COEUR d'ALENE — Visitors to The Coeur d'Alene Resort will be seeing a lot of red in the coming months.

About 50 resort employees volunteered to plant an estimated 30,000 geraniums on a cloudy, drizzly Tuesday morning.

The flowers will add beauty outside The Resort, Hagadone Corp. headquarters, Boardwalk Marina, Hagadone Marine Group, Resort Golf Course, Hagadone Event Center and surrounding company property. Many went in along Sherman Aveue and near the clock tower.

The annual planting is a tradition that dates back to the opening of The Resort more than three decades ago.

Resort President Bill Reagan, among those down in the dirt, said the geranium was a favorite of the late Duane Hagadone, Resort owner.

"He loved the bright red color of it," Reagan said. "It's been the mainstay of The Resort ever since."

Rick Powers, director of food and beverage with The Coeur d'Alene Resort, led his team in planting geraniums along the seawall near the Hagadone headquarters. He has taken part in the program dating back to 1985 and watched it grow.

He loves that it unites many from different departments. To a person, they say, "Tell me when to show up and what we need to do."

"Great teamwork," Powers said.

Traditionally, the geraniums are planted the Tuesday after Mother's Day.

It took about two hours to complete the task. A few were assigned the roles of drilling holes about 5 inches deep, while most were assigned planting duty and packed dirt before moving on to the next.

A combination of fertilizer, water, old-fashioned gardening and constant attention keeps the geraniums healthy and a rich red throughout the summer.

"It is a labor-intensive flower," Reagan said. "They're a labor of love, because they do take some effort."

After all these years, Reagan knows a few tricks to planting geraniums and avoiding an achy back.

"The best way is not to have to get up and down," he said, smiling. "It's just to stay in one position, stay standing up or sitting down."

Reagan said a new aspect this year was a team competition based on speed and quality, with the winner receiving a trophy and bragging rights.

Michelle Root, director of human resources, was named the official MVP of Geranium Day 2023.

"Michelle is a valued team member and dedicates countless hours to planning fun activities for our organization, including this year's highly anticipated Geranium Day," according to a prepared statement. "Michelle and her team will be taking home the trophy to hold on to until next year's annual planting day, when she'll pass it along to the next MVP!"