Lowell Showboat Garden Club Beautifies Downtown
6/8/2024
It’s springtime, and as residents and visitors have come to expect, downtown Lowell is blooming. Passersby may have noticed the recently planted pots along the Riverwalk, flower boxes lining the Main Street Bridge, and hanging baskets gently swaying from the decks of the Lowell Showboat.
Although these civic garnishments may seem to magically appear, it is through the efforts of the Lowell Showboat Garden Club volunteers, sharing their talents and time, that bring this seasonal charm to the city’s historic district. Members, Liz Ripley of Caledonia Township, Cinny Gould and Linda Van Stee, both of Murray Lake, along with Melinda Cosgrove of Snow Avenue Greenhouse, designed this year’s floral arrangements. A dozen club members participated in this season’s planting, and many more will maintain the plants throughout the summer.
New this year are seven large planters placed along the Riverwalk and at the entrances to the Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce. The large resin containers, manufactured by EarthPlanters, are self-watering and expected to last many seasons. The planters were funded by the Donna Jean Ford bequest for public right-of-way landscaping. They replace the aging red concrete pots formerly used.
“The new speckled gray planters provide a neutral base, allowing the colors of the flowers and plants to really pop,” shared incoming Garden Club President, Mistelle Quiggle. The containers are filled with rose-colored pentas, pink gomphrena, and bubblegum pink petunias. Tall orange cannas and the green pompoms of Prince Tut papyrus give the arrangements height. The flowers are complemented by trailing black heart sweet potato vines spilling over the pots’ rims.
The Showboat’s eleven hanging baskets and the eleven bridge boxes are filled with nearly 100 individual Proven Winners® Supertunia Bubblegum plants, which have become a signature look for the downtown the past few years. Historically, petunias have been associated with Lowell. The petunia was adopted as the club’s official flower at its inception in 1949.
“There are so many people that have shared they love the flowers downtown — friends from the library, friends who volunteer at FROM, retired teaching friends who attend the Lowell concerts, and friends from church,” related Gould, Co-President of the club. “It warms my heart to hear how many people enjoy flowers as much as the Lowell Showboat Garden Club.”
Gould encourages interested area gardeners to attend one of the club’s monthly meetings. Their next meeting will be held Monday, June 17, 6:30 p.m., at the Lowell Area Chamber. The program will feature Kinderhaven Farm, makers of handmade bath and body products.
