Ginger Lily stands in the Warsaw Central Park Gardens. Photo courtesy of Kosciusko County Community Foundation.

News Release

WARSAW — Warsaw Central Park Garden officials welcome a new gardener, Ginger Lily, after Toshiko Gunter, the long-time gardener, announced her retirement after 14 years.

“I could only dream to one day know half as much as she does about flowers and plants,” said Shaun Gardner, maintenance director with the Warsaw Parks Recreation Department. “We are sad to see her retire, but she’s definitely earned it,” he added.

With nearly 200 varieties of both annual and perennial plants at Warsaw’s Central Park Gardens, the gardens are made possible by a donation creating an endowment at the Kosciusko County Community Foundation in 1996. Robert and Roma Maish, former owners of Little Crow Foods, were the donors.

Meet Ginger Lily

Lily, originally from Oregon and now living in Warsaw for 10 years, noticed the job posting on Facebook.

“My mom was a gardener and taught me everything about flowers, weeding, and transplanting since I was just 3 years old,” she said. Lily furthered her knowledge by attending Oregon State University’s Department of Horticulture and maintained botanical gardens along the way.

“I love this area and feel honored to be working alongside Toshiko’s mentorship as I learn the little secrets to these beautiful gardens,” she said.

Favorite Flowers

“Tulips! I love tulips even with the deer loving them, too,” she said with a smile. She further shared daffodils would be an alternative since the deer won’t touch them. “Another flower I’m proud of at Central Park are the purple alliums. I love how they appear like they are floating in the gardens and such a unique addition to this space.”

Gardening Tips

When asked for tips on what Lily would share with those considering gardening, she said to keep trying.

“Please don’t assume you have a green or black thumb from trying something that didn’t quite work out the way you anticipated. Please keep trying! That’s the fun part about gardening is sometimes it’s just a small tweak to the plan, like more or less water or sunlight, to get you the results you were hoping for.”