After 6 years and thousands of plants that made on-lookers feel good, smile from ear to ear and have a belly laugh, the Bloomin’ Bus is now retired. We know you enjoyed it and so did we. It was crazy watching people grab for their I-phones and cameras to take a picture as the bus traveled from place to place. Now we have a collection of trophies, plaques and memories from all the parades and special appearances. Thank you for a good ride. See its story below.

What’s next ? ? ? ?

Anyone who knows Meadow View Growers probably caught a glimpse of our Bloomin’ Bus. At one point a school bus headed to the scrap yard, we decided to shower this bus with a little TLC-Meadow View style!

We replanted the bus each year to keep it fresh and new. Not only did the Bloomin’ Bus serve as a “living” example of our passion for creative and one-of-a-kind gardening ideas, but it also exemplified how we continue to live out our mission of making the places where we live and work more beautiful. Our Retail Manager, Scott, is credited for the idea.

If you didn’t catch the Bloomin’ Bus around our grounds, you were more than likely to see us at local community fairs, festivals and parades!

FAQ’s
Could you drive the bus down the road? Yes, we drove the bus to and from parades and special events. Top speed was about 30 mph to prevent damage to the flowers that were growing on the bus.

How did you keep the flowers on the bus when you were driving down the road? The plants were really growing right on the bus. There were hundreds of small plants planted in the “potting soil envelope” that covered the bus.

What varieties of plants grew on the bus? Typically, Wax or fibrous Begonias, Dragon Wing Begonias, several Sedum varieties, Coral Bells and Dorotheanthus (Livingstone Daisy, Mezoo Trailing Red) were planted on the bus.

When was the bus “planted”? The bus got re-planted every year. We did this in February and early March. We moved the bus into one of our large greenhouses to get the plants off to an early start.

How often did you water the plants that grew on the bus? We usually watered the bus every other day in the summer when it was hot. The plants were fed with Jack’s Plant Food once a week.

How did you water the bus? There were soaker hoses built into the “soil envelope” so we just had to plug in a hose and let it run for a few minutes. Some of the plants we watered by hand with a hose.

What did the sprinklers do that were on top of the bus? They were just for fun and used to spray the people that were viewing the bus.

What model year was the school bus? It was a 1987 GM bus.