Blossoming with beauty

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 30/09/2023 (1085 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It was at a meeting of the Winkler tourism committee that the idea for city beautification became the catalyst for creating the Winkler Horticulture Society.

“I was personally very interested in the idea of beautification,” says Margaret Penner, who was a member of the tourism committee at the time. That was in 1998.

Two years later, Penner formed the Winkler Horticulture Society along with three other founding members. Since its small beginnings, the WHS, which consists of four executive members, has never been a garden club.

It has had one purpose these past 23 years — city beautification and enhancement and development of parks. So extraordinary is the magnitude of the numerous projects undertaken by the WHS that Winkler has been transformed into a garden city. The Winkler Horticulture Society now says that its work is done, and it is passing the torch to the City of Winkler. How significant is this?

Recently I toured Winkler with the current members of the WHS — Margaret Penner, Carol Neufeld, Betty Klassen, and Valerie Harder. So in awe was I at what I saw that it is hard for me to imagine that the efforts and vision of these extraordinary women can possibly be duplicated. The WHS dreams big and achieves its goals. Let me start by describing just two of the numerous projects undertaken by WHS.

Bethel Heritage Park is located on a historic site close to the city centre. The project was completed in three years. The City of Winkler donated the land. WHS formed a park committee and raised the funds — $1.75 million. “That is how much the project cost, and all the funds came from businesses and individuals,” says Penner. There was no government funding. The WHS has never shirked from knocking on doors and has worked hand in hand with local businesses, citizens, and city council.

The gate design at the entrance to Bethel Heritage Park is inspired by Mennonite architecture in Ukraine from over a century ago. The floral designs were created by Sylke Vanniekerk, a committee member. WHS planted the shrubs and trees that provide the leafy backdrop at the park. The committee members wanted a fountain and ordered it from a company in the U.S. The Angel of the Waters fountain is 5.5 metres (18 feet) in height and 9 metres (29.5 feet) in diameter. It is made of Italian white Carrara marble with a bronze angel and cherubs. A unique multi-layered border of Little Giant dwarf arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis), designed by one of the committee members, forms an outer circle around the fountain. WHS committee members also fundraised for a classic gazebo as well as a pavilion. The community’s heritage is evident throughout, including a seedling from the ancient Chortitza Oak, a 1,000-year-old oak tree that once stood in the oldest Mennonite colony in Ukraine. But there are also memorial plaques and beautiful gardens that pay tribute to the first families who settled in Winkler including pioneer Jewish settlers.

Parkview Gardens on Grandeur Avenue is 85 metres (280 feet) of luxurious flower beds, trees, shrubs, vines, and ornamental grasses. All the plant material was chosen and installed by WHS volunteers. The site includes an arbor, water feature, and a pergola. “There was nothing here before,” says Penner. “We had the vision to make this site a showpiece and hired a landscape architect. Today, I can’t tell you how many pictures are taken here. So many groups of people — weddings, families. On weekends, all evening long, you see people walking along the path.” Penner creates the plant layout design herself.

Bethel Heritage Park and Parkview Gardens are but two of the projects developed and planted by the WHS and the many volunteers who support their vision and goals. The WHS have also done the landscape development and plantings at the Greg Ens Memorial Park, Centennial Concert Hall, Winkler Centennial Library, and Meridian Exhibition Center. The WHS designed a butterfly garden at Winkler Arts and Culture and launched a hugely successful memorial tree planting at Westridge Cemetery — 100 trees in all. But the WHS also plants up the flower beds at Winkler Golf Course annually and at numerous other locations.

Countless hours have gone into designing floral displays around the city every spring including the city’s hanging baskets — 60 in total — and the elaborate planter displays on Main Street. In addition to organizing volunteers to plant in the spring, the committee also oversees an extensive adopt-a-plot program.

Each person on the WHS has been assigned to a specific area for a design which must be completed by fall for the following year. “When our designs were complete, we worked together with Sherri Adams and Lucy Janzen, co-owners at the New Leaf Garden Centre,” says Penner. “We bring our plans to them, and they tweak where it is needed and make suggestions for plant varieties.” The WHS have also prepared a budget every year for the cost of flowers which they submit to the city for approval. “We’ve always done well with our budget,” says Carol Neufeld, WHS treasurer. There has been only one year that the WHS went over its budget — by $34. They have raised funds with perennial plant sales, yard tours, sales of Christmas arrangements (which they make), horticulture workshops, bake sales, and T-shirt sales.

In April this year, the Winkler Horticulture Society and city staff that support their work received the Urban Beautification Award from the Manitoba Good Roads Association. It was the third time that Winkler has received this award.

But the torch has now been passed from the Winkler Horticulture Society to the City of Winkler. The challenge for the city will be to maintain as well as continue the groundbreaking efforts of the WHS to beautify Winkler. Margaret Penner, Carol Neufeld, Betty Klassen, and Valerie Harder along with dedicated committee members and countless community volunteers since 2000, have set the bar high. The projects they have championed and built over the years are signature landmarks today. The people of Winkler will expect no less in the future. It’s a positive sign that the city decided recently that it will continue to partner with New Leaf Garden Centre who have provided plants for the city’s floral displays for many years.

“This year with our volunteer group stepping away,” says Jordan Driedger, director of community services, City of Winkler. “New Leaf will be taking on a larger role with the program, including the design and plant selection for the various plots. The community involvement and volunteer hours from people like Margaret has played a major role in beautifying our city. We are grateful for that.”

Indeed, the long-standing collaboration between the Winkler Horticulture Society and the City of Winkler has proven to be transformative and serves as a model for urban beautification. But will there ever be another Margaret Penner?

colleenizacharias@gmail.com

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