The home that her and DH bought had a very neglected garden with everything growing in the wrong places. They were married in their home and moved in shortly after.
Arlene was so eager to start growing things that she liked but found that she had a lot to learn as many of the Garden Centres sell annuals long before they can go into the ground. This was something she didn’t understand so she suffered a lot of casualties. During the first few years in their home they relocated some plants and got rid of others which came with the original garden. To this day she still has a few of the original shrubs including two hydrangeas.
The garden was made up of mainly lawn with a small amount of garden but for the last couple of years Arlene has been chjipping away and at a guess she thinks she has it to around 80% grass and 20% flowerbeds. She received a magazine from Monique where the writer suggested that 80% flower beds and 20% lawn was about right but Arlene doesn’t think her DH would be in agreeance with this. ‘Funny how lot’s of men like lawns’ But Arlene’s DH gets someone else in to mow the lawns and he tends to all the pruning.
As far as her favourites amongst shrubs and trees, well Arlene just loves her weeping cherry but the flowers are short lived and the same goes for her lilac tree. She thinks that her two butterfly bushes will come out on the top of her favourites list because of their scent and their length of flowering and also because she just loves the butterflies that they attract.
For quite a few years Arlene was a volunteer teacher at their local school and taught the grade one children all about bulbs and seeds and they even dissected a rhododendron flower and learnt all the different parts and what purpose they were for. She led different groups in making planters for the school. They also made a Butterfly Garden at the front of the school which is still maintained today.
When she purchases pot plants her DD loves to add her creative touch to them by painting designs and a lovely job she has done too. On nursery shopping sprees it is DD who is Arlene’s conscience and makes sure she doesn’t over purchase.
When I asked Arlene if she has a particular gardening style she replied “obsessive and impact come to mind, I garden for colour and I am not tolerant of things that disappoint me so if I don’t like the way something looks after a couple of summers, I will yank it out as there is far too much that I want to try without wasting space on things which disappoint.”
Good luck with all your future endeavours Arlene and I know that your garden will always be a
Kaleidoscope of colour and thank you for showing us around. You have been a very helpful and obliging Buddy.
Arlene grew up in apartment buildings where she only had houseplants. She has always been intrigued by colourful flowers and gardens.
Their home is in a neighbourhood with long blocks of houses on both sides of the street so she feels very lucky that they are facing a parkland with recreational equipment. Just a short walk over the road for a game of tennis or basketball.
Perennials are high on her list because of their staying power and the fact that they multiply and can be divided and given away but she uses lots of annuals for their bright colours and the length of their flowering time. Basically she goes for lots of colour for impact in her garden.
She loves bulbs for all seasons and it is only of recent times that she has begun planting Iris and we have all seen the magnificent blooms she has posted on the forum.
She mainly fits her gardening in over the weekends although she would love to be out there much more but she has a very busy schedule with full time work, PTA meeting,. Professional meetings and walking.
She has lots of birds in her garden and loves to listen to their songs in the early morning. She has a bird feeder to encourage them. She doesn’t use sprays because of the environment and the damage they do to man and beast. At the most she uses insecticidal soap but tries to plant only things that are disease and pest resistant.