Communities Transformed
America in Bloom-participating communities send me photos each year of the transformative ways they are making their towns more welcoming and vibrant places to live, work, and play – benefitting from colorful plants and trees; enjoying clean environments; celebrating heritage, and planting pride through volunteerism. As one mayor said, “We first thought it was about flowers. But it is about seeing our community and our residents bloom in so many ways.”
I recently decided to archive some of the thousands and thousands of photos I’ve received from communities since AIB began in 2002. That clean-up process took me on a stroll down memory lane as I reflected on the more than 250 communities involved in the AIB program.
Here are photos from 10 AIB communities. These are not my favorite photos from the thousands submitted over the years. These photos simply speak to the work being done by people in communities of all sizes to make their place in the world more beautiful. Some of these ideas are easy to recreate, while some would require more time and resources. Some creative, some whimsical, some so uniquely “cool.” I hope one of these images inspires you to try something different to beautify your own personal garden or your community.
