Thousands of plants blooming in tucked-away greenhouse will soon cover Wascana gardens, Government House

The flower beds at Wascana Park and Government House in Regina may be empty right now, but crews are hard at work behind the scenes, preparing thousands of flowers and greenery for planting season.

But where do all those plants come from?

Tucked away near Douglas Park is the Wascana Centre greenhouse, which is run by Saskatchewan's Provincial Capital Commission  — the provincial body that is responsible for the management and operation of the Wascana Centre and Government House.

The greenhouse is alive with 110,000 to 130,000 annual bedding plants, along with tropical and perennial plants.

Steven Weir, supervisor of horticulture for the Provincial Capital Commission, said many of the plants are started at the beginning of March in the greenhouse. Every week after, the crew seeds different varieties.

After the May long weekend, workers will begin planting in earnest at Queen Elizabeth II Gardens, across from the legislature, and in the beds at the Government House historic site.

"The designs are different every year," said Weir, who has worked in the horticulture department of the Provincial Capital Commission for 26 years.

"We're always looking for good colour combinations, good balance of height and spread, and always try to add a little wrinkle here and there of something that's different and something that's new on the market."

Weir has worked in the horticultural department of the Provincial Capital Commission for 26 years. (Laura Sciarpelletti/CBC)

In addition to filling flower beds around Wascana Centre and Government House — which feature massive planters — the greenhouse also supplies plants to the City of Regina.

Weir said the stalwarts of the flower beds include marigolds, geraniums and petunias, because of the variety of colours they provide. Weir's favourite colour combination is purple and pink, which he says will be a theme this coming season.

The designs bring people joy, and the gardening team regularly gets "wonderful comments" on the gardens and the designs, said Weir.

Year-round work

During the gardening season, the horticulture department has 15 workers to plant, water, deadhead, prune and make sure the flower beds continue to bloom throughout the summer.

That number shrinks to four employees in the winter, but the cold season is by no means uneventful. The small team creates interior landscapes for buildings throughout Wascana Centre.

Winter is also a time for deciding on the designs for the next outdoor season, ordering all the materials needed, and getting an early start on some of the seeding.

Meanwhile, Weir said that climate change has had a noticeable effect on seed and plant growing at the Wascana Centre greenhouse.

"We are having to start our seeds at different times than we generally did in previous years, and we're going from cold temperatures to very summertime hot temperatures in a short span," he said. "That has a great effect on the plants."

A place to grow

Stephanie Vance, who has been visiting Queen Elizabeth II Gardens since she was a baby, says the gardens hold a special place in her heart.

"My parents used to bring myself and my sisters here just for family time, and they'd snap a few photos to show us our growth through the years at this spot," Vance said.

It's a tradition she continued years later, when she became a mother.

"It was really special to bring my own children here. Right when they were babies, I would bring them here and have them toddle around the flowers, talk about the colours, and just watch their faces show their enjoyment and delight at what they were seeing."

Left: Stephanie Vance as a baby at Queen Elizabeth II Gardens in August 1974. Right: Vance, centre, with her siblings in the same gardens across from the legislature in the 1980s. (Submitted by Stephanie Vance)

Vance has such a special relationship with Wascana Park and the gardens that she wrote a book about it. At the end of the 2019 illustrated children's book A Walk in Wascana, both the human and animal characters end up at the Queen Elizabeth II Gardens.

"I thought, what a great way to finish the book — where the little baby rabbit meets up with the mom rabbit. And likewise, the child meets up with his mother again. You can see the two parent-child relationships in this space," said Vance.

She loves orange flowers especially, and is looking forward to seeing marigolds in the garden very soon. Vance said she and her family visit the park nearly every day in the warm months.

"It's really important to beautify a city, even if our growing season and our warm months are short. Because people who live in Saskatchewan, we really relish our warm months. So anything to make it more beautiful, more welcoming to families, is a real plus in my opinion," said Vance.

Vance stands in front of empty flower beds at Queen Elizabeth II Gardens. She has been visiting the gardens since she was a little girl, and takes her children there nearly every day in the summer. (Laura Sciarpelletti/CBC)

Weir also places a great deal of importance on beautifying the city, and says it helps with well-being.

"Just the enjoyment of looking at things, smelling things, the oxygen as well.… It's good for mental health."

Working in the greenhouse all year has a positive impact on Weir as well, and he takes great pride in seeing the seeds bloom into lush flowers that go on to be enjoyed by the public.

"It gives you a real satisfaction that you're doing something that is really cool. People are going to enjoy it, and it's just a fascinating job to have. And it never really seems like work when you can enjoy it as much as I do."

Vance reads from her book A Walk in Wascana, which features the Queen Elizabeth II Gardens. (Laura Sciarpelleti/CBC)