SHELBURNE FALLS — Do you want to own a piece of the Bridge of Flowers?
At this year’s annual plant sale, the Bridge of Flowers Committee will sell plants that were removed from the historic bridge before repairs began last June, giving those plants new homes while the committee continues to determine what flora will be planted once the repair project is complete later this year.
The Bridge of Flowers Plant Sale will be held from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, May 10, at the corner of Main and Water streets. Available for purchase will be Bridge of Flowers T-shirts, baked goods from the Shelburne Falls Area Women’s Club, and a variety of perennial and annual plants, including some that were once planted on the bridge.
“It’ll be similar to previous years — we’ll have plenty of perennials, annuals, shrubs and trees, and we’ll actually have plenty of plants from the bridge itself,” Bridge of Flowers Committee Chair Annette Szpila said. “When we removed the plants from the bridge last year, we planted a lot of them in people’s yards and have spent the past few weeks digging them up and potting them and getting them ready for the sale.”
Plant Sale Chair Lynda Leitner said there will be geraniums, hostas, bleeding hearts and more.
“It’s going to look like a nursery,” Leitner said. “There’s going to be a lot of native plants and a wide variety of options.”
Those who are interested in the sale are encouraged to come early, as the majority of the perennial plants available last year were sold in less than an hour, according to Leitner. This year’s event will have slightly expanded offerings and more plants than the 2024 iteration, but organizers still expect the stock to go quickly as soon as the bell announcing the start of the sale rings.
“It’s sort of a madhouse. As soon as the bell rings, they can start grabbing what they want to buy,” Szpila said. “It’s a fast day for us, but it’s a fun day.”
Prices range from $3 to $12, with some rarer plants priced a bit higher at $20, Lietner said. Thanks to plant donations and discounted rates from florist John LaSalle, Deerfield’s Pioneer Gardens and other partners, the Bridge of Flowers Committee is able to offer the plants at low prices. The committee does not have a specific fundraising goal for the sale, but members want to raise everything they can to support buying plants for the repaired bridge.
“Everything is priced reasonably. We’ve always priced lower than the garden stores,” Lietner said. “It all goes to support the bridge.”
Szpila said in addition to having plants for sale, there will be a few garden experts present to answer questions about plant care, and the Western Massachusetts Master Gardener Association will be offering soil testing for those who bring in soil samples. This year will be the first year that payment via credit cards will be accepted.
Szpila said a completion date for the Bridge of Flowers has not been set, but if the weather cooperates, work should be done soon. The committee did a walk-thorough with contractor Northern Construction Service LLC of Palmer to review some of the final touches, such as where benches should be installed.
Work began last June after a 2020 study by Tighe & Bond recommended the demolition and replacement of the north spandrel wall, which was damaged by Hurricane Irene in 2011, as well as upgrading fencing and drainage, and improving other rebar support. The Shelburne Falls Fire District, which owns the bridge, received a $3.2 million grant through the state Executive Office of Economic Development to fund the work.
The committee is still working out how the bridge will look once it is completed and can be reopened to the public. In a typical season, the tourist attraction is usually open from April through October.
Members plan to include a lot more annual plants and are hoping to reinstall the trellises along the bridge. They may also want to replant wisteria or another vine-like plant.
The repaired bridge will have some new displays, too, such as a compass rose.
“It’ll be right in the middle, indicating where Buckland ends and Shelburne begins,” Szpila said. “I think people will find it really interesting.”
The committee is planning to hold ribbon-cutting ceremony this summer, and will announce a date once it has a better idea of when the bridge will be complete.
For more information, visit bridgeofflowersmass.org.
Reach Madison Schofield at 413-930-4579 or mschofield@recorder.com.
