CHARLOTTE -- A crowdfunding effort at UNC Charlotte will soon bloom into something both students and the community can enjoy.

Coming soon to the schools’ botanical gardens: paw paws, scuppernongs and muscadines.

If they aren’t familiar that’s okay -- that's the point.

Staffers will soon break ground on a new "native and underused fruits" garden, which will highlight unusual Piedmont-region plants

"We hope to educate our visitors about that aspect, about what native fruits are. And maybe encourage homeowners to plant these plants in their gardens," said UNCC Botanical Gardens Horticulture Supervisor Ed Davis.

Other North Carolina Piedmont fruits will include crabapples and persimmons.

Garden renovations should start soon and the fruits will be planted in the spring.