Collaborative Projects

One of Lexington’s trademarks is its floral display downtown each spring through fall, created and maintained by the Lexington Parks and Recreation office. We have worked with them in several ways to help with this project.  We recruit volunteers to help fill the planters with annuals each May. When the city’s funding tanked during the first round of COVID-19, we connected them with Blackburn Correctional Center’s Horticulture Program to reduce the cost of growing the plants. It is a partnership that is ongoing.

In 2018, Lexington hosted the America in Bloom National Symposium.

Fayette County’s Urban Canopy has reduced recently due to losses in large and small trees from disease and aging. Getting more trees into the landscape in municipal, corporate and residential areas is one of our main goals.   In April 2017, America in Bloom-Lexington and Baptist Health provided trees to every single baby born at Baptist Health. Tree saplings were given out with planting instructions, an offer to plant in a park should the parents desire, and congratulations! Program organizers Victoria Meyer and Nic Williamson were thrilled Tracy Durham-Beall and her young and enthusiastic Scouts joined us to provide this service.

During the Southland Drive Retro Renovation, a standalone music kiosk was built in front of Oleika Temple. Flowers were planted in window boxes around the kiosk, but there was no one to maintain them. We were able to connect the designers with the firemen at the Southland Drive Fire Station, who watered and maintained the flowers through the heat of summer.

Each year the Kentucky State Arboretum hosts a trail of scarecrows created and displayed by local individuals and organizations. We participated in 2021.

From the beginning, one of our goals was to participate in the judging process, a whirlwind two day visit for two judges who look at each city through a lens of wide experience rather than a competition. With different judges each year, our board takes seriously showing the best side of our fair city, and presenting the judges with our Southern hospitality, long heritage and amazing beauty. We hoped to accomplish several things: learn what we are doing right, learn ways to improve, and possibly win some awards. All three were accomplished as we participated in several AIB Judging Rounds, then moved to participating on an international level with Communities in Bloom and received the highest “five bloom” rating and many commendations.  America in Bloom  Becoming an America in Bloom five bloom city is a lot of work. Each year, we updated the city profile, prepared site visits at various locations, planned socials and meals, all while having a great time. We have been able to implement many of the judges’ recommendations, including naming the Purple Coneflower the Lexington-Fayette County Official Flower.  ​ Communities in Bloom International  In 2019 we broadened our scope 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 learned even more ways to improve and develop our quality of life while preserving the beauty, history and cultures of our city. ​ Our Evaluations The evaluations for each year let us know how well we’ve done with what we have, what Lexington might consider to improve further on our already amazing environment, and add ideas that may work that the judges have seen elsewhere.  We no longer participate in the judging process.