Jeff Ayers, Indianapolis, is a waiter, musician and writer.
I moved into my little Broad Ripple bungalow about 20 years ago. Behind my backyard is a gravel alley that connects the two side streets that border my block. And right off this alley is a strip of land between two rental properties that had, over the years, become a real blemish. There was a junk car nestled among tall, scrubby mulberry trees in the area, which was overgrown with weeds and littered with trash blown in by the wind.
Eventually, the car was removed. I cleaned up the area a little bit and planted a few vegetables and flowers in a small patch. Then, in 2004, a new neighbor bought the house next to mine. He had a college pal, Dave Frohbieter, who also moved in.
Dave and I had both been avid gardeners for many years. But moving to this wonderful neighborhood inspired us to "up our game" because we're on the same block as the house and walk-through garden that belonged to Karl "The Flower Man" Theilig (who died at age 96 in 2003). This beautiful, historic property was designed like an English garden, only with plants and flowers that do well in our Hoosier climate. Karl began his landscaping business here in 1935, which grew to include selling perennials, annuals and cut flowers. Today, the business is run by his daughter, Helen.
Shortly after Dave moved here, he and I decided to combine forces, and we began to work in earnest to turn the area adjacent to our alley into a full-fledged flower and vegetable garden. Because we did not seek permission from either actual landowner, we called our project "The Squatters' Garden." (Since that time, we've met both of these folks, and they're quite pleased with the transformation.)
Our mutual friend, Sean Gelarden, brought in many large rocks to use in the border we created. Dave's brother, who works for the National Parks Service, helped us cut down the mulberry trees and expertly set our mini- boulders into the ground. A neighbor pulled out a pernicious mulberry stump and roots with his truck. We used cut logs and rocks for the border, and built tiers on one side with smaller stones, bricks and pieces of concrete statuary. These tiered sections are for annuals and shorter perennials. A series of little paths runs through the garden.
Early on, Dave and I decided we would divvy up the responsibilities: Dave primarily works on the flowers, and I am responsible for the vegetables. We jokingly refer to each other as "the Flowerstinians" and "the Vegraelis," though our level of cooperation and good friendship is far greater than our Mideast counterparts.
Dave and I have made improvements to the Squatters' Garden each year. This past year we cleared out an extra 15-foot-by-15-foot shaded section primarily for hostas. We also constructed two wire-fence compost bins. The garden itself is a strip of land approximately 18 feet wide and 60 feet long. We've packed it full with a variety of flowers, vegetables and fruits.
No comments:
Post a Comment