People around Grand Forks can expect to see some fresh color around town in the coming weeks as the Grand Forks Park District begins planting its flowerbeds.
Every year, Park District crews, under the direction of horticulturist Melissa Grafenauer, plant and maintain 11 flowerbeds ranging from Riverside Park in the north to King's Walk Golf Course on the south side.
The flower species all have a few important characteristics in common.
"Everything we plant is very hardy," said Grafenauer. "Because I know they're going to do well."
Plants that are easy to maintain, can withstand North Dakota's unpredictable weather and are easily removed after the season ends are what Grafenauer relies on.
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Due to these climate and maintenance factors, the variety of flowers Grafenauer uses can be limited. But that doesn't mean the city's flowerbeds will look any less charming. Grafenauer's 14 years of experience as a horticulturist for the city allow her to keep the arrangements fresh.
"I can make different designs with the same flowers and it's still going to look cool. If I did a purple and a red here last year, I'm probably going to do an orange and a yellow next year," she said. "So it will be different to people who live there and see it often."
The flowers are provided through All Seasons Garden Center, and species include cleome, coleus, dahlia, dusty miller, flowering kale, marigold, ornamental grass and salvia as compared with last year's mix that also offered celosia, geranium, lobelia and petunia.
Planting will begin today at beds in front of the old Park District offices, where marigolds, red salvias, cannas and coleus will be planted for the season. Work on other beds will begin next week, with Grafenauer citing dicey weather and the long weekend as reasons to wait.
"The flowers that are going in there (old Park District beds) are much more established than other varieties so I feel like they can withstand colder weather better than some of the other ones." she said.
This year's flowers, of which there are roughly 28,000, cost $10,700. This figure has remained relatively steady over the past few years, and is covered by the beautification fund, which falls under the city community development budget.
There is about $572,000 in beautification fund, said Grand Forks City Communication Specialist John Bernstrom. The city allocates money to the fund each year, and unused money carries over to the next year.
"It's quality of life type stuff," Bernstrom said. "Downtown is an example. In the summertime adding flowers, some hanging baskets adds a little character and just makes it look nicer. And it's something you can't do in the winter either."
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In the past, the community development fund has been used to fund special projects such as the eagle statue outside of the Grand Forks Police Department and the human head statue at Grand Forks City Hall.
The planting process is expected to take one to two weeks, depending on weather conditions.
Flower facts:
• 12 people on a landscaping crew
• There are 11 flowerbeds around town
• Four flower species were planted last year that will not be returning this year
• Flowerbeds are weeded once a week
• Independence Park, one of the annual flowerbeds, was built in 1994
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• Annual flowerbeds have irrigation systems, so they can water themselves
