Median in need of an "extreme makeover" on Sterling Boulevard looking to Route 7 (Photo by Erica Garman)

Sterling Boulevard is getting a "green" make-over.

In its quest to beautify the aging neighborhood, the Sterling Foundation has hired a landscaper to install new trees and bushes along the Sterling Park thoroughfare, from Holly Avenue to Route 7.

The project has been on hold for almost a year due to Loudoun County Sanitation Authority watering restrictions.

Now that the mandate has been lifted, let the beautification begin!

Greg Wallace, project manager for Poole Landscaping in Frederick, Md., says installation of the trees and plants will begin in early to mid-April and will feature Natchez (white) and Tuskegee (dark pink) Crepe Myrtles, Zelkovas, October Glory Red Maples, Willow Oaks, Kousa Dogwoods and Kanzan and Yoshino Cherry trees. Ornamental bushes and grasses will also be planted as accents.

About 50 trees were recently removed by the landscaping company to make way for the 250 new trees and plants. Wallace says they'll be returning in the next week or two to grind up the tree stumps that still remain.

The Sterling Boulevard Beautification Project was made possible with a $70,000 matching grant to the Sterling Foundation and $28,500 from corporate and community donations.

The Sterling Foundation was organized in 1989 with the combination of the SterlingFest committee and the Sterling Grasshoppers, who originally maintained the neighborhood.

What other parts of Loudoun do you think need "sprucing up?"