Petal Chamber Offering Potted Plants to Downtown Businesses for Beautification Efforts

Officials from the Petal Area Chamber of Commerce are taking another step in the beautification of downtown Petal by offering business owners the chance to purchase potted plants to spruce up the landscape.

During the effort – which is being handled by the chamber’s Beautification Committee to Revitalize Downtown Petal – any business on Main Street and Central Avenue can purchase a fully-potted plant for $65.

“Our goal is just to have a coordinated look throughout the city so that people start to notice these planters across downtown,” said Valerie Wilson, executive director of the Petal Area Chamber of Commerce. “(This will) add some color to our downtown, and really bring awareness to our businesses and our families downtown that we are attempting to beautify the area.

“It doesn’t take a whole lot; by working together, we can definitely improve the look.”

Available plants include Purple Fountain Grass, Asparagus Fern, Coleus, and Sweet Potato Vine. Any downtown business owner wishing to participate can call Wilson at (601) 583-3306 to purchase the plant, which comes fully potted and ready to place.

After payment is made, the planters will be delivered to the location. Businesses do not have to be members of the Petal Area Chamber of Commerce to participate.

“These are plants that we feel are easy-care, and that will last,” Wilson said. “They won’t require an awful lot of maintenance.

“They can go beside doors, on the sidewalk, on a porch. We just ask that they put the planter in a prominent location so that it can be seen by the public.”

So far, at least 13 businesses have signed up for the effort, and chamber officials are waiting until the current cold spell passes to deliver the plants.

“It will be an ongoing thing, as long as we have access to the planters,” Wilson said.

Story by: Haskel Burns