I was lazy about the planters on my front porch last fall. Crispy morning glory vines were left to spit their dull black seeds on the sidewalk. Marigolds dissolved into golden dust. And the fragrant summer savory looked like a sullen winter tumbleweed.
I felt plenty of guilt about bringing a certain air of urban decay to my semi-rural neighborhood, made worse by news that Broomfield is pruning its public planting program.
Saying no to geraniums and pentunias in planters and hanging baskets will snip $40,000 from the city budget. But there’s something sad about a suburban landscape that feels committed to concrete.
For its part, the Broomfield Rotary Club is trying to raise money to keep blooms in a dozen or so planters.
For mine, I’m cleaning up, amending and plotting a summer show of my own, because I can’t bear the thought of going without the flowers so I can know how much I miss them.
Dana Coffield
