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Being pathologically pre-punctual, I was early for my scheduled appointment to see Heather Maynard's garden on an overcast afternoon. I sat down on a weathered birch bench and relaxed to the sounds of bees humming near a hanging basket, and began to write. This garden, in late summer, is a treat for the eyes. The sultry golds and oranges of the marigolds, the soft mauve of the phlox and the exuberant tiger lilies are enthusiastic in their growth and artful in their arrangement. The environment abounds in weathered wood, slate slabs, rocks, and earth-coloured tiles and bricks giving it a park-like ambience. There are hummingbird feeders and windchimes, a lot of driftwood and twig and vine designs and a great assortment of variegated foliage plants that add to the vibrant visual display. It is a welcoming, restful place that Dave and Heather have created. Wherever you look, you are rewarded with a surprise for your sight -- a bare vine wreath here, and there, a gnarly old tub with twigs and cattails arranged in it in artistic abandon. A plant that has adapted well to Atikokan is a rather unlikely one for this climate -- bamboo. Heather got her first plant from her sister in South Hampton, and she has shared it with various residents here who have incorporated it into their gardens. It provides a lush foliage backdrop in two corners of the garden. Heather has created a garden of texture and colour. An especially innovative use of drillcore is the low fencing lining one bed, and laid in a radiating circle as part of the rockwork near the shed. She loves to work in it and now has a craft corner in a garden shed where she can work and look out on the peaceful garden. She has an old canoe mold in one corner, which will fill out with plants and a fountain over the next little while. Like the other gardeners I have spoken with, she told of the devastation wrought by the army worms. But the garden has recovered quite nicely. She has plans in her head for the different areas, where she can fill the area out, and other places where she has to move crowded plants. Always striving for a balance in the garden, she never tires of putzing about in it. And the garden gives back to her its peace and restful quiet thus inspiring on-going creativity that enriches her life and the life of those around her. |
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