The sight that is Chestnut Hill in the spring — historic buildings along Germantown Avenue accented with vibrant floral arrangements — is a hallmark of the Northwest that may be easy to take for granted. But behind the blooming design is a dedicated workforce, often unseen, that has proudly decorated the neighborhood for nearly 30 years.

This year, for the nation’s semiquincentennial, Emily Daeschler, president of the Chestnut Hill Garden District Fund (CHGDF), is leading a team of volunteers decking out the neighborhood in patriotic red, white, and blue — or purple if you want to be pedantic. With backing from flower-powered’s CFO (Chief Flower Officer), Judy Larini, the women behind the neighborhood’s verdant bloom go above and beyond to celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday in style.

At the CHGDF’s makeshift supply depot behind Weaver’s Way Co-op during planting season in late April and early May, you’ll find Daeschler leading a team of enthusiastic volunteers building flower baskets and barrels, rain or shine.

“These ladies, they’re all coming out, they know it’s going to be wet,” Daeschler said about her crew of workers. “The volunteers are here because they love the neighborhood and know just how important it is to the community’s psyche to keep Germantown Avenue resplendent in the spring.”

Some of the workers, though, have their own ideas about what makes the perfect design. Keeping everyone on theme can sometimes feel like an impossible task, “so I’m going to try to be bossy boots and make sure they all listen to me,” Daeschler said with a chuckle.

This year, the primary flowers are verbenas, angelonias and petunias, the so called red, white and blue. To a keen eye, however, petunias might seem more purple. So why didn’t the CHGDF and its CFO choose something bluer?

“It would probably be better to say patriotic-themed because in the plant world, there are very few true blue plants,” Daeschler said. “So we’re doing deep purple.”

Additionally, the CHGDF planted green cannas and lysimachias, as well as yellow marigolds.

These past few years, with Larini’s help, bringing Chestnut Hill into bloom has been more straightforward than ever. In 2023, Larini and Daeschler concluded they could work more efficiently together.

“I got my dream job as a Chestnut Hill streetscaper,” Larini said.

As a child, Larini spent her weekends figure skating at Wissahickon Skating Club. Often, she and her mother would then spend their afternoons on Germantown Avenue. As a youngster, Larini fell in love with the natural beauty and quaint, small-town charm so close to a big city.

“I just had my own ideas and everything, and I guess things just happen the way they’re supposed to happen. And because we wanted to donate, we ended up with a job,” she recalled.

Planting Germantown Avenue is Larini’s biggest annual job. For weeks at a time, Larini dedicates her time and energy to ensuring it’s done properly, with months of planning going back into the previous winter and fall.

“Once spring comes around, we know what we’re going to do,” Larini said. Even before summer 2026 comes around, Daeschler and Larini have already figured out the theme for 2027. For now, though, it will remain a secret.

For the businesses situated around Chestnut Hill’s historic district, along Germantown Avenue, planting season is an especially exciting time of year. The shops are decorated without the owners having to do any work.

Cure de Repos owner Chrissy Dress opened her boutique spa in 2016. Back then, Dress went to Home Depot to buy flower boxes and do the plantings herself. It was dirty work, quite literally. By 2019, though, the CHGDF reached out and took over what was a grueling task for one small business owner.

“They’ve always been so gorgeous and so fantastic each year,” Dress said. “They’re just so big and powerful and colorful, and that is really when I think it shows the full thread through Chestnut Hill.”

The fact that Cure de Repos’ boxes match the rest of Germantown Avenue is doubly beneficial. Not only is the entire street on theme, but it also encourages more people to stop by each store and maybe even check out what’s going on inside, spending more time on the Avenue.

“People stop, and they’re like, wow,” Dress said. “I’m not sure if that is what draws them into my shop, but it definitely makes them stop and take pause and enjoy the beauty of the boxes. Like, ‘Hey, what do you do here?’”

One thing is most important to just about everyone involved with the CHGDF: It’s the sense of togetherness that workers, volunteers, business owners and locals feel.

“Doing this makes me feel such a part of the community,” Larini said.

“I have a huge affinity for those that work and flower our community,” Dress said. “We’re so grateful to be part of this community.”

“It’s so much fun to plant, and that’s one of the things that all of the [volunteers] talk about when they come in,” Daeschler said. “People honk, they say, ‘Thank you.’ They say, ‘Oh my gosh, this is what sets Chestnut Hill apart.’”