Spring Brings Downtown Flowers

Flowers used to beautify downtown Oskaloosa during 2015 were chosen to honor women who have served in the armed forces.

Oskaloosa, Iowa – Downtown flowers help create a sense of warmth and appeal to a downtown area.

Oskaloosa gardeners got an inside look this last week at what the look of the downtown flowers will be this year, and what they will help to represent.

The nationally recognized wraps on the plant containers consist of historic images from the Oskaloosa area. Those planters, combined with a different theme for the flowers every year, help to make the displays a standard other communities work to emulate.

Oskaloosa Main Street Director Karen Hafner said the project was taken on initially to help beautify the downtown area, and Stam Greenhouse took on the project, knowing the level of dedication that would be needed to keep the flowers at their most.

“We’ve never been disappointed and always had compliments,” said Hafner of the work performed by Stam Greenhouse on the downtown flower arrangements.

At the end of January, a committee of community members met with Phyllis Stam to talk about a theme for this year’s flower arrangements to be displayed downtown.

The theme for last year was a salute to women in the armed forces.

This year, the flowers will celebrate the 100th year for the national parks.

If you wonder why national parks would be a big deal, it is because John Lacey, an Oskaloosa attorney and US Congressman, is the grandfather of the national parks in the United States. His legislation paved the way to protect the natural resources Americans enjoy today.

The smaller planters will contain succulents, with the larger planters being “a burst of color”, Hafner said.

The planters hanging on the light poles will also contain color to help honor the legacy Oskaloosa played in the birth of the national parks.