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One tiny town. Hundreds of volunteers. Thousands of plants.
America In Bloom encourages civic responsibility and the beautification of communities.
Castle Rock, Washington’s enthusiastic citizens know how to get the job done. This community (population 2,100) in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains not far from the Mt. St Helen’s volcano, planted more than 3,000 Proven Winners® flowers as part of their 10th Annual Clean-Up Day Event. Recent renovation of the main street through the business district sparked a desire by local business owners and community leaders to enhance the downtown with new landscaping, floral displays and hanging baskets. The Chamber of Commerce and the city teamed up to enroll in the national ‘America In Bloom’ program and the search was on for vigorous plants 
that were easy-to-grow. Local nurseries and greenhouse growers, familiar with the diversity and hardiness of Proven Winners® plants chose to design baskets, flowerbeds and containers solely with Proven Winners® flowers. Almost 5,000 small starter plants were grown by area greenhouses and the horticultural department at Castle Rock High School. Some were destined to become components in more than 75 baskets that would be hung throughout town, but most were planted on ‘Clean Up Day’.
The day dawned with traditional Pacific Northwest overcast skies, which soon gave way to gorgeous summer-like sunshine. Local garden enthusiasts, landscape professionals and casual home gardeners worked side-by-side throughout the city. Rockapulco® Rose Impatiens were tucked into newly tilled earth to be combined with Ipomoea Illusion® Emerald Lace, Lobularia Snow Princess® and Infinity® Electric Cherry New Guinea impatiens. Churches, service groups and businesses sent volunteers to participate in the project to plant PRIDE in their community, an appropriate America In Bloom motto. 
Concrete planters, refurbished for the new street, were expertly designed by volunteers using ColorBlaze® Dipt In Wine Coleus, Superbena® Royale Peachy Keen Verbena, Ipomoea 'Sweet Caroline Red,' Osteospermum Soprano® Purple and Supertunia® Petunias of every hue.
In 2011 “the islands”, as they are called by local residents, at the southern entrance to town, were planted with Supertunia® Vista Bubblegum and Supertunia® Vista Silverberry. It was this 
display which gave Castle Rock the motivation to really think BIG for 2012 and also confirmed their faith in Proven Winners® plants. This year “the islands” became home for Graceful Grasses® Vertigo® Pennisetum, Anisodontea Slightly Strawberry™, Argyranthemum Butterfly, Bidens Goldilocks Rocks®, Osteospermum Orange Symphony and many different Superbena® Verbena.
A complete renovation of the landscaping at the entrance to City Hall included three expansive mounds to display Sunsatia® Lemon and Sunsatia® Cranberry Nemesia, 
Ipomoea Sweet Caroline Bewitched, Superbells® Miss Lilac, Superbells® Grape Punch, Superbells® Cherry Star and Superbells® Yellow Chiffon.
A visit to Castle Rock, Washington this summer will be a delightful floral stop in one 
of the most scenic areas of Southwest Washington. An hour north of Portland, Oregon and just 2 hours south of Seattle, you’ll find us between Exits 48 and 49 off of Interstate 5. Come see why Castle Rock is a proven winner of a tiny city that rocks!
Patent Info: Rockapulco® Rose Impatiens walleriana 'BALOLESTOP' PP: 13639 Can.: 1525; Illusion® Emerald Lace Ipomoea batatas 'NCORNSP012EMLC' PP: 21744 Can.: 4162; Infinity® Electric Cherry Impatiens hawkeri 'VINFELECHE' PPAF Can. PBRAF; Snow Princess® Lobularia hybrid 'Inlbusnopr' PP: 21594 Can.: 4189; Superbena® Royale Peachy Keen Verbena hybrid 'VEAZ0003' PPAF Can. Can.: 2173; 'Sweet Caroline Red' Ipomoea batatas PP: 17483 Can. Can.: 2976; Soprano® Purple Osteospermum hybrid 'Osoutis' PP: 15491 Can.: 2137; Supertunia® Vista Silverberry Petunia hybrid 'USTUNI6001M' PP: 20903 Can.: 3866; Supertunia® Vista Bubblegum Petunia hybrid 'USTUNI6001' PP: 17730 Can.: 2871; Graceful Grasses® Vertigo® Pennisetum purpureum 'Tift 8' PP: 22254 Can. PBRAF; Slightly Strawberry™ Anisodontea hybrid 'Nuanilainp' PP: 21393; Goldilocks Rocks® Bidens ferulifolia 'BID 719' PP: 22271 Can. PBRAF; Orange Symphony Osteospermum hybrid 'Seikimora' PP: 13409 Can. COPF; Sunsatia® Lemon Nemesia hybrid 'INTRAIGOLDTWO' PPAF Can. PBRAF; Sunsatia® Cranberry Nemesia hybrid 'INTRAIREDTWO' PPAF Can. PBRAF; Sweet Caroline Bewitched Ipomoea batatas 'NCORNSP014BWPI' PPAF Can. PBRAF; Superbells® Miss Lilac Calibrachoa hybrid 'USCAL87502' PPAF Can. PBRAF; Superbells® Grape Punch Calibrachoa hybrid 'USCAL84704' PPAF Can. PBRAF; Superbells® Cherry Star Calibrachoa hybrid 'USCAL91001' PPAF Can. PBRAF; Superbells® Yellow Chiffon Calibrachoa hybrid 'USCALI4021' PP: 19480 Can.: 3631;
In Oneonta NY each spring the Community Garden Club plants flowers in the many planters on our Main Street, and the city hangs blooming baskets from the light poles. There are trees that flower and then leaf out, early blooming tulips and daffodils, shrubs, annuals and perennials all summer long, and in the fall moms are planted. It is a joy to walk or drive along the street and see all that beauty and color everywhere. Thank you to all the gardeners who share their talent and passion with the rest of us each year. Kathie Greenblatt
How inspiring to see a community come together for a simple pleasure-enjoying the beauty of volunteering and the beauty of flowers. It will be rewarding to see how this project unfolds over the next several months. Congratulations, Castle Rock!
I love what U all are doing...Hopefully it will encourage others to follow suit...d..rich...