Growing Community: The Residence at St. John’s Garden Party

What happens when you mix 200 plants, a local greenhouse’s generosity, and a group of determined residents? At The Residence at St. John, you get a garden party worth remembering.

On a beautiful spring afternoon, residents came together with staff from Lutheran SeniorLife’s Visiting Nurses Association (VNA) and the LIFE Program for a community garden party. The result? A campus that is now more vibrant and beautiful.

Thanks to a generous donation from Gumto’s Greenhouse, the group rolled up their sleeves and got to work planting over 200 flowers and hearty vegetable plants. Zinnias and Verbenas now line entrances in flower pots, while cucumbers, tomatoes, and broccoli are a future harvests promise.

“We look forward to this because we get to plant and we get to visit with our friends as we plant and bond,” said resident Jill Blowers, smiling beneath her sun hat as she dug into the soil.

All afternoon, hands worked side by side, laughing, telling stories, and tending to the earth.

“The vegetables will be harvested and enjoyed later this summer,” said Ashley Treadway, St. John Community Regional Marketing Manager. “It gives everyone something to nurture and look forward to.”

As a gesture of gratitude, each resident signed a card with a handwritten “thank-you” message to Gumto’s Greenhouse.

“I love watching our residents talking, laughing, and working together,” Treadway added. “Thanks to their hard work and dedication, they help keep this campus not only beautiful, but full of life.”