Three years ago, when most people looked at the grounds of Ecumen Lakeshore, they saw a lawn.  But when Clayton Oslund looked, he saw a botanical garden.  It just needed to be created, and he was the guy to do it.

Clayton had just moved into The Crest at Ecumen Lakeshore with his impeccable credentials: former botany and horticulture faculty member at the University of Minnesota, Waseca, and former nursery business owner.  He went straightaway to Lakeshore management and got permission to transform the landscape, starting with plants he moved from his former home.

What once was only a lawn is now the Lakeshore Botanical Garden, which you can tour on Facebook. Clayton is the Volunteer Curator.

Recently, Clayton was profiled in The Senior Reporter, a Duluth publication.  Editor Burton Laine wrote: “When I walked around the campus with Clayton, what I really enjoyed was not only his enthusiasm for interesting and unusual plants, but his stories.  He continuously told stories about the plants, where they came from, why he wanted to try them here, the challenges, and on and on.”  You can read the complete story here.

Clayton works continuously transforming the Ecumen Lakeshore landscape and has enlisted the help of other residents by encouraging them to adopt a garden that they can see out their windows.  Also, he continues to use his connections in the nursery industry to get donations of interesting plants.

“Clayton has made such a difference here,” said Roxanne Sternberg, residence manager of The Crest.  “One of our goals at Ecumen is to change how people think about aging, and Clayton personifies that value.  He did not retire here.  He continues to practice his craft every day in ways that make this a better place for everyone.”