Sometimes, making a place feel like home starts with something as simple as planting a few flowers.
That’s exactly what happened at Rockway Gardens Village, where four tenants have transformed the flower beds outside the building that welcome residents and visitors alike.
An idea takes root
It all started with a conversation.
Tenants Wendy, Cliff, Cheryl and Dave were sitting outside one day when they noticed the garden bed by the front entrance looked a little bare.
“We thought it would be nice to get a few flowers in there,” Wendy recalls. “Then we looked at the other bed and thought, ‘Well, that’s bare too.’ So off we went again.”
The four friends purchased flowers, planted them together and gradually added personal touches, including garden ornaments, a handmade trellis and a collection of garden gnomes that Dave brought from his previous home. They even strung lights through the beds.
“At night, it kind of looks like a fairy-tale garden,” Wendy says. “It’s very pretty.”
Watering, weeding and working together
The project has been a true team effort from the beginning. The group shares the work of weeding and watering. On summer evenings, they pull out the hose and give the garden a thorough watering before settling in to enjoy the results of their hard work.
For Wendy, caring for the garden reflects a lifelong passion.
“I’ve always been a flower lover,” she says. In fact, she loves flowers so much that they’re even painted on her toenails!
A warm welcome home
The gardeners’ hard work has earned plenty of compliments from fellow tenants and visitors, but the greatest reward is the sense of pride and community they’ve created.
“It’s fulfilling for all of us,” Wendy says.
What began as a few neighbours wanting to brighten the front entrance has blossomed into something much more — a reminder that when people work together, the results can be beautiful.
