Susan and her DH purchased their home around 25 years ago and started their gardens with a few bulbs that were planted in the wooded areas. She moved the bulbs to the front of her home and began the creation of her “circle garden.”

Their home is situated on one and a quarter acres. Around half of this is natural wooded areas covered by a canopy of large sugar maples. The other half is lawn and garden beds.

They live in a small suburb of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin with a population of around 14,000 people. They have the feeling of living in a small community but also have easy access to all that a large city has to offer. The City of Milwaukee has a wonderful variety of summer festivals on the Lake Michigan waterfront. There are also good restaurants and arts and theatre. Some of the big name entertainers take part in the largest festival which is the “Summerfest.”

Susan is the gardener but she has an admiration society in her DH and two daughters who are both in college. They all have words of encouragement and praise for her efforts in the garden.

She describes her gardening style as casual, much like her lifestyle. She enjoys trying new things each year, sometimes they are ‘hits’ and other times ‘misses.’ Although she has been gardening for over 20 years she feels that she still has a lot to learn.

She doesn’t have a favourite amongst flowers but she does have a favourite colour which is blue. Last year she planted an all blue bed which included Browallia, Torenia, Blue Ensign Convulvus, Victoria Blue Salvias, Angelmist and Morning Glory. Every year she plants both Snapdragons and Dahlias for cutting to decorate her home.

Spring is most definitely Susan’s favourite season. She loves to watch the rebirth of nature with all its lush, emerald green and seeing the first spring bulbs and perennials popping up in the garden after the long, harsh winter. She describes it as magical at how quickly the transformation takes place.

Susan doesn’t count the hours spent in the garden as work as it gives so much pleasure but she spends around 10 hours per week in her garden. She plants a mixture of annuals, perennials and bulbs. At present she is working on a new shade garden so there is some research to be done before she starts buying perennials for this area.

The patio is a favourite spot for Susan and DH to sit but for an all year round favourite they have a special corner inside their home with large ceiling to floor windows where they can relax, read and admire the view. She can also gain inspiration for her watercolour paintings which very beautifully portray her delightful surroundings.

I asked her if she had been influenced by any other gardens when creating her own and this was her reply:

“One of the things that has influenced me was growing up next to a beautiful, natural woodland area and river. As a child, my sister and I each had a horse. We would take rides on horseback along the river and through the woodlands near our home. This is probably what attracted me most to the wooded areas on our property. I would spend many spring and summer hours playing in the woods and admiring all the beautiful wildflowers that grew there. Soon after my husband and I bought our home, a real estate developer bought the woods right behind my parent’s home. I couldn’t stand to see all the precious wildflowers be destroyed so I dug and transplanted many of them lovingly into my new woods before the bulldozers came. I now have, Dog-tooth violets, wild Geraniums, False Rue, Anenome, Trillium, Prairie Trillium, blue and yellow Violets, Bluebells and Jack-in-the-Pulpits here to remind me of those wonderful childhood days.”

That sounded like an idyllic life and a wonderful memory and congratulations Susan for carrying on the trend of preserving nature’s tiny creations.