Community members, led by local realtor Ali Khan, have come together to spruce up the garden area at the Sechelt extended care facility Totem Lodge.
"I thought it would be nice for [residents] to have a space to themselves, and something with a lot of energy and colour that they could go and enjoy, especially when their family comes or someone visits them," Khan said, explaining that the garden area includes plastic tables and chairs and a little pond.
Khan said he used to volunteer at Totem Lodge when he was in high school and was inspired to launch the project when a friend mentioned that the lodge's gardens were looking "tired."
Khan said after getting the go-ahead from the lodge, he called Casey's Country Gardens Ltd., which gave him generous discounts on hanging baskets and other flowers for the project.
"I'd actually seen the place, so I knew that it needed a facelift as well," said Mandy Drope, the store's bookkeeper.
Khan said he also called the Sechelt Garden Club, which agreed to provide the expertise and labour to execute the project.
"We just went in and cleaned up the outdoor lounge part and planted a bunch of new plants and made it look presentable," said club director Nattanya Wardel, adding that she and five other club members pulled off the transformation in two and a half hours June 7.
The garden's new incarnation includes begonias and fuchsias in hanging baskets, plus geraniums, carnations and lobelia.
Khan said Totem Lodge donated $100 towards the project, and he picked up the remaining costs.
"It looks awesome," he said. "We put up four hanging baskets, a bunch of flowers -it looks really nice."
