Brian Minter and his family are poised to enter a whole new chapter in their lives in the wake of the closure last week of the well-loved Minter Gardens.
The Minter Gardens parking lot was jam-packed on the last day of operations at the 32-acre show gardens in Rosedale.
“We haven’t done the gate receipts yet but in terms of the numbers, it was full,” said Minter.
In fact the final day, Thanksgiving Monday, was the busiest day they’d had all season.
In June, Minter announced that declining tourism and climate change were factors in the decision to close the gardens in October and to sell the property.
Minter shared with The Progress that the final day in the gardens attracted a mix of those who had never been to Minter Gardens, along with many more who wanted to see the sprawling gardens just one last time before the gates closed for good.
“For so many people, and in different ways, they made an individual connection. A lot of people wanted to say goodbye.”
Many garden lovers penned heartfelt letters to say how much the place meant to them, and how sad they were to see it go.
“We feel there are so many opportunities to grow a new vision,” he added.
Minter Garden opened in 1980 at the foot of Mt. Cheam, and became a huge destination for fans of world-class horticulture sites.
“We want to maintain those connections we made, and look forward to creating something that they can reconnect to, in a positive way,” said Minter.
“At this point we’re at the outset of a new chapter.”
No other details were available about any future plans for the gardens at this point. The Minter Country Garden store on Young Road is still open.
In June, he told The Progress they were working on the next steps, exploring options where the gardens could be redeveloped into an environment and community friendly way to make the “best use” of the beautiful natural setting and landscape features.
See more at http://www.mintergardens.com/
jfeinberg@theprogress.com
Twitter.com/chwkjourno
