Catskill, New York
Latest News from America in Bloom

AIB Symposium Registration Now Open

"The Changing Environment...Reimagining Our Communities" is the theme of this year's AIB Symposium & Awards program, October 6-8 in Arroyo Grande, California. 
 
An exceptional line-up of educational sessions and learning tours have been planned for you. Extend your time in California by taking advantage of the amazing pre-symposium tours offered, including a tour to the famous Hearst Castle. Get all the details, including hotel and registration information, by visiting the symposium section of the AIB website.

Best Petunias for Hanging Baskets?
By Katy Moss Warner, AIB President

America in Bloom is starting its 15th National Awards Program with teams of professional volunteer judges heading out this summer to visit 40 communities across America. These communities are encouraged to plant flowers to announce the importance of quality landscapes and bring attention to the historic heritage and overall charm of their communities. 
 
Hanging baskets are often the most striking floral displays in our America in Bloom communities. They are the "flashing lights" demanding attention. In order to ensure that these baskets remain colorful all summer long, it is important to select the right varieties of flowers. In my experience judging America in Bloom cities, petunias are often the best choice for flowering hanging baskets. Learn some of Katy's favorite petunias for hanging baskets.

Changing the Conversation
By Dr. Charlie Hall, AIB Past President

I have a retired colleague that moved from College Station to another town in Texas, and he was commenting to me that the big debate in their town at the moment was whether or not to engage in beautification efforts. Apparently there were those in that town that considered such investments to be frivolous spending. Sound familiar? He then went on this five-minute rampage about how most folks do not recognize the true benefits of beautification. He listed things like enhanced economic development, reduced crime rates, folks are more proud of their community, biodiversity in the environment, and increased tourism revenue. Again, sound familiar?
 
I then told him, "It sounds like you need America in Bloom." He looked at me incredulously asked, "What in the world is that?" I proceeded to lay out my stump-speech about AIB and by the time I was finished, he was flabbergasted that he had not heard of it, but mostly because his city was not involved. This probably sounds like a conversation each of you has had some time during your AIB affiliation, or it may be that you are like my friend and unfamiliar with the multiplicity of benefits that AIB offers. Either way, it's a good chance for me to reiterate the fact that AIB does indeed provide a plethora of benefits for communities.

Plantsmap.com Invites AIB Participants to Showcase Their Story of Planting Community Pride 
By Tracy Blevins, Plants Map

Plants Map is proud to be a new sponsor of America in Bloom. We are excited to have the opportunity to invite participants to showcase their community beautification plantings on PlantsMap.com and share a special offer on ordering our interactive plant tags and signs. PlantsMap.com is a free, mobile-friendly website that hosts digital plant collections with photos, growing details, notes, mapping, and tagging tools. Organization profiles can be used as an all-in-one tool to document and showcase your community plantings for the purposes of educational outreach, visitor engagement, tourism, and marketing.
 
On Plantsmap.com your organization can:
  • Create a digital plant library to share the story of your plants with a photo gallery, plant details, growing information, reference links, and notes.
  • Organize your plantings into collections to guide visitors through your trails, parks, pollinator plantings and more.
  • Create online maps to make it easy for visitors to find and explore your collections and plants.
  • Engage visitors with interactive plant tags and signs that enhance their experience by connecting their smartphones and mobile devices to information about your AIB plantings.
  • Grow a network of volunteers or key supporters can show their participation in your America in Bloom project.
  • Invite multiple individuals to become admins to share in updating plant information, making it easy to keep records current and accurate.

Thank You to Our Sponsors
 
          
 
            
                      
 
                
 
           
 
              
 
       
 
           
 
           
 
              
 
           
 
 
 
       
 
          
 
     
 
Katy Moss Warner
Jack Clasen
Evelyn Alemanni
Drew Becher
Charlie Hall
Marvin Miller
Edith Makra
John Manchester
Mark Broxon

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Find America in Bloom on the web at www.americainbloom.org.
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, [email protected]