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Gardening brings Lanark Village residents together
Vegetable and flower beds are now the focus of daily care and conversation
8/1/2025
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Deron Hamel
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Lanark Village residents have planted vegetable and flower gardens which they are now tending to each day – and the project has proven to be an excellent way for everyone to collaborate.
The idea for the gardens was pitched in late winter when team members at the Kitchener seniors living community were looking for a project they could collaborate on with residents.
At the following residents' council meeting, a resident coincidentally pitched an idea to plant vegetable and flower gardens.
“It looked like we were all thinking of gardens at the same time,” Lisa Rathier, Lanark Village's fun co-ordinator, tells S&R Today.
Lanark Village maintenance manager David Chiles purchased the materials and built two raised garden beds located just off the walking path that goes around the Village. The garden beds have been built to last and are made out of cedar, and they are the correct height for the residents to use without safety concerns.
“I've really enjoyed sharing my love of gardening with the residents,” David says.
The residents went to a local garden centre to choose the plants they wanted in the garden. They picked varieties of tomatoes, peppers and a few other vegetables, as well as some flowers, Lisa notes.
Residents and some Lanark Village team members then planted the seeds. A group of residents have even formed their own gardening club that takes care of the watering each day.
“The residents have really gotten on board with this activity; they formed their own club, take care of the plants, and they talk about suggestions for next year, and you can just see the happiness on their faces as they participate in an activity they have always enjoyed,” Lisa says.
“The garden has become a hot topic of conversation, with many residents stopping to see how it's growing.”
Ashley Smith, the Village's interim leader, is applauding the project.
“It has been a great initiative to see come together,” she says.
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