The Citizen, 2010-05-06, Page 16PAGE 16. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 6, 2010.Organized chaos is this couple’s garden secret
While gardening isn’t for
everyone, in many cases, people
develop their green thumbs, they
aren’t born with them.
In the case of Paul Johnston and
his wife Christine Atkinson of
Auburn, it all started with an
agreement.
Shortly after taking Atkinson as
his wife, Johnston agreed that he
would share his new wife’s passion
for gardening as she had agreed to
share his passion for motorcycles.
Shortly after getting married, the
couple moved into their current
home that occupies the roadside end
of a block of real estate along Huron
County Road 25.
This makes their garden a very
visible hobby to both residents and
people just passing through.
Over the course of their gardening
careers, however, the pair have lived
by a few simple rules that aren’t
often observed in the world of
gardening.
They call their gardening scheme
“organized chaos” saying that
different types of flowers or plants
are often planted around the
property, in a certain order, but not
one you would find in a gardening
magazine.
They plant tulips where they’d like
to see tulips. They aren’t necessarily
all together, sometimes they’re
beside this plant, other times, they’re
beside another. In some areas there
are a lot, in other areas, there may
only be a few (although it’s unlikely,
as they have now reached over 1,100
tulips throughout the entire
property).
Basically, they do what they want.
There is a rhyme and reason and an
ultimate grand scheme, but only they
know exactly what it is.
In fact, in some places throughout
the garden, some one-offs will just
be planted periodically around the
yard to pepper in some flavour
throughout the garden.
In addition, when it comes to
material, Atkinson says she and her
husband are far from connoisseurs.
The couple will often find
interesting plants at garage sales or
at end-of-season sales at reduced
prices and incorporate them into
their gardens.
They often invest in flat-packs of
18 perennials, frequently containing
plants they’ve never heard of, just to
see how they come in and where
they can fit them. The couple has
also been known to find themselves
in conversations with fellow
gardeners and when they leave, it
never seems to be empty-handed.
Due to the public nature of their
garden, the two have had their share
of visits from fellow gardening
enthusiasts as well as visitors who
have just wanted to take in the
beauty of the garden.
There have been several
graduation and wedding photo
shoots in their garden, as well as at
least one family sitting down for a
picnic.
“I was in the house one day and I
was coming out to do some tidying
up and there was a family having
lunch at our picnic table,” Atkinson
said. “I came out and did my
cleaning and then went back in.
They must have thought it was a
park or something, but I didn’t want
to interrupt their meal.”
Another goal is that the pair
always aim to add something new to
the garden every year, this has
earned them fans who anticipate
their additions and will often stop by
after spotting the couple’s latest
addition. This year, in addition to
beefing up their tulip population,
Johnston built and installed a
pergola.
The pair classify their garden as
being comprised of several mini-
gardens. Two are shaped as cat’s
eyes, two like a cat’s ears, one like a
butterfly, and the list goes on.
One of the garden’s main
ingredients is its tulips and that’s
where Johnston comes in. Atkinson
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Getting it done
Paul Johnston and Christine Atkinson of Auburn have gradually grown their garden year by
year, now owning up to over 1,100 tulips alone in their garden. (Shawn Loughlin photo)
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
Continued on page 17