Bloomin' beautiful: Ironton's Over the Backyard Fence Tour scheduled

Lee Ward, The Daily Independent, Ashland, Ky.
·2 min read

Jun. 12—This is the first of a two-part series about Ironton in Bloom's upcoming "Over The Backyard Fence Tour."

IRONTON A favorite summer activity is coming.

Ironton in Bloom's annual Over the Backyard Fence Tour, slated for June 20, will feature gardens throughout Ironton, Christy Phillips, secretary o Ironton in Bloom, said.

The tour will begin at the Lawrence County Museum, where tickets, maps and complimentary refreshments will be available, Phillips said. Tickets contain the names of each stop and their addresses.

"The backyard tour is one of our favorite events and allows us to share some of the beauty of Ironton in Bloom," Phillips said. "We have some amazing and unique hidden treasures for you to see."

A member of Ironton in Bloom will be at each location to answer questions about the back yard or about IIB. "Stop back into the museum at any time during your travels for more refreshments," Phillips said.

The nonprofit Ironton in Bloom focuses on a wide range of beautification efforts, including:

—Landscaped areas incorporating buildings, ground surfaces, floral displays and shrubs and trees to create a picture by the owner.

—Heritage preservation, including century-old structures and Appalachian culture.

—Tidiness, which encompasses litter control

—Urban forestry, meaning planting trees in appropriate areas to provide beauty and to serve as a natural air conditioner and shade provider for our homes, businesses and recreation areas, as well as remove carbon dioxide from the air and replaces it with oxygen during the photosynthesis process.

—Community involvement, which brings residents into an effort to help Ironton grow economically, educationally, physically, socially, morally, politically and medically, building a healthy lifestyle for residents.

—Environmental awareness, which includes encouraging recycling, picking up all litter, maintaining clean water supplies and reducing energy waste.

—Turf and groundcover to add beauty and protect from erosion.

—Floral display at entrances to Ironton, downtown streets, residences, public buildings, churches, schools and businesses.

(606) 326-2661 — lward@dailyindependent.com