On a cool November evening in the Ruby at Wentworth Heights, a core group of residents who helped spearhead the Village’s community garden project gathered to revel in their achievement. Schlegel Villages director of landscaping Adriaan Sizoo was among those who spoke, and as he reflected on the success of the community garden nurtured through the 2025 season, he invoked the image of the “Three Sisters” planting tradition.
Corn, he told the gathering, offers strength for the beans to climb. The squash settles below, protecting and nourishing the soil.
“The sisters don't compete,” Adriaan said. “They don't compare, they don't worry about who's doing more; they simply grow better together.”
It was a fitting metaphor for a garden club that began as a seed of an idea from residents Linda and Art Comely, and grew into something far greater than anyone expected.
The garden’s beginning was simple: residents wanted a place to get their hands in the soil again and make better use of the raised beds that had never realized their full potential. The Comelys approached the Village leadership team with the idea last winter, and soon a small cluster of residents was meeting regularly to plan.
“Once we put the word out, the response was immediate,” recalls recreation supervisor Elaine Thompson. “People who had gardened their whole lives wanted to reconnect with that part of themselves and people who had never gardened wanted to try something new. It became bigger than a hobby right away.”
Raised beds were enhanced, tools gathered, and with the help of team members and family volunteers, a true community space emerged.
Horticultural Therapist Janine Robertson visited regularly through the summer, guiding residents through planting, pruning and caring for the beds, while the core club members ensured every plant was watered and meticulously cared for in the dry heat of the summer.
“It became a space where people relaxed,” Janine says, noting how wonderful it was to have Long-Term Care enjoying the space. “You could see the stress fall away when they stood among the plants. Conversations came easily. People laughed. They shared stories while we watered or harvested. It wasn’t just about gardening – it was about belonging.”
She remembers moments when residents would stop and admire what they had nurtured, pleased with the smallest new blossom or the first tomato ripening.
“Every week someone would say, ‘I can’t believe we did this,’” Janine says. “There was pride and purpose in every bed.”
For Melissa Marks, Director of Recreation, the garden transformed into something the entire community embraced.
“You’d see families walking through after a visit, or team members stopping to ask residents about what they were growing,” Melissa says. “It pulled people together in this organic, joyful way.”
She notes that the garden quickly became a symbol of resident leadership.
“Our residents drove this,” Melissa said. “They chose what to plant, they tended every part of it, and they welcomed anyone who wanted to join in. The impact was huge — emotionally, socially, even spiritually.”
As Adriaan toasted the residents that November evening, the comparison between the three sisters was apt.
“When I look at the garden club at the Village of Wentworth Heights, I see your own version of the Three Sisters,” he said. “You have your corn: the steady organizers who hold everything up; the beans: the creative climbers who spark new ideas; and the squash: the warm and welcoming souls who make sure everyone feels included.”
That kindness spread well beyond the raised beds. Anyone walking past – resident, family or team member – felt the warmth of the conversations drifting over the garden path.
“The whole community benefits from what started as a simple, shared love of gardening,” Adriaan told them. “Here's to our garden, both the one in the soil and the one we grow in each other's hearts, where everyone has a place and everyone can forage.”
During the evening of celebration, some of the various Garden Club members had written their reflections, which were shared by resident Kathe Kleinau. We thought this poem was worth sharing.
Our Garden
By Barb Jepson
It is early morning in the garden.
The shadows are slowly loosening their hold on the hidden places.
The two arms of the residence outline the brilliance of the blue sky above.
The bubbling of the fountain and the soft silver hush of the water from my hose blanket the silence.
In this air, spicy with the fresh dew of greenery, each breath slows.
Water and sun green these plants.
There is a kind of peace here, lost for those in the rooms behind the windows.
From the far end of the garden, a human figure approaches, moving slowly.
We speak softly, not wanting to disturb the scene around us.
A man walks by pushing a woman in a wheelchair.
They, like me, are silent, smiling spectators, hesitating to pollute the stillness.
The breezes flirt constantly with my hose, pausing to take a breath only when they wish.
One gust throws wide the spray onto the tomato plants.
They answer with a trembling teasing rustle, the dance of atoms at play.
Interrupting this, a flock of birds scatters across the blue sky, tickling my ears with their random chirping.
I put away the hose and go back into the residence, taking inside with me the comfort of the natural world.
