With the summer gardening season winding down, we have a pleasant hiatus where we can enjoy our own gardens and sneak away to see other horticulturally interesting places.
My husband and I discovered one of them quite by chance. We turned off Route 2 at the town of Shelburne Falls, MA on the Mohawk Trail, lured by a sign that promised glacial potholes.We saw the potholes, which are interesting, and took a stroll through the town, not realizing that we would run smack into The Bridge of Flowers.
The Bridge of Flowers
The idea of having a bridge entirely devoted to flowers may sound hokey – until you see it. It’s a 400 foot span of non-stop flower and plant action, and it’s blooming from the beginning of April right through to October.
The Bridge of Flowers is a defunct trolley bridge that was turned into a tourist attraction in 1929. Volunteers from the Shelburne Falls Area Women’s Club Bridge of Flowers Committee have been maintaining this site for 80 years. There is also one full-time gardener.
Visitors enjoying the Bridge last May
More than 20,000 people visit the Bridge every year. It’s gratifying to see how the simple act of caring for plants can transform a derelict structure into a thing of beauty and a successful tourist attraction that benefits the entire region.
Digging RI 
Glacial potholes???
This bridge is just lovely.
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The entire area is lovely. It’s a great day trip from where we live in RI. The bridge is cool, but so are the restaurants and art galleries.
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Hi there, what a really great idea to put to some of the designers here in the UK. We do have a few designers that plant up buildings ie up walls but have never seen a bridge like this. Brill.
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I know. It’s such a great idea. The entire region benefits from what has become a major tourist attraction. Restaurants and little art galleries have sprung up all over town, so visitors have even more reason to linger there. For once, everybody wins!
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