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Pretty as a picture by Gwen Ito My garden peaked just yesterday. So sorry you missed it!” That’s how Sharon Barker typically greets visitors to her Clarence garden, but it’s hard to imagine how it could look any better. The self-professed garden addict may be modest about her affinity for growing things, but it’s clear that she has one of region’s greenest thumbs. A walk through the white gate at the driveway’s end reveals the panoply of purple, orange, and yellow flowers, beautifully complemented by the rich green hostas and ferns. Especially ferns. This year, they were abundantly planted in decorative pots to prepare for daughter Sophia’s wedding photos.
Barker, a native Western New Yorker, began fifteen years ago with a small hosta garden. That space now features ten birdhouses and fills just one corner of Barker’s one-acre Eden, which includes everything from holly to Japanese maple trees to several colorful hydrangeas. A garden doesn’t need to be expansive to inspire, nor does it need flowers to intrigue, Barker maintains. The space comes alive thanks to the different colors, textures, and details a gardener chooses. Stone benches and a small goldfish pond adorn the backyard paradise, where neighborhood wildlife visit frequently. On any given day, one might spot deer, chipmunks, and groundhogs enjoying the flowers. “To the deer, my hostas are like salad!” Barker laughs, explaining that she uses an organic spray to discourage nibblers. Barker credits childhood chores for exposing her to nature’s everyday gifts. From age seven, she mowed the grass and pulled out the weeds in her family’s yard. It was the hostas gracing her grandmother’s city garden that made a lasting impact. “The hostas and ferns are my favorites, probably because they look good all season,” Barker says. (She belongs to a Hosta Society, and is also a twenty-five-year member of a local gardening group.) “It’s all trial and error,” she smiles broadly. “The more you look at everything, the better you get at identifying the weeds. And you can’t be afraid of bugs.” Wearing a ladybug visor and purple work gloves, Barker looks every bit the master gardener, and confesses, “I could spend every minute of every day out here. It’s a place to forget about your troubles.” Spring marks the busiest season, the time for cleanup and putting down mulch and fertilizer. May and June are maintenance months, when she’s focused on weeding and deadheading the myriad flowers. July is when all her hard work pays off. “It’s probably my favorite time,” she says. This past July, the payoff was all about the wedding. Ironically, as Barker readied the garden for the big day, a mourning dove built a nest in the planter just outside her side door. For several days, as the new mother bird guarded her babies, Barker prepared to let one of hers go. “The garden looked wonderful the day of the wedding,” the proud mom says. “But my daughter’s radiance outdid beauty of the garden.” Gwen Ito is a freelance writer living in Buffalo. Garden Variety: Passion and profit click here Garden Variety: City companions click here Garden Variety: Otherworldy delights click here Garden Variety: Daylily tripper click here |
