Although Linda and Bill Graham run a toy store, Linda is a natural-born landscape artist with a love for gardening instilled by her mother.

After moving from the historic “Love House” three years ago, Linda and Bill have done a tremendous amount of work on their new Pheasant Meadows home garden on Beverly Way, creating a masterpiece. Their garden has undergone an amazing transformation, offering a fine example of how a subdivision home garden can become a unique, garden oasis.

Their first task was removing the “cinder rock” lying atop landscape cloth that covered bad soil and created a blank pallet. Linda is the gardener, viewing the garden as an artist views a canvas, while Bill is the supporter and analyst. Bill used the computer to create a “virtual garden” to lay out each rock, plant and feature before one blade of soil was turned!  Only when the “canvas was dry,” did they begin turning the spade.

   Evergreens dot much of the garden area with concrete walkways and rock “river beds” becoming the living area, while a forest of flora surrounds them. Linda points-out there are no lines in her garden, but curves and area “pods” to sit, observe, and listen. There is an organic feel in everything, including walkways imbedded with gravel that imply river beds, to huge “bath boulders” that create natural bird baths.

A 10 X 10 wood “window frame” dining patio structure holds an array of bird feeders that acts a “wall” for the side dining patio. An undulating path leading to the back passes under a red fruitless plum trimmed high to show the beauty of the trunk against the deep wood fencing. The left bed offers a weeping white pine hovering over a flowering pomegranate! In the back corner of the garden, a gentle rock stream falls from beneath a Thunderhead Pine, trickling over a boulder and river rock before disappearing.

 A sitting “pod,” as Linda describes it, offers a natural place to stop and is flanked by water on one side and flowering dogwood, perennials, and Hoopsi Blue Spruce on the other. The hot tub, dressed with Akebia vine and purple clematis, engulfs another “window frame.”  Their inviting sun room, built off the master bedroom along the back of the home, has a simple flower bed of snapdragons and roses under its viewing window.  In the distance, beds of evergreen, abelia, barberries and deep bee balm dot in and around the evergreens in back.

 The Graham garden is an oasis reflective of Linda’s passion for texture, leaves, color, variation and love of flower blooms throughout the seasons.  Each selection was well thought-out, with few duplicate plants. Repetition can be found in her design, but it is in texture, color, and size, and not in the plant itself.

Thanks to meticulous planning, Linda and Bill have no regrets. They especially love the garden in the morning when they search for new blooms and growth, mesmerized by the colorful light playing on the plants. Linda’s tip for gardeners is to drive around and take note what you like, what fits your lifestyle and what brings you joy… and then go home and create it!”  It’s obvious that Bill & Linda Graham’s garden brings them joy… as it does anyone fortunate enough to experience it.

     Kay is the owner of Blue Door Garden Store, located at 155 N Third St.  Specializing in paraphernalia for the home gardener; she carries garden gifts, decor, and a wide variety of pots, tools, gloves, and organic product.