By By ERIKA PICKLES / Niles Daily Star
NILES – History and memories are at home in the gardens at John and Michelle Stauffer's home.
Big, colorful plants and bushes line her beautifully-landscaped backyard in Ballard Hills, a lot of which are from the gardens of family members and friends.
One peony bush, for example, is around 200 years old.
"It was originally at the home of my friend Marlene's great, great, great, great grandmother," Stauffer explained.
Other plants and bushes came from the home of Stauffer's mother and father, who have since passed away. She also has plants from her mother-in-laws house.
"They are my memorial gardens. It's a place where I can remember my family and keep some of their favorite items with me," she said, pointing to some of the plants that came from her parents' home, including a Miss Kim lilac and Judith Day lilies. "And the lavender. My dad loved lavender and the birds do, too."
Another plant, a Chicago luster viburnum, tells a very interesting story.
When Stauffer's sister was ill, she found the plant and thought it would make a great gift for her sister.
"I didn't know anything about it. It was expensive, but I liked it. She (her sister) called me one day and was telling me how much she enjoyed it. It had big beautiful white flowers and she really liked it. Not long after that she passed away suddenly," Stauffer continued, saying she never mentioned anything to anyone about the plant and how she wished she could have one to remember her sister by.
"I would often wonder if loved ones were in our presence when they passed away. I would ask for some kind of sign to be thrown my way, letting me know they were still around."
And one day, Stauffer got her answer.
"I was out of town and when I arrived back home, there was this big bush in my driveway. I wondered where it came from and as I got closer I realized it was a Chicago luster viburnum," the same plant Stauffer bought for her sister. "I found out my friend Marlene bought it for me. I called to thank her and asked her how she knew. 'Knew what?' she said and I told her about the plant."
Marlene happened to be shopping one day and wanted to buy Stauffer a plant of some kind. "She didn't want to spend a lot of money, but didn't know why something kept drawing her back to that plant. She looked at others, but said it was like something kept pulling her back to that one, so she bought it." And now the big viburnum sits among the gardens of the Stauffers' backyard.
Stauffer, who is a master gardner and also took landscape design classes, created all the backyard, which featured nothing but a pile of grass clippings when her and her husband moved in three years ago.
"They had just been throwing grass clippings in the back for five years, and we had to clean all of it up. We can't fit a truck back here," as the entire back yard is fenced in, "so we had to do a lot of wheel-barreling," she said.
Stauffer admitted her yard is an on-going project, but the two enjoy watching the birds and butterflies and enjoy the peaceful setting.
Features of the yard include what Stauffer calls a "red bed," which includes different kinds of red plants. She also has a wide variety of hostas, a lot of which she purchased from Shady Oaks in Minnesota, as they carry hostas which cannot be found anywhere else. Another bed features blue and pink plants, which flow into different yellow flowers. Though the yard is beaming with color, Stauffer said she really likes the green plants. "I like the look of different greens and the texture of the plants, but I can live without color," she said.
Stauffer also admitted she is steering clear of annuals. "I just want beautiful plants that will come back year round," she explained.
And that they do. In fact, Stauffer's gardens have color during the spring, summer and fall months, as each plant has a different peak time.
Stauffer credits her parents for her love of gardening.
"Mom and dad were always planting and it drove me nuts, but as I got older I really found a love in gardening. When I have a stressful day or just need some alone time, I come work in my garden. It's like meditation for me," Stauffer continued.
"When my son was younger, I would always try to get him to garden with me and he did not want to. Now he's older, lives on his own and wants to start doing his yard," probably with a little help from mom.
In the meantime, the Stauffers will continue to enjoy the beauty, chirping birds and memories their backyard getaway provides.