MANSFIELD — Justin Marotta’s planting diagrams were all the rage on Tuesday morning as the 14th annual “Downtown Mansfield Beautification Day” created an array of colorful displays.
The former owner of Possum Run Greenhouse, Marotta played a key role in the largely volunteer effort by creating designs that showed exactly which plants should go where in each of the planters and flower gardens.
His horticulture knowledge was on full display as more than 100 volunteers, representing a variety of garden clubs and organizations, took to the streets to make the downtown more presentable.
By the time the day was done, about 1,245 plants, representing nine different varieties of flowers, would be in the ground.
How does Marotta decide which plants to order and which ones look best together?
“Historically, with 41 years of being in the business, it makes relatively east to adapt to different plant material. I will talk to some of my brokers that we work with to see if there is anything new.
“But generally speaking, it just comes from years in the business,” he said.
After the flowers were planted, “Operation Clean Sweep,” an annual effort to clean up Central Park, was planned for late Wednesday afternoon, also a volunteer effort.
Central Park is where members of the Mansfield Garden Club were working on Tuesday morning, proudly pointing out their club is the oldest in the city, forming in 1928.
Across the street, members of the Mansfield Kiwanis Club and representatives from Richland Newhope were busy filling a city-owned planter in front of the Richland County Courthouse.
Jennifer Kime, CEO of Downtown Mansfield Inc., said organizers raised about $15,000 to purchase plants, fertilizer and other materials needed.
“As as far as manpower, hours and volunteer hours, it would be impossible for me to quantify,” she said.
“We fundraise annually for this. We get some money from the City of Mansfield, but the majority comes from private donors — businesses and individuals,” Kime said.
She said the effort Tuesday is a result of months of planning, led by Pam Siegenthaler, Jim Kulig and Marotta.
The bulk of the work Tuesday was being done in about 120 planters in the downtown, largely along Main Street, Fourth Street, Central Park, Park Avenue, Walnut Street and Diamond Street.
The flowers were ordered through Richardson’s Greenhouse in Loudonville. Marotta determines his order and then seeks bids to supply the plants.
He said he worked with the city beginning 35 years ago when the local government did its own planting.
“They didn’t have the number of containers that they currently have, so the street department used to come down and select plant material.
“They would work with us and they would load up and come and plant,” he said, an effort that continued for many years.
“Then there was that brief space where there was nothing one year for whatever reason, whether it was the financial situation or whatever took place.
“Then Jennifer got involved, Pam got involved, Jim got involved, and everybody got involved to fill that gap which has been good and very nice,” Marotta said.
