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 January 19, 2010
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America in Bloom
Planting Pride in Your Community |
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Photo Credit
Swanton, Ohio
2009 Participating Community, Special Mention for Floral Displays |
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Jumpstart Your Town's Urban Renewal - Free Webinar
AIB's first-ever webinar, titled "Jumpstart Your Town's Urban Renewal with America in Bloom," will be held on February 4 at 1 p.m. EST. It's free and available to everyone, so tell your friends.
This 45-minute webinar will explain how participating in America in Bloom can help your town create synergy between various groups that leads to grassroots urban renewal and visible enhancements, often accomplished through the passionate efforts of hardworking volunteers. The webinar will be co-hosted by AIB's veteran judges Jack Clasen and Evelyn Alemanni.
Click here to RSVP.
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After a Short Rest, Planning Begins
By Evelyn Alemanni, AIB Judge
Many towns are already thinking about their upcoming America in Bloom entry. In several European countries, annual participation in the "...Bloom" program has become a way of life, year after year.
People in these towns know that the impetus of a deadline is important, the feedback of judges invaluable, and the opportunity to take part in dressing up their town with beautiful flowers offers the best "bang for the buck" of anything they can do.
So gather your committee, scrutinize the seed catalogs, talk with the local garden centers, greenhouses, and Master Gardeners, and design your theme. Remember registration ends February 28 and our judges are looking forward to visiting your town!
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Have You Seen It? AIB's Web Site Has a New Look!
The America in Bloom web site got a New Year's makeover of its own. If you haven't been on the site recently, take a look.
Some of the new features include:
And we're not done yet! Future plans include an interactive map, a community photo showcase, and an upgraded participation toolbox. Take a look and let us know what you think! E-mail Alicia Wells, awells@ofa.org, with comments, suggestions, and ideas. |
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Preparing for Class in the New Year: The Value of City Parks
By Marvin Miller, AIB President
As noted in the President's message of another organization to which I belong, at the New Year, one often takes the opportunity both to look back and to look ahead. This might be deemed especially important this year, since we are embarking on a new decade.
Yet, except for historical purposes and the possibility of learning the lessons from that history, looking back usually is not as productive as looking forward. Of course, good planning tries to take those lessons from history to help weigh options and forecast likely outcomes for the various paths which might be selected for the future. Read the full article. |
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Help Your Local AIB Effort AND Save Landscape Waste From the Landfill
Due to overfilled landfills, most states have banned or are beginning to ban "green wastes" such as landscaping waste, yet many states still allow this type of wasteful dumping. In the past, when a landscaping company pulled out tulip bulbs or plant materials and bushes, it went straight to the garbage dump.
Go on a "field trip" with blogger Shawna Coronado as she "rescues" thousands of tulips from the landfill and finds them a home with her local "in Bloom" committee.
Some of the best treasures are from unconventional places - where can you start looking for freebies for your community's beautification projects?
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Vertical Gardening - A New Gardening Trend?
If you're a person who desires to be on the cutting edge, you'll need to identify where you're going to install your wall garden in the next few months. It can be indoors or outside. But the botanical specimens need to be vertical for your installation to qualify as avant-garde.
It's never been easier to build your own vertical garden on a wall or fence. A current U.S. forerunner of the genre, Flora Grubb Gardens in San Francisco, has been installing commissioned vertical gardens composed of myriad succulents or tillandsias in wholesale-only plastic, modular panels. This week, 20-inch panels will be available to DIY consumers via their web site.
So are you in on this new upcoming trend or are you going to sit it out? |
| Connect with America in Bloom |
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Have a story to share? We would love to hear from you! Tell us about AIB activities in your
community, or let us know about a community you have visited that
should get involved with AIB. E-mail your story to Laura Kunkle, LKunkle@ofa.org.
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