Retired neurologist Dr. Fred Payne of Bethlehem leans on a shovel in the Peterson Rehabilitation Hospital and Geriatric Center garden he designed and installed alongside other members of the Ohio County Master Gardener club. Photos by Heather Ziegler

When Dr. Fred Payne retired from neurosurgery, he traded his scalpel for a garden shovel. The results have been nothing short of miraculous. Payne, a resident of Wheeling and native of Canada, with urging from some friends, joined the Ohio County Master Gardener program. Through this group, Payne and fellow master gardeners have transformed a simple, barren lot next to Peterson Rehabilitation Hospital and Geriatric Center into a horticultural work of art. These gardeners-turned-volunteers had the blessing of the Peterson administration to bring to life not just a garden, but several gardens all in one. In addition to Payne, the collaborators in the ongoing effort are Mary Lee Boyd, vice president of the Ohio County Master Gardener group, Frank McNeil, Roe Jewell, Sandra and Don Hebrank, Pat Barbeau, Mary Lou Ward, Lorrie, Ross, Claire MacDonald, Mary Ellen Pusz, Carolyn Forrester, Jeannie Dunlap, Michelle Latos, Brianne Jewell, Betty Graham and Doris Albrecht. Then there are a host of people at Peterson who give their time and talents to further the project. They include the residents of Peterson as well. Employee Karen Schultz helped with a seed ball project, challenging Peterson residents to make the seed balls that eventually became a part of the garden. Schultz also painted bowling balls that add a bit of whimsy to the landscape.