Arlington students grow hanging baskets for city

ARLINGTON — Colby Kavanaugh knows a thing or two about plants.

“We’ve always had a family garden growing up,” said Kavanaugh, a sophomore at Arlington High School. “Every plant has its challenges.”

Kavanaugh, who is also a member of the school’s FFA team, was among a group of 28 students in instructor Tracy Brown’s plant biology class to grow about 60 hanging baskets for the city of Arlington.

The baskets are scheduled to be hung in the downtown and Smokey Point areas within the next week. They were picked up at the high school by city park landscaper Chris Fox on June 2.

Each basket contains eight petunias and a sweet potato vine that were grown throughout the year by students.

“We grew them along with our plant sale plants,” Brown said about the high school’s annual plant sale. This year’s sale took place in late April and early May.

Brown said that the city and high school used to collaborate on seasonal hanging baskets, which adorn many of the city’s streets during the summer months.

This year, Brown’s class put in a bid to grow the baskets for the city and was selected.

The students have enjoyed the process, Brown said.

“It’s been really neat for the kids,” she said. “When they go downtown this summer, they can have a bit of pride when they see them. They can see their finished product.”

Kavanaugh added that he enjoyed seeing the plants grow.

“It was a long and patient process,” he said.

Contact Arlington Times Reporter Adam Rudnick at arudnick@arlingtontimes.com or 360-659-1300 Ext. 5056.

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