Serious Gardening Afoot: An Older Home Gem
Pat Brehaut
Photos by Jon D Brehaut
It was by chance that I discovered a garden gem in the heart of Sherwood Park and met a self-taught gardener whose creativity and skill would be hard to match.
Eugene and Linda Bromberger's front garden was nominated in the Strathcona in Bloom, Front Yard recognition program this past July. The rich colours, large trees and design of the beds and walks are well-suited to this older home and, in themselves, noteworthy. The surprise is in the plantings. Large dracenas add a fountain-like splashs; succulents in pots, peeking from rocks and encircling trees add fascination and delightful texture; annual colour cascades from containers and baskets. The attention to detail is captivating and exciting as a colleague and I explore the garden and do the judging.
Linda happened to be home during this process and, thrilled by the nomination, explained that the work is done by her husband, Eugene. She invited us to look at the back garden, as well. How could we resist? Stepping around the side left no doubt that serious gardening was afoot here, so I arranged to go back for an interview with Eugene. The rusty red paint used on the front deck is carried into the back garden to unite the design. Immaculate beds and borders burst with colour, yet harmonize beautifully. Shapes and textures catch the eye immediately. On closer examination, the planting combinations are perfect and often unusual, such as voodoo lily rings surrounding a crimson barberry. Pineapple lilies grace a delightful circular bed and are accented with blue cerinthe. Eugene admits to a fascination with succulents, and indeed there are some beauties in the back garden.
The planters and decorations throughout the garden were designed and built by Eugene, or carefully selected to balance the design. A large covered patio off the house is the perfect spot for relaxation and some of Eugene's favourite tiny planters.
At the back of the garden, a walk-through greenhouse off the garage is where the work gets done! Eugene enjoys starting plants from seed, overwintering his tender beauties, and even growing tropicals inside throughout the year. He has been at this for some 40 years now and seems to know a thing or two about what he is doing.
When asked what inspires this work, Eugene simply says he loves flowers and gets satisfaction from raising them from seed and watching their performance. For him, as for many gardeners, working in his greenhouse is both stress-relieving and exhilarating. Linda thoroughly enjoys the benefits of her husband's passion and often takes floral bouquets to the office.
The Bromberger's garden won third place in the Sherwood Park Front Yard recognition program this summer. I see this garden as a strong contender if entered in the EHS Garden Competition in 2011.
(Originally published in the Gardener's Gate, September 2010.)