Beautifying Gardens Across Collingwood and beyond.

GARDEN MAVEN: Lynn Murray, Collingwood, Ontario

Zone 5B

Our next Garden Maven is Lynn Murray, a gardener whose influence reaches well beyond the borders of her own beautiful Collingwood garden.

For years, Lynn has led the charge behind the Collingwood Garden Club’s Annual Plant Sale, which under her guidance has grown to become the club’s largest fundraiser. It is an enormous undertaking - collecting, nurturing, dividing, organizing and ultimately finding new homes for hundreds of plants donated from gardens throughout Collingwood and surrounding areas.

A visit to Lynn’s own garden makes it easy to understand the enthusiasm behind the effort. Deep, luxurious borders surround the property, filled with layers of mature plants.

A welcoming old wagon greets visitors at the front, while the backyard reveals elaborate stonework that gives structure and character to the garden.

• 

• 

And then there is the annual showstopper: a magnificent Chinese dogwood. Covered in blooms, beautifully shaped and clearly thriving in its location, it could not look happier.

• 

• 

Lynn’s garden also serves as something of a holding ground for future Plant Sale treasures.

Among the many hostas donated each year, Lynn carefully selects special varieties and brings them home to mature. Once established, they can be divided and offered at future sales, alongside an impressive assortment of perennials and other plants.

Walking through her garden, I found myself thinking about the larger impact.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

How many gardens in Collingwood and the surrounding area have been made more beautiful because of Lynn and the team of volunteers who put this remarkable sale together every year?

Plants purchased for a few dollars become part of new gardens, are divided again, shared with neighbours and passed along to friends.

In that way, Lynn isn’t simply helping organize a plant sale. She is helping plants, knowledge and a love of gardening travel from one Collingwood garden to the next.

How fitting that Lynn Murray is GREEN LOVE's next Garden Maven? Thank you Lynn, for all that you and your Plant Sale team and the Collingwood Garden Club do for our gardens.

To find out about donating plants to next year's Plant Sale, please click on this link and fill out the form, someone will be in touch to schedule a time for the Garden Club to come and dig up and divide and take your plant donations.