the Old Well on UNC’s campus. (Photo via Wolf Josey Landscape Architects and UNC Facilities Services.)
An aerial design reflecting the paths and landscaping around the Old Well and East Cameron Avenue. (Photo via UNC Facilities Services.)
The university says the Croonenberg Hollies were planted at the corners of the Old East and Old West residence halls in the 1950s. Two decades later, the hedges were installed to line the walkways around the Old Well, and azalea beds were planted on either side of the well during the 1990s. While the plants provided a picturesque setting, UNC said many of the azaleas had been declining in health and many were removed in recent years. The hedges and hollies were also overgrown, creating a “visual barrier through the area,” according to the university.
The replacement flowers and plants will bring a wide variety to the area instead of just a handful. UNC says more than 30 varieties of native plants will be put into the ground in the coming months. The goal of the ongoing bloom cycle will not only “provide a rotation of colors and textures throughout the year,” says the university, but also highlight plants from North Carolina’s mountain, piedmont and coastal areas.
An example of the blooming schedule and native plants planned for around the Old Well. (Photo via UNC Facilities Services.)
A sign explaining the Old Well Planting Project to visitors at the site. Until the new plants are installed, the area will continue to look bare.
The visual change is just the latest around the university’s most recognizable landmark. The Old Well itself had a permanent accessibility ramp established in 2023 to better allow people of all mobilities to access its fountain — one of its biggest updates since adding the granite base in the 1950s. The fixture also underwent repairs this summer to fix its fountain and fountain base after vandalism damaged both in April.
The first day of class for UNC’s 2024-25 academic year is Monday, August 19.
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This is a great idea.