It’s Official!

After a year of research polling horticulturists, landscapers, garden centers and gardeners, and two months of city-wide voting, then a proposal to LFUCG Council which resulted in an overwhelmingly positive vote, Lexington-Fayette County now has an OFFICIAL CITY FLOWER!!

Purple Coneflower, a well-known and loved native perennial was the top winner in the vote done last summer, and so now we are happy to promote it as the new Official Flower.

Plant it in a bare spot, plant it in masses, just plant it in 2020!

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Downtown Walking Tour is Live!

We are so excited that the America In Bloom Lexington Downtown Walking Tour is now available in digital format on the city’s website thanks to staff at Lexington’s Environmental Services! The tour highlights just some of the history, arts and culture, environmental efforts and beauty available in Lexington. We hope you enjoy it! If you are interested in learning more about our amazing city, check out our Community Profile pages.

Communities in Bloom

Having participated in America in Bloom for several years, AIB Lexington will broaden our focus in 2019 through participation in the Communities in Bloom International Challenge. The International Challenge brings together winners from various National Programs including Communities in Bloom, Britain in Bloom, America in Bloom, Tidy Towns of Ireland, Japan in Bloom, Entente Florale, and Comuni Fioriti in friendly competition based on similar criteria.

By connecting to communities world-wide, we hope to learn even more ways to improve and develop our quality of life while preserving the beauty, history and cultures of our city.

AIB-Lex at the 2017 Symposium

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The week of October 4-7, Framingham and Holliston, MA were inundated with bourbon-drinkers…or at least those that understood bourbon. We were treated right away with a surprise award for our lovely and revered Lexington Cemetery. The next day we were treated to a tour of Mount Auburn Cemetery, a slightly older and much larger version.

Saturday was great fun as the Holliston in Bloom group met the busses with their high school marching band, creating an impromptu parade from the main street to the park where lunch and entertainment awaited. Lobster rolls proliferated, along with turkey for those who abstain from seafood. The high school chorus and others provided entertainment, but the activity was cut short when Paul Revere and William Dawes rode up on horseback and made some announcements. Poor William Dawes, along for the ride but not in Longfellow’s poem, read a poem commemorating his own lack of commemoration.

At that evening’s awards banquet, Lexington again received five stars, won its size category, and was inducted into the Circle of Champions. Another great symposium goes into the history books.

And next year, we’re up as the symposium arrives in Lexington on September 26-30. Hope you join us!

Babies, Trees and Girl Scouts!

During the month of April 2017, America in Bloom-Lexington and Baptist Health are providing trees to every single baby born at Baptist Health. Trees, along with planting instructions (and an offer to plant in a park should parents desire) and congratulations are being housed at UK long-term, and provided to the maternity ward on a weekly basis.

Fayette County needs to ramp up its Urban Canopy due to losses in large and small trees over the last several years due to disease and aging of its trees. Getting more trees into the landscape, in municipal, corporate and residential areas is one of America in Bloom-Lexington’s major goals.

DSCN4597To prepare for the first week of Babies & Trees, program organizers Victoria Meyer and Nic Williamson were thrilled Tracy Durham-Beall and her young and enthusiastic Scouts got together with them to put tree packages together. 150 trees, enough for a couple of weeks, were assembled.

Another session is set for Monday, April 17th at 5pm.For more information, please contact Nic Williamson, UK Urban Forest Initiative, at 859-351-2369.

Spring!!!

Finally, after a long warm winter and then a final struggle with below-freezing temps, it looks like Kentucky is moving towards a full-fledged spring! Flowers and trees are blooming everywhere, people are out walking both with and without their dogs, and you just might see the odd convertible roaming around topless!

As you plant peas and other cold crops, clean up last year’s detritus, and prepare for another bountiful growing season, remember to share your bounty with neighbors, contribute to our beautiful landscape and take a few moments to appreciate the beauty that is Lexington, Kentucky.

Celebrating Lexington!

On March 9, Lexington’s leaders in making this a wonderful place to live, work and play will come together for breakfast. America in Bloom-Lexington brings together these organizations to expand everyone’s knowledge about the marvelous things already going on, enhance the collaborative possibilities and begin to create additional resources for everyone.

Focusing on public/private collaborations for the 2017 breakfast, AIB-Lexington invited five speakers to discuss their projects. Ryan Koch, Executive Director of Seedleaf talked about the composting program and youth program SEEDS. Susan Pleuger from LFUCG brought attention to the city’s beautification program on major corridors. A perennial favorite, Lexington in Bloom, was highlighted by Liz Pattengill with Lexington Garden Clubs. Dick DeCamp explained how Lexington’s historic places are being saved and reclaimed with partnerships through BlueGrass Trust and others. And Bridget Abernathy with Trees Lexington focused on bringing our urban canopy to the levels that will provide energy savings, beauty, healthy air and more.

A surprise is in store for one Lexington citizen who will be named AIB-Lexington’s first Community Champion. Mayor Gray will present the award to this deserving citizen.

Hopefully, this breakfast will be the first of annual events. Celebrating and collaborating are primary missions of AIB-Lexington, and bringing everyone together to meet, greet and facilitate is a fun and engaging way to make that happen.

Lexington is a 5 Bloom City!

At the recent 2016 America in Bloom National Symposium in California, Lexington was clearly a winner!

Judges named Lexington truly a model America in Bloom city, earning the top rating of 5 blooms this year as well as the winner in our population category! As a 3rd year participant in the AIB national awards program, Lexington clearly possesses the essence of Southern culture, charm, history and hospitality.

Judges Katy Moss Warner and Meg Whitmer felt they had received a warm welcome, gracious hospitality, and thorough, well-planned tour. They felt Lexington’s pride showed throughout the community with volunteers and partners working together to make our city a special and unique destination.

Lexington will host the America in Bloom Symposium in 2018, providing us with an exceptional opportunity to showcase and celebrate all of the wonderful things that make Lexington a 5-bloom city.