More than 4,300 Wickliffe residents have been America in Bloom volunteers — about a third of the city’s population.
 

 

“I’ve seen a big increase in people fixing up their yards and planting flowers, trees and plants. It’s a community pride thing.”
~ Rick Webb, chairman of Logan in Bloom

 

 

 

 

Floral displays along a waterway
in Vermilion.
 

 

 

Last year Toledo won an America in Bloom award in its population category.

america in bloom

 

Story by Amy Beth Graves

Rick Webb was leafing through a horticulture magazine when an article caught his eye. It was about America in Bloom, a nonprofit organization that shows communities how to dress up their downtowns and other areas through the use of flowers, plants and trees. Realizing that downtown Logan could use some sprucing up, Webb started asking local businesses and organizations if they would be interested in applying for the program, which features a friendly competition among cities in eight categories, including floral displays, heritage preservation and community involvement.

“I had heard really good things about what was being done in different communities and about how it had really helped revitalize communities. It sounded really neat,” said Webb, a Hocking County Farm Bureau member who owns a small greenhouse, Webb Perennials, in Logan.

Logan in Bloom became a reality after the Hocking Hills Tourism Association agreed to be the group’s sponsor. Today, Logan in Bloom is a true community effort that gets support from the local government, United Way, the Soil and Water Conservation District, Ohio State University Extension, FFA and other groups. Logan High School students get involved by painting floral flags that are auctioned off in the spring, with the proceeds benefiting both Logan in Bloom and high school art projects. The two dozen flags are then hung in downtown Logan.

“The flags help beautify the downtown and raise money for our projects,” said Webb, now the chairman of Logan in Bloom. “The best part is that you’ve got a bunch of art students who are very proud of their downtown because they like showing off their flags.”

Downtown business owners support the program by paying about $30 for plants and flowers that are planted in hanging baskets or planters outside their shops. Local FFA students are paid to water the plants, which can take two hours each day. The large clay planters tie in the city’s heritage as a clay manufacturer dating back to 1876. The planters, waste baskets and sculptures that cover up abandoned parking meter poles are made of material from Logan Clay Products Co., a national supplier of pipes for sanitary sewer systems.

“Logan in Bloom has been a positive voice in the community. I never imagined it would be as big as it has been and that it would branch off in so many areas,” Webb said, noting that Logan in Bloom helped inspire the creation of the Logan Tree Commission and Logan being named a Tree City USA community by the Arbor Day Foundation.

 

America in Bloom has been around since 2001 and has had 159 communities and 37 states participate, said Susan Cappa, spokeswoman for the organization. Columbus-based OFA, an Association of Floriculture Professionals, helps manage the national program. Last year the national symposium was held in Columbus and included a tour of Franklin Park Conservatory. This year’s meeting is in Hershey, Pa. and will recognize award winners.

“It’s a pretty awesome program,” Cappa said. “Even if you don’t win, you get an encompassing evaluation report. It’s well worth the effort just for the feedback because it’s a pretty extensive form.”

To compete in the national contest, America in Bloom participants pay a registration fee based on their population size, and judges visit their communities for two days in May, June, July or August. The judges’ report is typically more than 20 pages long and includes evaluations of current efforts and recommendations for future activities.

 

Logan in Bloom has won several awards in different categories over the years and is particularly proud that one year it won the community involvement award and had more volunteer hours — an astonishing 158,000 — than large cities such as New York City. Webb said that since Logan in Bloom started, the number of plantings in the area has tripled.

“I’ve seen a big increase in people fixing up their yards and planting flowers, trees and plants. It’s a community pride thing,” he said. “It’s so nice when communities show off their pride, have beautiful landscapes and recognize their history. It’s a wonderful program.”

Amy Beth Graves is a freelance writer from Franklin County. To comment on this article, e-mail info@ourohio.org.

 

8 evaluation criteria
America in Bloom judges evaluate communities on eight criteria, based on their population category:
•    Floral displays
•    Environmental awareness
•    Landscaped areas
•    Tidiness
•    Urban forestry
•    Heritage preservation
•    Turf and groundcovers
•    Community involvement


How does America in Bloom work?
•    Form a local America in Bloom committee
•    Involve your municipal departments such as parks and recreation, economic development and tourism
•    Register at americainbloom.org and pay a fee according to your community's population size
•    Survey your community to determine its assets and abilities in the eight America in Bloom evaluation criteria
•    Prepare an action plan that is simple and focused
•    Implement your plan throughout the year
•    Host the judges
•    Review the detailed evaluation
Source: America in Bloom