Beautification Brigade

A few things around town that have been in bloom! We have Mock Orange at Purity Point, Ninebark and salvia blooming at Town Hall, and the bright fuschia dianthus blooming at Clinton Street!

Also, what is left of the pansies on the commons is being removed next Wednesday, so feel free to take some home if you like. They had a rough run this spring with all the rain and weather changes, it was tough to keep them happy. We are looking forward to planting our summer containers starting next week!

Thanks to the volunteers who came out to Stewart Park flagpole garden to finish the cardboard and mulch project! We even had a canine volunteer to help keep morale up!

Pansies have been planted downtown! The commons, West State, and Cayuga streets are now full of color! Thanks to the 15 people who joined us to help get this project complete in RECORD TIME! Seriously, about 2,000 pansies planted in under 2 hours. The volunteers in this photo are just a few of the awesome folks who helped!

Now it’s really starting to seem like spring! Next week we plant!

There’s still time to register for this one day planter box course at Hammerstone! Learn skills and help Beautifucation by building new boxes!

One-day Planter Box — Hammerstone Carpentry for Women At Hammerstone, beautifying the city is a community effort. This one day skills intensive students will build a functional and beautiful planter box. All planters built will be used for beautifying our community. This workshop will cover safe power tool use and choosing wood for your outdoor project

Beautification staff has begun select garden cleanup! Want to join us? We are always accepting volunteers!

Spring is coming.

With the few warmer days we’ve had here and there, seeing some of the first spring flowers appear! Snowdrops (the white ones) and winter aconite(yellow one)- complete with an early bee!

Did you know that the Tompkins County Community Beautification Program provides grants to municipalities for smaller beautification efforts outside of the City of Ithaca? If you live outside the city of Ithaca and your town or village could use some beautifying, this might be a good grant to consider. Read more about our Rural Beautification Grants Program and see if your town or village might be eligible! Our 2026 application cycle is open now, applications must be submitted by March 1, 2026. Contact Community Beautification at CCE Tompkins for more information!

Donate to CCE-TC’s giving Tuesday Campaign!