Rock River Garden Club donates $12,500 to Dixon in Bloom’s petunia project

DIXON - The Rock River Garden Club has donated $12,500 to Dixon in Bloom’s summer petunia project.

The project involves about 170 hours of work by volunteers to grow, plant and maintain over 300 hanging petunia baskets that are put on display in Dixon from May until late September. In 2024, the group maintained 306 baskets and planted 6,426 petunias, according to a leader of the project, Robin Canode.

[ Volunteers put in 170 hours for Dixon in Bloom’s petunia project ]

All plants, baskets and hardware are bought through donations from individuals, Beautify Dixon and the Rock River Garden Club. For the 2024 project, the total costs added up to nearly $25,000, according to Canode.

The garden club’s $12,500 donation is a portion of the nearly $15,000 raised during its 11th annual fundraiser, Blooming on the Rock, which was held on the Dixon riverfront in early June, Debbie Nagy, a member of Discover Dixon’s beautification committee, said in an interview with Shaw Local.

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The Rock River Garden Club held their 11th annual fundraiser, Blooming on The Rock, at the Dixon riverfront Saturday, June 8, 2024. The theme for this year was “Fiesta on the Rock.” (Payton Felix)

At the event, ticket holders bid on 33 items, including elaborate flowerpots, gift baskets and multi-day stays at vacation houses.

The rest of the proceeds will be donated to Beautify Dixon, for the various beautification projects the group hosts, and put toward the community gardens that the club plants and maintains, Nagy said.

The club was established in 1957 and is a member of the Garden Clubs of Illinois. Aside from the annual fundraiser, the club sets up flower arrangements and gardens at different local landmarks, including Veterans Park, the Post House Ballroom, Ronald Reagan’s Boyhood Home, the riverfront and more.

Members of the group are also major contributors to the petunia project by spending many hours planting and trimming the petunia baskets in the weeks leading up to their display date.

The baskets are housed by Nichols Greenhouse and the city of Dixon provides the petunias’ water supply.

“It’s a wonderful group effort,” Nagy said.

Donations to the petunia project can be sent to Box 127, Dixon IL, 61021.