When Lori bought her house in Osawatomie, KS she knew she had a lot of work ahead of her, but the opportunity to live near her grandchildren was persuasive. Initially the work kept her inside, making the home livable. However, as the indoor projects became tiresome Lori made her way outdoors and began transforming the landscape into a space she could enjoy with her grandchildren.
With any project there will come challenges and Lori had her share with this new yard. The slope of the backyard directed draining water from the neighborhood straight to her back door. Additionally, this space, which formerly served as a play yard for an in-home daycare, was a giant sandbox. Though this sandy, sloped backyard was a new challenge for Lori, as an experienced gardener she was ready to get creative.
Lori hired a skid steer operator to adjust the slope of the backyard. Though he struggled to see her vision, Lori directed him to create upper and lower, more level, garden areas. She knew retaining walls were essential to keep the garden in place but struggled to decide what material to use to create them. To buy herself some time she used recycled materials, such as pallets, spindles from an old stairway and scrap lumber, to build temporary support.
Compaction from the skid steer and all that sand meant Lori had to amend the soil prior to planting. As a soil lover Lori recognized the value of compost. She maintains a large pile of compost and did some deep-digging to integrate it into the landscape. Lori continues to add compost to the gardens annually and calls it “a layer of icing on the cake.”
Selecting plants has also been a challenge due to the remaining slopes but after two years of renovations Lori hosted her first garden party at “Grandma’s House”. She invited friends as well as locals she barely knew to enjoy a garden tour and pie. Lori took pleasure seeing others enjoy this space she created and affectionately refers to this as her “victory lap”.
Taking full advantage of this opportunity, Lori involved her grandchildren in the learning. Lessons such as “measure once and cut twice” (this is not a typo!) and “eyeballing” gave the children freedom to take risks and learn from mistakes. It also gave them ownership of the space. Lori has observed how the gardens have allowed everyone to slow down and watch for changes as well as find beauty in the small things.
Some of Lori’s takeaways from this garden makeover:
- Once a gardener always a gardener.
- Break big projects up into smaller ones.
- Keep your vision even if others can’t see it.
- Things don’t have to be perfect to be perfectly wonderful.
- Compost is king.
- Family is priceless.
Thank you, Lori, for sharing your story.
GARDEN SPOTLIGHT Request: Let us share your garden story so we can all grow together. Email Cynthia at cdom@ksu.edu to tell your story.