In the Garden
Amy Jordan, Special to The Gazette
Originally published 12:27 p.m., May 22, 2008
Updated 12:27 p.m., May 22, 2008
Think of our town at Christmas time.
Decorations and lights are hung downtown, at homes and businesses.
Neighborhoods work together to make beautiful light displays. People drive around town admiring the lights and we take pride in our community,
A program through K-State Research and Extension and Kansas Pride is promoting the “Christmas light concept” for the rest of the year by decorating our communities with flowers instead of lights. Our Community…A More Colorful Place encourages more people, to plant more flowers, in more places. This program recognizes that front yards of homeowners play a big role in the overall appearance of a community. Individuals can make a real difference towards making their town a better place by planting colorful annual flower displays.
Research has shown that patrons choose to shop at businesses with attractive landscaping or colorful planters over those that don’t include these elements. Customers also tend to shop longer and buy more at businesses that have added color through plants.
Any effort to beautify our community helps. Planting trees, shrubs, and perennial flowers in more places adds appeal, or maintaining a nice lawn creates “green space”. But it is the annual flowers that really give a property the “Wow” factor. Annual flowers can provide color from spring to fall, where perennial flowers only bloom for a couple of weeks. Although annual flowers have to be planted each year, it is with these plants that you get the most bang for your buck.
Choosing the right flowers can be a challenge, so K-State Research and Extension has done research on annual flowers that perform well all across the state of Kansas. Only the best of the best make it onto the Prairie Star list. These flowers have proven themselves in the tough climate of Kansas year after year. The Prairie Star list of flowers can be found on our website at www.lyon.ksu.edu or at www.prairiestarflowers.com. Some of these are not widely available, but ask at local garden centers for these plants.
It doesn’t take much to add color to your home or business. A small planting in the front yard or a few colorful containers really make a difference. You might be amazed at how your effort will be recognized by neighbors or people in the community.
There is already a lot of beauty in this community, but we could do more. I encourage everyone to plant a few more flowers this year at your home and place of work. Let’s see how colorful we can make our community!