Downtown Duluth adds 50 flower pots to Canal Park, downtown area

More than 50 flower pots are being planted across Canal Park and downtown Duluth this summer, a visible sign of how the city’s waterfront business district spends money to shape the look and feel of one of its busiest corridors.

The seasonal planting is not just a volunteer flourish. Downtown Duluth says the flowers are funded by property owners within the district boundaries and the City of Duluth, with the Downtown Duluth Clean & Safe Team taking over care for the rest of the season after volunteers spend two days getting the pots in place. The arrangement makes the flower program part of a broader public-private effort to keep the area looking maintained for residents, visitors and business traffic.

Kristi Stokes, president of Downtown Duluth, has said the flowers add color and help the area feel warmer and friendlier. That message fits a district that leans heavily on appearance, cleanliness and regular maintenance as part of its downtown strategy.

Downtown Duluth’s Waterfront District is a Special Service District established Jan. 1, 2005, and it covers 90 blocks in the heart of Duluth. The district says property owners pay a fee for enhanced services and programs, including the Clean & Safe Team and Streetscape Flowers and Hanging Baskets. The district was recertified in 2010, 2015 and 2020, and its current operating plan supports renewal through Dec. 31, 2029.

The Clean & Safe Team says its members work daily from Mesaba Avenue to 10th Avenue East and from Canal Park to Second Street. Their duties include litter control, pressure washing, weed and graffiti removal, directions, assistance and information, a scope that shows how much of downtown’s day-to-day image depends on routine maintenance rather than one-time improvements.

The City of Duluth says the St. Louis County Auditor collects service charges from non-residential property owners in the downtown area, underscoring that the planting program is tied to a formal funding structure. Downtown Duluth describes its waterfront district as a 90-block area with retail, restaurants, lodging and visitor attractions, making Canal Park and the surrounding streets some of the most visible public-facing space in the city.

A similar planting effort in 2024 put volunteers in Canal Park on Wednesday, June 5, with work set to continue the next day across Superior Street. In that story, Stokes said color “livens up downtown” and makes it more vibrant. This year’s 50-pot addition follows the same seasonal pattern, reinforcing the district’s belief that visible care is part of economic development as much as decoration.