CORNWALL, Ontario – From the time Wayne Taylor’s parents threw him into their garden to pick yellow beans as a toddler, gardening has always been his biggest passion.
Walking from the treeline to the water with a push lawnmower at Upper Canada Village preoccupied Taylor during his adolescence. He also worked in the city, planting the trees at the Brookdale traffic circle. After graduating from the University of Guelph and taking on a variety of jobs, like brewing beer and building bowling allies, Taylor found himself back at Upper Canada Village as a gardener—20 years after he had originally worked there.
“It’s a great place,” said Taylor, reflecting on his place of employment for the past 18 years. “You meet people from all over the world. Who else has that opportunity? Not everyone.”
Despite gardening for work, Taylor still gardens at home—for about 10 to 20 hours a week. He said the trick to his lush, extensive garden is to start early, as he recognizes a lot of people will procrastinate.
Having lived in his current home for only three years now, Taylor’s garden has already blossomed into an annual staple in the community. His goal is to eventually have a sunken English garden, a greenhouse and medlar trees.
“There has to be a pond down there, you must fall in and get wet eventually,” said Taylor with a chuckle. “I’m going to have lily pads, and waterfall.”
Taylor’s garden is a Zone 4, but that doesn’t stop him from planting and successfully growing plants accustom to warmer climates, like peach trees, plum trees and Asian apple pear trees.
“I’m trying to create a tropical look,” said Taylor. “Try to make Canada look a lot warmer.”
During the winter months, Taylor brings at least five plants inside, anxiously preparing and preserving them for his outdoor sanctuary.
“I hang out here every night. I like to hang out here at 6 a.m. too. That’s when I find it’s the nicest. But sundown is neat when all these (caster bean) trees will bend to the sun, just like they’re solar panels. It’s unbelievable to watch them,” said Taylor.
Taylor’s garden is welcome to wildlife, with bees buzzing about and critters bouncing around. One bird with a broken wing has even taken refuge under his plants.
“That’s a whole world for squirrels,” said Taylor. “I see them hanging out in there, and I look down and go ‘Ouu that is a neat little place’ underneath the canopy. Squirrels go on tour down there.”
When he has a clean slate in the spring, Taylor will source his plants from around the globe, but he tries to shop locally.
“I like to buy in Canada. Marlin’s is my favourite, but Harvest too. I have to dash over and see them. I’m always desperate for seed. I’m always buying something out of some rack no matter what hardware store I’m in,” said Taylor.
Every year, Taylor makes an effort to plant his favourite flowers: Foxgloves.
“It’s Digitalis, it’s like J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth and where Thumbelina used to sleep. C’mon, they’re pretty. I’ve grew them before where you get five feet of bells. It just blows everybody out of the water,” he said.
After one knee replacement and two hip replacements, Taylor’s gardening efforts haven’t always been sunshine and roses. Despite the setbacks, he continually sprouts up the challenge to pursue his passion.
“Gardening is hard. I say, I could spend the rest of my life here working at it. I say, it’s like a painter with a paint brush – until you take the painting away from him, he still thinks the painting isn’t finished,” said Taylor.
