Suit jacket off, sleeves rolled up, and digging in the dirt is not where you’d expect to find Mayor John Taylor on a Tuesday morning.
But the self-described gardener and, one could argue, plantsman, dove right in at the Town of Newmarket’s greenhouse to help horticultural lead hand, Johnny Dwyer, plant ivy geraniums in hanging baskets that will soon bloom around town.
“Johnny knows that I love plants, and if my office were big enough, I’d try to get that ficus tree over there,” Taylor says with a laugh about the ficus that stretches toward the greenhouse ceiling.
NewmarketToday toured the town-owned greenhouse, located at the Robert N. Shelton Operations Centre on Maple Hill Court, guided by 20-year horticultural legend, Dwyer.
It is here that Dwyer and one staff member, Jean Preece, with help from summer students, grow seedlings, fertilize the soil, design planters and hanging baskets, and maintain the town’s entire stock of greenery.
That includes trees and pots of plants at town facilities such as Old Town Hall and the Magna Centre, and the nearly 600-strong cache of flowering planters, blooming boxes, and hanging baskets rolled out in May on historic Main Street and other locations around town, including Riverwalk Commons.
For Dwyer, the most rewarding part of his job is seeing people’s faces light up at the beauty of the flowers around town in the summer. And, as one of the few municipalities who have their own greenhouse, it gives him control over the materials.
“That’s what makes Newmarket look so great,” Dwyer said. “Just having our greenhouse, and control of the material we put in makes a big difference. People keep saying it’s the best they’ve seen.”
“What I get out of it is the enjoyment, especially for the older folks, who’ve moved to a retirement residence and don’t have a garden anymore,” he said. “I do it for them. They look forward to the plants coming out and I would hate to disappoint them.”
Dwyer’s green thumb is evident from the dying bonsai tree that he rescued from Taylor’s office. It is now thriving at the greenhouse and when noticed, Taylor asked for it back, jokingly.
Beginning each September, Dwyer receives a shipment of about 14,000 seedlings, which he grows into young plants. He grows about another 1,000 to 2,000 plants himself in-house.
“My main plants right now are called B.C. begonia, and the reason I use them is because of their tolerance,” he said. “Not only are they tolerant of heat, but also you can go a long time without watering them. That’s one of the reasons they are the best plants in a municipal setting. And they flower.”
He is a huge fan of the dragon wing begonias and uses them in the town’s hanging baskets and planters. And, the hardy, easy-to-care-for colourful salvia plants this year will adorn the 12 rings at Riverwalk Commons.
“The dragon wings don’t need much maintenance, they just keep re-flowering. It looks like nothing now, but the beauty about that is the foliage turns colour as it hits the sun, it turns completely golden and rusty and along with the red flowers it makes for a beautiful planter,” he said.
All of the town’s planters and hanging baskets are almost 10 years old and are designed to be self-watering, Dwyer said, adding that keeps maintenance costs low.
Dwyer is often sought out for gardening tips from people who have long admired his greenery handiwork. And some residents have even written letters of praise that have been published in local media.
“I run into people every year and they ask me how my plants do so well and they have the same thing at home and they don’t do so well,” he said. “I tell them it all depends on the location because if it’s a shaded area then you’d use a certain type of plant.
“But it all depends on how you maintain it,” he added. “If you put the plants out there, you have to put some work in. I tell people there are low maintenance options, but there’s no such thing as a ‘no’ maintenance option.”
Taylor noted that when people from out of town compliment Newmarket, they mention the Christmas lights at Riverwalk Commons and the town’s plants and planters throughout the town.
“I hear that so often, so that’s constant feedback,” Taylor said. “And that’s Johnny and his team in the summer, it’s incredible the work that they do.”
Production in the greenhouse is gearing up as Dwyer and Preece fill each pot with soilless soil, self-activating fertilizer, biological predators to control pests, and the young plants that have thrived since last fall.
A bale breaker helps the small team to break down the soil and makes filling pots less back-breaking.
It’s a labour of love for the pair who have both been in the industry for two decades.
About 290 hanging baskets and 300 standing planter pots will hit local streets and community spaces in May.
