Cloverville at Odds: Singing Flowers Cause Treble in Community

What was once hailed as a modern marvel of magical discovery has quickly turned into a flashpoint in the community, as the public becomes sharply divided over the Magical Floral Reanimation Project. Recent polling shows a sharp decline in support for the Department of Magical Landscaping’s recent “Garden Song” installation.

”It was cute at first,” said Barney Larson, 47, who lives next to the garden installation. “But the daffodils have gotten off key, the gardenias have switched solely to opera, and the pansies have moved onto stand-up comedy, and their sense of humor is quite crass.”

After months of deliberation, the Magical Floral Reanimation Project was funded by a public vote through Prop 47 on November 6. Proponents of the proposition argued that the magical reanimation of local flowers to sing upon command would not only act as a significant advancement in magical floral arts but would also increase tourism revenue in Cloverville by 75%. The gardens were installed on March 8th, and local mages finished the magical wards at the end of the month. While the gardens opened on April 1 to a crowd of over 1,000 visitors, and have more than doubled the predicted tourism revenue, local citizens are ready for the music to end.

”We tried to warn people!” Said lead magical gardener, Emily Flaghorn, at a recent town hall meeting. “When you imbibe a living being with music, especially with newer magical technology, we can’t always predict how long the singing will last, or when it will stop!”

A local citizens’ brigade calling themselves the “Stop the Music” movement, however, argues that they were not given adequate information about the potential disturbance the singing flowers would cause.

“We haven’t seen a dime of this increased tourism revenue!” rebutted Marsha Mellon, president of the local movement. “We were told that this would be a boon for the community, when in reality, the flowers won’t stop singing, and the tourists are overtaking the town!”

When Flaghorn explained that they had mailed reminders and left several voicemails with citizens, Mellon insisted that it wasn’t enough, as “No one checks their voicemail anymore.”

A poll conducted by our publication has shown that while initial support for the gardens was 85%, recent numbers show a significant drop to a 49% approval rating. Among those within a two-block radius of the gardens, this number drops to a staggering 23%.

At the most recent city council meeting, the Stop the Music movement called for a complete de-installation of the gardens, or at the very least, requested a vocal coach to teach the flowers to sing in key.

“We understand the frustration,” replied Mayor Stickle. “However, we do not have the magical capabilities to dig up these plants. It seems their musical ability has made them stronger, livelier, and thus more difficult to remove. I would like to note that while the music is not always…as expected…local businesses have seen a major increase in revenue!”

Mayor Stickle’s assessment is correct. Local businesses and eateries have strongly supported the magical garden, with many claiming that the singing flowers have dramatically increased foot traffic and sales.

“I don’t know what all these people are complaining about!” said Sal Pickles, a 38-year-old local restaurant owner. Sal’s sales were flat until the singing flowers drew in more customers to his brunch spot.

“I’m finally in the green!” Sal explained, while serving his popular Dancing Daisy Donuts to a full store. “Cloverville hasn’t seen this many tourists in years! If you don’t like the singing, put in your headphones, like a normal person! It’s 2025-we all have AirPods!”

When asked about the possible off-color jokes from the pansies and if these jokes are appropriate for children, Sal scoffed, claiming the financial benefits outweigh the crudeness.

”Who was complaining? Marsha? Her kids were the ones who taught the flowers those curse words!” He laughed.

Other citizens don’t share Sal’s sunny optimism about the impacts of the singing gardens.

”Have you ever heard an alto gardenia try to hit a soprano C?” replied Benji Glottel, who lives next door to the gardens. While Benji was initially supportive of the gardens, he has since changed his tune.

“They can’t be reasoned with! I’m sick and tired of hearing arias, and the sunflowers have started arguing with the zinnias about which musical theater number to stage next! It’s madness!”

According to the flowers, dealing with the public’s reaction has been no picnic either.

“Oh, sure, they loved us at the beginning. But the second we’re no longer the new shiny thing, it’s off with our flowerheads!” said one violet, to the tune of “Don’t Stop Me Now.” “I was having such a good time, and then the second we get slightly experimental, it’s all complaints! No one was happy when the Beatles tried something new, either. I guess it’s the plight of the genius to be underappreciated in their time.”

While representatives from the Magical Floral Reanimation Project were unavailable, we were able to reach one garden mage who agreed to speak off the record.

"I can say we’re currently negotiating with the flowers to minimize singing during the nighttime,” they told us. “I don’t want to promise anything too soon, but we’ve talked to floral representatives who have also agreed to voice lessons and enforced quiet hours from 9 pm to 6 am. They’re quite reasonable once you agree to stream their Spotify Singles.”

An agreement between the singing flowers and local citizens may prove beneficial to all parties and provide peace against a divided town. However, until details of this alleged deal are made public, citizens remain at odds with each other and the flowers.

"I mean, it’s not ideal,” said Larson. “On one hand, I’m glad local businesses are benefitting, and sometimes it’s fun to hear flowers sing. But if I have to hear that damn daffodil try to sing ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ one more time, I may just move! Although I must say, the pansies have really started to find their comedic timing.”