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The Huron Expositor • August 2, 2006 Page 11
Sandra Melady
Old country garden keeps
expanding on Melady property
The following is the fourth _ in a series of
stories about Seaforth-area gardeners,
celebrating Seaforth's first year of partic-
ipation in the Communities in Bloom
competition.
Since she and her husband Mark bought a
century farmhouse on Coleman Street in
Seaforth 16 years ago, Sandra Melady has
been adding gardens throughout the huge 62
by 320 -foot lot.
"I just can't throw anything away. So, I start
another garden. If you have the room, why
not?" she says.
The front yard, framed by a white picket
fence, and its perennial garden closest to the
street is just a taste of the gardens that
extend from the house to the back edge of the
lot by Silver Creek.
With four children, the Meladys' backyard
is an obvious playground with an inground
swimming pool, large playhouse, trampoline
and small basketball court.
But, gardens filled with lilies, black-eyed
Susans echinacea, flox, hostas and even the
occasional goldenrod, add colour throughout.
"Gardening is relaxing to me. It's what
helps me keep my sanity," she says.
With spring as her favourite season in the
garden, Sandra is often up early in the morn-
ing while the rest of the family sleeps rear-
ranging flowers, edging and weeding each
spring.
"Winter's so long. So,every spring, I just
come out and work away before the kids get
up for school," she says.
Sandra doesn't do anything special to add to
the quality of the soil, short of adding the
occasional bag of peat moss.
"Compost would probably help but I haven't
done that. I figure whatever survives, I'll
plant more of. Whatever grows, stays," she
says.
Two canvas gazebos provide shade on a low
deck next to the house and the deck is ringed
with pots, crocks, tins, cans and an old oil
stove, all filled with flowers.
"My husband calls it my old country junk,"
says Sandra.
Using the style of an old country garden ;to
match her 100 -year-old house, Sandra has
artfully positioned old wagon wheels and
other brick-a-brack throughout the yard.
The pots are filled with bright red gerani-
ums and red and white petunias - red is her
favourite colour and coincidentally one of the
main colours for this year's
Communities in Bloom
competition.
With such a huge yard
and. this year's dry sum-
mer, Sandra is having a
tough time getting water to
all her plants and plans to
acquire more rain barrels.
"I used to have a long
enough hose but the dog
got it," she laughs.
She is also challenged by
the shade provided by a
number ofrold maple trees
and therefore has a large.
variety of hostas. She also
tried to get rid of a garden
of goutweed once but had
to replace it when nothing
else would grow there.
"But, with its varigated
leaves, it's pretty," she
says.
By Susan Hundertmark
H. REID ALLEN
ItIZ\IIIIlI.:
RES I ()11.11 ION
& IZI.FI\Iti111\(►
SEAFORTH
527-2717
FARM EQUIPMENT
SEAFORTH
519-527-0120
EXETER
519-235-2121
www.teamvincent.com
DON'T
fORGE*11
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