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A colorful place for flowers, objects and people Photo by Larry Rosengren Faye Garland with her dog Holly in her garden on Faith Avenue. Monday Apr 30, 2018 at 2:01 AM Apr 30, 2018 at 10:38 AM By Ruth SloanAshland Garden Club There are always colorful displays in both front and back gardens of Faye Garland’s home at 842 Faith Ave., the Ashland Garden Club April Garden of the Month. Often plants are flowering, but even on those rare occasions when nothing is in bloom, cheerful objects dot the landscape. The garden was designed and installed three-and-a-half years ago by landscape designer Kelly Eaton of Ashland. Kelly started with a blank slate to create this intriguing garden. The front is primarily a xeriscape, requiring very little irrigation. The entire property is watered by a drip irrigation system. Faye has proclaimed a narrow side yard, protected by a fence and the south side of the house, a “microclimate” where moisture- and heat-loving plants such as coral bells and hellebores thrive. A delightful lawn-like area near the gazebo in back is primarily comprised of English daisies, yarrow, and white clover. It requires little mowing and very little water and looks perfectly charming. It’s easy for people and pets to walk on. After a few initial plantings failed to thrive in the back, revealing an underground stream running through, they were replaced by arctic blue willows that flourish with the extra moisture. A star magnolia dominates the landscape at this time of year. Also in back are red Twigg dogwoods and a shore pine that grows very fast. A witch hazel anchors the right side of the front yard. Other favorite plants include manzanita that is blooming this month, gaura and a non-invasive butterfly bush to bloom in the coming months. Bees love this garden. Faye spends about three hours a week maintaining her garden and enjoys every minute of it. She says she likes to “putter,” moving the colorful objects around to constantly change the view. Her late husband, after observing the stress relief gardening brings her, declared that working in the yard was the “cheapest therapy ever!” — Ruth Sloan is a member of the Ashland Garden Club, which has been selecting Gardens of the Month, from April through September, since 2000. Nominations are gratefully received at [email protected]. Check out the club website at ashlandorgardenclub.wordpress.com, or come to meetings at 12:30 p.m. on the first Monday of the month, October through May, at the Community Center on Winburn Way.