It’s a great blessing, especially in a town the size of Suffield, to drive through the town center and see lovely flowers blooming in the middle of our two main thoroughfares. Those flowers bring a lift to the heart and joy to the soul! They are planted in attractive shallow concrete urns and placed where they are visible to everyone driving by. And how did this welcome change come to pass? Its history is an example of town and individual cooperation. Neither could have made it happen without the other.
Recently three local residents volunteered to organize a project of beautification for the town. While all are members of the Garden Club, the effort was made by these women working on their own. But not entirely on their own: the town raised money from private sources to fund the project. The three were able to get a good price from Flower Power for the wave petunia plants, a type which can withstand heat; they found the concrete urns at a company in Manchester. The town agreed to do the watering, always a challenge, and to fund the purchase of supplies.
The trio measured carefully for the placement of the urns, so that they would not be hazardous to maintain. Unlike previous gardening in the areas selected, which required weeding of each plot, the ground cover of pebbles made the new design plausible. In mid-May the petunias were planted, along with some additional hardy plants, and all are thriving.
The three gardeners are planning seasonal changes for fall and winter; they have been encouraged by accolades from drivers passing by and look forward to continuing their efforts after summer is over. If you see Joyce Zien, Erin Calender and Aggie Schulte busily tending the urns in the coming weeks and months, be sure to give them a happy wave. They are improving our quality of life!
New concrete urns filled with flowers grace the dividers in town.