Flowers Sought for Klamath Falls Beautification Project

A section of Crater Lake Parkway near the Klamath County Public Health office on Vandenberg Road will be the site of a flower planting project on Labor Day. (Submitted Photo)

Klamath Falls residents are being invited to contribute iris tubers for a beautification project along a stretch of Crater Lake Parkway.

The public is also invited to participate in a flower planting work day on Labor Day, Sept. 3, from 9 to 11 a.m.

The project is sponsored by the Evening Primrose Garden Club, with support from the Klamath Tree League and the Oregon Department of Transportation. The project has been endorsed by Klamath County Public Health.

"We're hoping people who have iris clumps ready to be divided will consider bringing some divisions for planting along the parkway," said Susan Hendry, president of the Evening Primrose Garden Club, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. "We encourage people to plant their own irises in the space that has been designated. If they'd rather just drop off tubers for someone else to plant, that's fine, too."

Money to purchase commercially grown tubers can be donated for the project. Checks should be made out to KCFC, and mailed to Klamath Community Forestry Council, c/o Klamath Falls City Parks, 226 S. Fifth St., Klamath Falls, OR 97601. Donations for the project are tax-deductible.

The flowers will be planted along the Sutherland Trail, which was constructed last year on state right of way beside Crater Lake Parkway, below the public health office on Vandenberg Road.

"The irises will not be tended, and will have to compete with existing vegetation along the trail," Hendry said. "But irises tend to naturalize very successfully in our area, as most gardeners know."

People interested in planting, or donating tubers, are invited to stop by the Klamath County Public Health office, 3314 Vandenberg Road, between 9 and 11 a.m. on Sept. 3. Those able to plant will be given a safety briefing, advice for planting, and directions for the walk to the planting area about a tenth of a mile from the parking lot.

Volunteers can bring their own shovels, or borrow one from garden club members.

For information about the project, call (541) 281-9933.

Press release provided from the Evening Primrose Garden Club.