For 25 years, the greenhouse at the edge of Bittern Lake has been a familiar stop for gardeners across the Camrose region. This spring, it opens with a new name on the deed but a familiar warm welcome at the door. Laura and Ryan Doyle, who grew up in and around Bittern Lake, took ownership of Westway Gardens from founders Brenda and Blaine Johnson, the neighbouring couple who built the operation from the ground up starting in 1999.
The Johnsons, now spending more time away as snowbirds, passed the business to people they knew and trusted – their neighbours. "Brenda and Blaine built something really special here. When the opportunity came up, it just made sense. We're neighbours, we know this place, and we wanted to make sure it stayed in good hands," Laura says.
The Doyles aren't strangers to the rhythms of the place. For them, the greenhouse is less a business acquisition than a natural extension of how they already live – grounded in the land, connected to the community and eager to pass those values on. The couple has two young daughters they plan to bring into the business, with the hope of cultivating a grow-your-own ethic that takes root early.
Westway Gardens is known throughout the region for its hanging baskets, floor planters and bedding plants – all grown from seed or cutting on site. That commitment to quality and local growing carries forward unchanged under the Doyles, who are happy to help turn any backyard into a vacation destination.
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