Community comes together to help recreate gardens at Vogue Hair Studio
After Hurricane Ian destroyed the garden bordering Vogue Hair Studio in downtown Cape Coral, the community came together to bring it back bigger, brighter and more colorful than before.
The salon has had a vibrant gardens in front and out back for years. Owner Janelle Franklin tried to save some plants by bringing them inside, but the hurricane caused the roof to collapse and created a mud bath. Some orchids survived, but everything else was a goner.
Franklin still had to put her salon back together and she wasn’t sure if she was going to rebuild the garden.
“We’re still rebuilding, but it’s so depressing on the inside. I’m sick of looking out the window and being depressed as well,” she said. “So we had a garden party. We invited family, friends and clients and everyone showed up with dirt, pots, plants and hands.”
Now, the garden is even better than it was before.
“People in the strip come and hang out. They have their lunch here or work on their lunch break. People who live in the area walk through and they always stop,” Franklin said.
Some people brought whimsical knickknacks like butterflies, mushrooms and ladybugs scattered throughout the garden, in plants or climbing up trees.
There are also lights on palm trees and a variety of flowers and other types of plants to enjoy.
“It really is a family shop,” Franklin said. “And the reaction to the garden shows that.”
She also painted some old, beat up pots bright yellow, which has become a bit of an icon.
Franklin doesn’t have a formal background in gardening, but she’s learning every day.
“The plants will tell you,” she said. “Too much sun, not enough water, too much water.”
A lot of the plants are cuttings from clients’ houses.
“They’ll bring a cutting and stick it in the dirt or put it in a pot and bring it when they come for appointments,” Franklin said. “It’s become a community garden.”
She originally started the garden three or four years ago after cutting overgrown bushes and trees back.
“Then I started adding plants and it just kind of took over and became a hobby,” Franklin said.
The garden makes everyone who passes by smile. Franklin says some people come by and make a habit of sitting on the bench and reading a book. It’s also a symbol of strength and solidarity after many people lost so much. The garden shows that we can get through anything, together.
“I think the garden kind of connects people and keeps them all going,” Franklin said.
That’s the epitome of Cape Coral. People band together, whether they know each other or not, to help because that’s what neighbors do.
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- The gardens in the courtyard by the Vogue Hair Studio in the Big John Plaza in downtown Cape Coral, above and at right. The gardens were damaged during Hurri-cane Ian and the community has come together to repair/replant the areas. Photo provided
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- The gardens in the courtyard by the Vogue Hair Studio in the Big John Plaza in downtown Cape Coral, above and at right. The gardens were damaged during Hurri-cane Ian and the community has come together to repair/replant the areas. Photo provided