Strolling through downtown Bellingham, you’ll come across many treasured local haunts. And from May through October, you’ll find yourself face to face with something unique to the summer months: enormous flower baskets hanging from downtown lamp posts.
Photograph courtesy of Jenny Hagemann
The presence of these vibrant flower baskets is the result of the Adopt a Flower Basket program, a community giving campaign put in place by the Downtown Bellingham Partnership (DBP) in 2022. Through the program, individuals can ‘adopt a flower basket’ for $75; the donations, which ended April 30, go directly toward purchasing and maintaining baskets provided by Green Frog Nursery.
Jenny Hagemann, the development and communications director of the DBP, recognizes the benefit these baskets bring for those frequenting the downtown area each year.
Photograph courtesy of Jenny Hagemann
“Visitors and locals alike love the look and feel that the flower baskets bring to our downtown, strengthening community pride while supporting the local economy as the baskets show we love and care for our neighborhood,” Hagemann says.
The outcome of the Adopt a Flower Basket program is a bright and “alive” downtown, with forty plus flower baskets placed in key areas, such as Holly, Cornwall, Magnolia, and State streets. The program only began a couple of years ago, but its impact ensures that the campaign will return for years to come.
Photograph courtesy of Jenny Hagemann
“[The program] has proven to be a successful way for us to further public dollars and for people to feel a sense of pride and ownership in a tangible and visible way each year,” Hagemann says.
114 W. Magnolia St., Bellingham, 360.527.8710, downtownbellingham.com
