43069 Wills Rd, Wainfleet L0S 1V0
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Doorstep


Waldan Gardens leaves plants on Dunnville doorsteps

Community Mar 30, 2020by Tamara BottingThe Sachem
Lorraine Waterston
Lorraine Waterston of Dunnville was thrilled to recieve a potted flower from Waldan Gardens in Wainfleet. She's added it to a planter on her kitchen table to enjoy every day while self-isolating. - Tamara Botting/Torstar
Some local people and businesses are putting a concentrated effort into brightening others’ days during the coronavirus pandemic.

One day last week, Lorraine Waterston of Dunnville went out to grab her paper from the porch and found a potted plant.

“I thought it was one of my girlfriends,” she said, but soon knew that wasn’t the case, when her neighbours called her and asked if she’d received one, too.
Mike Schilstra, sales manager for the greenhouse, said that when COVID-19 hit, “things started backing up,” and they had extra product on hand.

Instead of letting the plants go to waste, they decided to give them away, with employees distributing them in their own communities, through organizations and through area businesses – like Hauser’s Pharmacy, which also worked with Rosa Flora in Dunnville to brighten patients’ days with flowers when delivering prescriptions.

“It was just an initiative in-house,” Schilstra said.

“It’s a tough climate for any business, and we hope that this kind of promotes us locally and makes people aware of who’s in their area and what’s produced (here),” while at the same time being “something that takes (people’s) minds off of what’s going on.”

It certainly worked for Waterston, who expressed her deep thanks for the unexpected gift.

“It’s so thoughtful; it brings joy to your soul,” she said. “I’ve already put it in a planter; it’s very pretty.”