Waterdown Blooms: becoming garden stop
Waterdown — that once-sleepy little village undergoing a surge in population, retail growth, traffic and housing prices — is quietly becoming known as something of a gardener’s — and garden lover’s — destination.
It’s long been a place knowledgeable gardeners have included in their seasonal shopping trips. It’s the home of two excellent garden centres — Connon Nurseries and Hortico Nurseries — as well as countless landscaping companies. As well, its private gardens are no secret. I’ve written about close to a dozen home gardens in the Waterdown area of Flamborough over the past few years.
But these days, there’s more than that.
I spent a morning last week as part of a judging panel that looked over seven large display beds, sponsored by local landscapers, adorning Waterdown’s two main thoroughfares: Hamilton and Dundas (Hwy 5) streets.
The theme this year, albeit optional, was Canada’s 150th birthday and several of the seven had redand-white colour schemes; one had a large “150” laid over the flowers.
It was encouraging to see that most of the sponsoring landscapers made a real effort to give the beds a feeling of permanence: large boulders and landscape stones anchored some; several had perennial grasses, shrubs and trees as a backdrop to annuals.
One company raised its bed and
tilted it toward the road so passersby got a better view.
They were all worthwhile efforts, even if some seemed to have been neglected of late — as any gardener can attest, this wet summer has meant weeds seem to grow to ridiculous size virtually overnight, and some of the Waterdown beds needed a weeding to properly show off their colours and design.
(The results of the judging, including a people’s choice award, will be revealed Sept. 18.)
Susan Pennie, executive director of the Waterdown Business Improvement Area, says this Waterdown Blooms initiative was seen as an opportunity for community partner landscape companies and for the core “old town” area the BIA represents.
“It’s a way to give other people a chance to showcase what they do and to make the village area more attractive,” Pennie said.
She noted that the BIA has funded hanging baskets and planters throughout the core area and several BIA members have dressed up their properties or patios with landscaping and flowers.
The BIA has a strong relationship with the Flamborough Horticultural Society, which holds two plant sales each year and plants up some of the former village’s public spaces (more on that in a moment).
“Anything we can do esthetically ... is part of our mandate,” she says.
I’ve long been a fan of Hamilton’s traffic-island-planting program and Waterdown Blooms has the same sort of feel: an effort to add colour and creativity to the public areas — streets — that are most seen and used.
And, of course, it’s good public relations for the landscapers — if they maintain and weed their bed.
The big gardening event in the community this year was the Waterdown Garden Walk, held in conjunction with Hamilton Spectator Open Garden Week.
It was organized by Arie Vanspronsen and Tina Coverly, copresidents of the Flamborough Horticultural Society.
Twenty-two private gardens in “old Waterdown” were open to visitors over July 1 and 2 and, by any measurements, it was a roaring success.
The society printed 300 walking maps and, even giving one to a couple or a group, ran out of copies. Feedback from visitors was overwhelmingly positive.
Many of the tree-lined streets in the older core are replete with lovingly maintained houses — some from the 19th century.
Vanspronsen is a gardener with a vision. He wants to see the Garden Walk — which will return next year — become a major annual event, drawing visitors into the community.
He’s also an avid gardener and plant collector whose property has amassed a small collection of Trillium civic beautification awards — including this year’s Pink Trillium for Ward 15 (east Flamborough).
Vanspronsen is wildly enthusiastic about gardeners and their efforts in Waterdown, and says it deserves to be known as a garden destination. Horticultural society meetings are now held in Waterdown, membership numbers are up and Vanspronsen is optimistic about more growth and more community efforts by the society.
One example: between two of those Waterdown Blooms beds on Dundas, the horticultural society planted a bed around an ugly utility box, using tall grasses and a beautiful soft-purple, upright sedum.
It looks lovely and no one would guess it is hiding anything. (The next meeting of the society is Sept. 20 at 7 p.m. in the parish hall at St. Thomas the Apostle Church, 715 Centre Rd.)
Waterdown is undergoing big change: massive residential development to the east, power-centre commercial development to the west at Clappison’s Corners as well as the traffic congestion that goes with all of it.
But Pennie, Vanspronsen and a host of home gardeners are intent on showing that the “quaint old town” atmosphere of Waterdown is still there — and thriving.
Rob Howard lives and gardens in Hamilton. Find him on Facebook at Rob Howard: Garden writer or email him at gardenwriter@bell.net