10,000 sunflowers revitalize St. Louis lot

ST. LOUIS -- A long-abandoned St. Louis lot has been transformed into a flower patch with about 10,000 sunflowers.

The flowers are meant to provide environmental and economic benefits for the area, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. Organizers said local beautification could spur the revitalization of the neighborhood around the 5100 block of Delmar Boulevard.

"We've made a vacant lot that people thought was an eyesore into a head-turner," said Richard Reilly, who works at the Missouri Botanical Garden.

Reilly is a co-founder of the redevelopment project that was selected by the Sustainable Land Lab, a partnership between the city and Washington University in St. Louis.

The sunflower project is one of five that were selected last year from a pool of 48 proposals to use abandoned or vacant land in St. Louis. About 20,000 vacant properties exist in the city. Some have abandoned structures. Half are owned by the city and the rest are privately owned.

Mai Hua, 25, made a special trip with her friend Thuy Nguyen, 24, to see and photograph the sunflowers. Both live in St. Louis and are studying business at different colleges.

"To me, a sunflower means happiness," Hua said. "Happiness comes to those who are always positive. Don't ever give up. ... Have hope and dreams. Keep your head up high, just like the sunflowers."