Downtown Gilroy is now more colorful than ever as of Friday, with the addition of 40 hanging flower baskets on the Monterey Street lampposts.
The blooming baskets brimming with dark blue, burgundy, yellow and white flowers were a volunteer project headed up by Joel Goldsmith of Gilroy, who got the idea years ago when the City of Gilroy began their downtown renovations.
“I think a downtown that’s got flowers looks alive, and it looks like people take pride in their downtown. It’s just that final touch,” Goldsmith said.
Goldsmith, a 35-year flower business veteran, rounded up his friends in the business to help out – Kawahara Nurseries of Morgan Hill provided the flowers, while Landscape Innovations in Gilroy provided expertise in setting up the irrigation system. The City provided all the irrigation materials for the project.
On Friday, Goldsmith ran into a bit of a hold up when he discovered the copper wiring for the project had been stolen. Luckily, he said, the parts were recovered from AMD Recycling on Howson Street later that afternoon and the project commenced.
In the fall, Goldsmith plans to switch out the flowers with some hearty cool weather bloomers.
“I’ve seen downtowns with hanging baskets before, and I think it makes a dramatic difference,” Goldsmith said.
