Cornell Cooperative Extension

Tompkins County
Purity Point
Image by Martha Gioumousis

Yellow Foxtail Lilies bloom with red Canna at Purity Point.

city hall
Image by Martha Gioumousis

A rare Monarch Butterfly visits the Butterfly Weed at City Hall.

A row of container planters on the Commons.
Image by Martha Gioumousis

More than 70 of these planters beautify the Commons.

Ithaca Public Plantings

Each day, hundreds of people pass the plantings maintained by the Community Beautification program, and we receive many questions about the types of plants that are growing in them. These pages will present photos and descriptions of some of the plants we grow and information about what goes into the plants we choose.

Commons planters

Ithaca Commons

These gorgeous new planters were installed on The Ithaca Commons following the renovation of this popular public space in 2016.

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Purity Point

Purity Point

Purity Point is one of the largest and most visible plantings designed and maintained by the Beautification Brigade. Swaths of bright zinnias and sunflowers fill the point of land just past Purity Ice Cream on Route 13.

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Hardy Hibiscus at Sign Triangle

E. State St. Triangles

At the east end of the Commons, several roads intersect in an area known as the tuning fork, forming three triangles of land: the Aurora St. Triangle, Sign Triangle and Zelkova Triangle.

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Rudbeckia and Butterfly Weed at Van Horn Park.

Van Horn Park

Van Horn Park is a pocket-sized park on Taughannock Blvd. between Seneca St. and W. State St. with the Cayuga Lake Inlet at its back. Flowers include this Monarch Butterfly favorite Butterfly Weed.

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Last updated July 26, 2019

Ithaca Public Plantings

Download A Map!

2017 map of Community Beautification sites in Ithaca NY
DOWNLOAD A MAP of Community Beautification planting sites in Ithaca, NY

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