The rusty old guardrail is barely visible behind the bright orange day lilies and fragrant bushes of lavender.
A thriving curly willow tree, surrounded by variegated yucca plants, and sedum—given to Gail McLaren by a friend—are just a few plants that have helped transform an unsightly weed patch into an oasis.
But it hasn’t happened overnight.
Almost 19 years ago, Gail and George McLaren moved to Martin Street.
Across the street from their picturesque and lovingly tended yard, was a public eyesore.
“It was really ugly when we moved in,” Gail told the Thorold News.
Overlooking Hwy. 58, the long, narrow boulevard that stretches along Shriner Street “was mowed about twice a year,” she added.
So, about 18 years ago, “We started mowing what we could reach, and took day lilies from the side of other roads, and planted them, then my friend Maude gave me some more, so it’s a nice memory of her,” since she passed away, said Gail.
When it came to gardening, “I really didn’t know what I was doing,” she said. “It was just trial and error. We didn’t have an overall plan” for beautifying the boulevard. The couple just kept planting, and eventually, flowers, trees, and shrubs were blooming all along the roadway garden.
“It starts with daffodils and tulips” in springtime, Gail explained, “then the lilacs and the irises, then hostas, and something for every season. The blanket flowers close the season in the fall.”
Asked who funds the constantly growing project, “I have a budget of $500,” smiled Gail, “and I exceed it every year. I did this so people could enjoy it."
Aside from two trees—which were donated by other family members—everything has been paid for by the McLarens.
According to George, “There are 500 tulip bulbs” beneath the boulevard’s soil. “We buy out Home Depot every time they have a sale.”
Generous with her time as well as her wallet, “I’m usually out first thing in the morning for about three hours, when the weather’s good,” said Gail. “My husband used to help me, but he’s not well now, so it’s mostly myself.”
In the garden’s early phase, George hauled heavy decorating stones from Tottenham and Guelph, and old abandoned railroad ties in a wheelbarrow, to boost the garden’s beauty.
While she said she’d welcome help with the lawn mowing and weed trimming, she finds it rewarding when people simply stroll by “and show their appreciation” with a word of thanks, which happens often on the quiet street, especially since the Queen Street bridge closed.
Prior to moving to Thorold, Gail lived in St. Catharines, Niagara Falls, and Welland, and spent five years in Australia in the 1970s.
“That’s where I got this taste for lush green stuff,” she explained.
The gardening gurus have been together for 24 years, and between them have six children and eight grandchildren, none of whom have caught the gardening bug, as of yet.