Bloom Tour PDX

Explore the creativity in Portland!

The second annual BLOOM TOUR is a month-long event that takes place in downtown and central eastside Portland. The event features 30 large-scale floral installations that brighten up their urban surroundings. Portland’s shops, restaurants, hotels and visitor stops play host as visitors check out this free event.

The installations reign in full glory (both indoors and outdoors) at the various Portland locations. Some creators use fresh flowers, while others use dried or silk flowers - each design so colorful and unique. The full list of participating locations may be found at the Downtown Portland Clean & Safe Website. The tour runs from May 11 to June 11. The outdoor installations may be viewed 24/7 while the indoor ones are available to see during regular business hours.

I wandered around downtown Portland for a couple of hours on opening day to check out the displays and search for some behind-the-scene creators to chat with. I met one designer at Tommy Luke Flowers who proudly showed me their designs. It became immediately apparent that it took a tremendous amount of plants and energy to create a design suspended from overhead. “Wow I hadn’t noticed that large one!” I exclaimed as I looked up. “It takes about 16 water jugs a day to keep this one alive!” they explained. The plants appeared so fresh and alive on day one, I’ve got to come back next week to check on it.

There was a lot of excitement surrounding the event as I continued my wander into NW Portland. Another of my favorite displays was mine - on display at World Foods on NW Everett Street. It was an exciting moment to discover my floral greeting cards on display near a window with a great view - and snuggled amongst the chilled wine and fresh cut flowers.

FYI at the center of local floral creators is the Pacific NW Florist Association. This an organization that supports the floral industry in the Pacific Northwest. Benefits of membership include a multitude of resources for florists and related businesses.

By the way, there’s a BLOOM TOUR RIDE next week! Folks are planning to bike around and see the amazing displays of floral art with a final stop at Raven’s Manor for some drinks and bites in a horror-themed bar. Feel free to join the fun!

Wishing you a colorful visit to downtown Portland!

~ Linda

Swaying in the wind

the yellow flower dances

rooted in the earth.

- Haiku by Jason A. Muckley