Flowers for Flora

The garden club paid for the planters for the burro in Burro Alley and the city maintains the plants. (We “named” the burro Flora–it’s not an official city designation.)

It began with a painting by Mikki Senkarik that portrayed the 1988 Homage to the Burro sculpture by Charles Southard that is located in Burro Alley resplendent with flowers.  From this inspiration, the 2016 Provisional Class of the Santa Fe Garden Club began investigating the installation of planters to grace the sculpture.  To promote the project the burro required a name, so she was dubbed Flora and the project became known as Flowers for Flora.  Collaborating with Richard Thompson, the Director of the Santa Fe Department of Parks and Recreation, as well as  Andrew Garcia, the Santa Fe City Horticulturist, the project was shepherded through the Historical Commission and other city agencies.  Thanks to the overwhelming support of Santa Fe Garden Club, the 2016 Provisional Class of Pat Hamilton, Anne May, Shirley Reichstadt and Sue Vinton raised the $2000 needed to purchase two large rectangular planters to flank Flora.  These were installed in the late summer of 2016.  The planting and ongoing irrigation of the planters is provided by the Santa Fe Park and Recreation Department and under the watchful eye of Andrew Garcia.  In 2018 Mr. Garcia was presented with the Santa Fe Garden Club’s Civic Award to thank him for his involvement and support of Flowers for Flora.