Gardeners in Their Gardens, Part One: The Goddess of Improv

My pal Lee-Anne is easily the most creative gardener I know. We met 15 years ago in Horticulture School, and I have seen her transform more than a few boring, plain or even dilapidated yards into colourful, productive gardens filled with old tin pails, metal folk-art, and once, most memorably, the rusted out cab of a model-T Ford that she had found and then hauled out of the backwoods around Nanaimo.

Her most recent creation surrounds her pretty blue miner's cottage, and works perfectly with its storied surroundings. It is whimsical, with a nod to the past in its antique adornments, including an old toy truck which peaks out between the fronds of a variegated Agropyron.

Fruit and vegetable plants are planted not in rows or raised beds as in most gardens, but instead poke out through flowering plants and intermingle with herbs, shrubs and grasses throughout the garden.

In the back corner the base of an early Singer sewing machine serves as a table on which an old tin pot and kettle are displayed. The effect is homey and comforting, yet still manages to feel fresh.

In every one of Lee-Anne's gardens, I have felt that I am in the presence of a true creative mind, one not bound by trends, but focused instead on function and beauty, and always, always improvisation. Her gardens are built on a budget, and with mostly found materials. They are great examples of what can be done with a little searching around. If you are lucky enough to live in the Nanaimo area, Lee-Anne designs gardens there professionally and can bring her talents to your site.

To achieve the look and feel of a found garden, a good way to begin is to take a look at what is on your site or in your home already that you might re-purpose. Next, search out garage sales, junk shops, demolition yards, and websites like Craigslist for used and inexpensive materials. There is also a great book by Matthew Levesque called 'The Revolutionary Yardscape.' It is full of ideas and examples of found and re-purposed materials in the landscape.

If you have an empty yard and are looking for plant material, many local gardening clubs and public gardens have annual sales with great prices. And of course, you can always ask your gardening friends in spring or fall if they are dividing or getting rid of any excess plants. One of the plants in my garden is a simple yellow daylily that was part of my grandmother's, and then my mother's garden before a piece of it was dug up in spring and split for a spot in my own little yard. By sharing and re-purposing plants and materials, our gardens accumulate a history and narrative of their own, making them richer and more meaningful
places to be.