FEATURE | Biddeford’s floral decorations are a ‘labor of love’

A small crew of part-time, seasonal workers maintains floral arrangements that can be found in public spaces throughout the city

By RANDY SEAVER | Editor

The only thing that eclipses Susan Gorman’s passion for Biddeford is her love for gardening and flowers.

**SUSAN GORMAN** treats one of the many floral planters that line Main Street in Biddeford. | *Seaver photo*

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For the last four years, Gorman has been part of a small crew that maintains floral arrangements, flower boxes and outdoor decorations all over the city – from City Hall to the Public Works garage on Hill Street, the city’s airport and the entrance areas of both the police and fire departments.

Each year, the sudden burst of color and fresh fragrances that greets visitors, downtown workers and residents appears — like clockwork — over the Memorial Day weekend.

But in truth, Gorman and many other city employees coordinate the launch of the summer season with an overnight project that adds a colorful backdrop to many public locations throughout the city.

“It’s kind of fun, and it’s a real team effort,” Gorman explains of the annual overnight flowering decoration effort.

A small group of part-time employees maintain more than 40 hanging flower baskets along Main Street and nearly 100 ground-level planters that can be found on Main and Pearl streets as well as near the entrances of the police and fire departments.

**A FULL-SUN FLORAL BASKET** offers a colorful accentuation of the downtown area. | *Seaver photo*

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But coordinating and maintaining the various planters requires careful effort and consideration. As an example, certain flowers are chosen for specific locations based upon factors such as sun and shade conditions.

A native of California, Gorman has been helping maintain the city’s floral decorations on a part-time basis, working three shifts of between five and six hours for the last four years.

“Tell me you’re an empty nester without telling me you’re an empty-nester, Gorman laughs as she treats a Main Street planter with a fertilizer compound. “I absolutely love living in Biddeford, and this is a great way for me to connect to the community.”

Although many people pause and offer appreciation to the workers for their efforts to beautify the city, vandalism of the flower boxes remains a challenge in the downtown area.

**A POP OF COLOR** graces the Adams Street side of City Hall | *Seaver photo*

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“It’s hard for me to relate to people who intentionally destroy things, but I suppose they do that to express the pain they are feeling in their own lives,” Gorman sighs.

Nancy Collette is in her ninth year leading and coordinating the seasonal maintenance of the city’s floral arrangements.

Like Gorman, Collette says she takes pride in her work and finds satisfaction in seeing the results of her efforts.

“We get a lot of compliments,” Collette said. “But it always amazes me when a man will pause or go out of his way to praise our work. Women seem to intuitively appreciate flowers and the effort required to maintain them, but men just seem to take them for granted.

“A few days ago, a man was driving by, and he paused, rolled down his window and told me how much he liked the flowers,” Collette said. “It’s those little pieces of appreciation that makes it all worthwhile.”

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