BUCKHANNON – The season has officially turned to fall, and the City of Buckhannon’s flower season is nearing its end.

City horticulturist Dixie Green attended the Sept. 22 Consolidated Public Works Board meeting to discuss the removal of flowers across the city in preparation for fall.

“It is the end of September and as temperatures drop, we’re getting closer to October which is going to be the first frost of the season, most likely the second week of October,” Green said. “Things still look pretty nice, but we’ve already been taking a few things down because they are coming to the end of their lifecycle, so we’re wrapping up things for the season. We’ll get started on cleaning up all our stuff and sterilizing it back at the shop and in the greenhouse and prep for winter.”

Green’s department has also partnered with the street department to do some tree trimming.

“Brad (Hawkins, Street Department superintendent) tells me where to go and then we go there and we get everything cleaned up and cut back,” Green said. “We’re working on Camden [Avenue] when we can and a few other side streets – Fayette and Barbour, places like that.”

Mayor Robbie Skinner asked Green to remove the flowers from Main Street last.

“I’d like to, if at all possible, just leave Main Street as it as long as we can because it is really pretty, and it’s gotten more compliments than you even know this year,” Skinner said. “The physical planters have just been spectacular and particularly the one up on Fish Hawk looks like it’s in mid-season, and Main Street is one of the last places [the flowers are impacted by cooler temperatures] because of the heat from the buildings and the low elevation on Main Street, but if we can try to keep Main Street intact for as long as possible, that would be great.”

Green said they will continue to work on the flowers outside of Main Street and work their way into town, but the current first frost estimate is Oct. 14.

“The last couple of years we’ve had a late frost and as far as the leaves changing, the mountains are already starting to see color, so it might be more on time this year,” Skinner said. “All the rain in the middle of summer may have done that, but we appreciate your efforts and everything you’ve done for us this year and your crew.”

“Downtown looks absolutely beautiful,” the mayor added. “Everybody I’ve talked to has stopped me on the street and said, ‘The flowers look beautiful,’ so you’ve gotten compliments that you don’t even realize you’ve gotten.”