A Gardner ’ s Passion
by Ann Hemphill
My first interest in gardening started in the early 60 ’ s when I was walking to school . A garden behind a chainlink fenced fascinated me , especially what I called the “ Cotton Candy ” plant because it had a pink fluffy plume like cotton candy . Twenty-five years later I learned it was “ Queen of the Prairie ” and I had to plant it in my garden . I can still see myself leaning against another chainlink fence watching Vera Estey working in her gardens . Her yard was magical to me and that is where my love for Spring bulbs and Peonies began .
It wasn ’ t until the early 80 ’ s that I started a garden of my own . Our front and side yards were a blank slate . I dug up a strip of grass , my husband built an arbor , and I planted my first flower garden . I knew nothing about perennials so through trial and error I learned about landscaping and which perennials grew in my zone .
Within the next few years my husband planted many different types of trees , fruit trees , a hedge of Rugosa roses and raspberry bushes on the property . Next to three sides of the house I dug new beds . I was given my first Hosta plants , which in time has become my favorite perennial .
After the trees grew too large in my first garden for sun loving plants , I dug a new bed in the center of the front yard that had no trees and transferred plants . Now my hunt for different varieties of Hosta plants started because I had to add plants to the empty shade garden . That center garden became my “ Cottage Garden ”, and was later expanded four more times to accommodate growing plants . Every time I dug up a new section to expand , I planted Spring bulbs . From this garden I have given many car trunk loads of plants away to friends and strangers . From friends and strangers I received many perennials I didn ’ t have , which was a great gift and a beginning of new friendships .
Off to the opposite side of the house I had a little knoll that was a nuisance to mow so I created a Zen Garden using pea gravel . My husband dug up Cedar trees and planted a hedge behind this garden . It is small but very serene .
A “ Children ’ s Garden ” was made for my grandchildren , and I laid patio squares for a glider , school desk and rocking horse in the shade . In the sunny section I made a hopscotch out of cement squares , put in a bed of peonies and started a kids vegetable garden . My granddaughters didn ’ t have much interest in the vegetable garden so I replaced it with roses and other sun loving plants the next year . Once I found a chalk message on my patio saying “ Your gardens are so cool !”, from a young boy . What a sweet surprise for me . Two of my granddaughters and I each made a stepping stone for the pathway .
I learned how to start my own shrubs off the ones I had , so a shrub garden was created when they got big enough to be transplanted . By then I had started to collect garden ornaments from thrift stores , garage sales and antique stores . I
20 SUMMER 2017