Couple’s green thumb brings blooms to Spring Street

Sandy and Floyd Manley live on Spring Street in Mumford, just a short distance from the MacKay Wildlife Preserve, nature walk and Richard Thomas handicap overlook. Their property is a beautiful display of color and foliage as they are avid gardeners.

One day in 2007, the couple stopped at the overlook to look at the ducks swimming on Spring Creek. Sandy reached down to pull out a week from among the flowers and bushes planted there. Since that day, the Manleys have been the gardeners at the overlook, the designers of the brilliant and lush flower beds lining the sidewalk there. This year they have decided to cut back a little and tend to just their own gardening at home. Barry Ganzhorn, the man who developed MacKay Park and overlook, presented the Manleys with a certificate of appreciation for their five years of volunteering their time to beautify the area.

“We’ve had a lot of fun over the years; we hope it makes other’s hearts happy to see the flowers,” Floyd said.

There are more than a dozen varieties of perennials planted at the overlook, a virtual rainbow of colors and textures, a feast for the eyes and pleasure for the soul. Tall joe pye weed, black eyed susans and pink yarrow alongside the daintier lavender, lamb’s ear, lady mantle and yellow primrose lead visitors to the overlook where there is a picnic table near Spring Creek. Many find this a calm place for a workday lunch break.

“We planted what we like and it’s been our pleasure to see things grow, see people having lunch there and that it makes people happy,” Floyd said.

The Manleys’ touch at the overlook will be missed but not forgotten. The Big Springs Garden Club will take care of the flower gardens there now and will bring their own creativity to the MacKay/Thomas nature overlook.