DOWNTOWN MISSOULA PARTNERSHIP TO INSTALL

150 FLOWER BASKETS DOWNTOWN

The Downtown Missoula Partnership (DMP) will install 150 flower baskets in Downtown Missoula on Wednesday, May 7—just in time to welcome thousands of visitors for UM Commencement on Saturday, May 10, and Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 11.

The annual hanging of the Downtown Flower Baskets is a cherished placemaking initiative that has beautified Downtown Missoula since 1981. The program is primarily funded by the Missoula Downtown Association.

This year marks the 24th year that Pink Grizzly Greenhouse will supply the flower baskets. In 2025, the program will expand from 110 to 150 baskets, with forty additional baskets installed on the Beartracks Bridge—marking the first time the bridge has been included in this 40+ year tradition.

The expansion of this program was made possible through support from Pink Grizzly, the Missoula Downtown Foundation, as well as contributions from 36 donors during Missoula Gives 2025—each matched dollar-for-dollar by Dick Anderson Construction.

Pink Grizzly will deliver the 150 baskets to the Central Park Garage (128 W. Main) early Wednesday morning. Six DMP employees will then install the baskets on streetlights throughout the Downtown District. A unique aspect of this program is that many of the flowers are placed in handcrafted black metal baskets, custom-designed and created between 1981 and 1985 by the late Russell Smith, a talented local artist.­­­­

The baskets typically remain on display from UM Commencement in May through UM Homecoming in October. The Downtown Dream Team maintains these baskets by watering them seven days a week—and even twice daily when temperatures exceed 80 degrees.

“This is one of my favorite placemaking initiatives we execute for Downtown,” says DMP Operations Coordinator Jake Treece, who oversees the program. “I’m excited to help expand it in 2025. Downtown is already beautiful during the warmer months, and this program enhances the aesthetic of the public right-of-way while adding extra vibrancy to storefront exteriors—all while helping the Garden City live up to its name.”

For more information on the Downtown Flower Basket Program, contact the Downtown Missoula Partnership at [email protected] or (406) 543-4238.