“He brings the color to Idaho Falls.”
Greg Weitzel Idaho Falls Parks and Recreation Director
The early morning sun highlights the stubble on Delbert Lloyd’s chin. His jeans are dusty, his hands are dirty. He’s as rugged as the land he works, but his finishing touches are as beautiful as a dainty wedding bouquet.
“I was born to do this. I love this. I can’t get enough of it,” says Delbert Lloyd, Idaho Falls City forester and horticulturist. “Some people say, ‘I wouldn’t want to work like that,’ but I wouldn’t want to sit in a desk.”
Lloyd’s office is the Idaho Falls city flowerbeds. He started working for the city 21 years ago. He has a four-man fulltime crew and 15 seasonals in June and July. Lloyd relies on his small staff to pull off spectacular blossoms in a short season. The city relies on Lloyd to bring those blossoms into show-stopping color from the kid-themed flowerbed at Community Park, to the rock garden at Taylor Crossing.
“I don’t have enough good things to say about Delbert,” says Greg Weitzel, Idaho Falls Parks and Recreation Director. “He brings the color to Idaho Falls. We live in a high desert plain and it can be dreary. What Delbert does is make this area beautiful with his entire crew. Between trees and flowers, he does an incredible job in a short growing season.”
Trees are Lloyd’s favorite, followed closely by perennials. Fickle hanging baskets are his pride some years and his nemesis in other years. He’s in charge of five acres of flowerbeds, five acres of planter beds and 17,000 publicly owned trees. It’s a lot of growth for one gruff guy, but he carries the weight well.
“I’m focused all the time on finding problems before they get out of hand. I’m worried about that all the time,” Lloyd says. “But all summer long people holler out their window, ‘I like what you’re doing. Keep up the good work.’ Most of the time people are just thrilled with what we’re doing. We improve the quality of life in this city.”
Millgate is a freelance journalist based in Idaho Falls, Idaho.