Gary and Conny Jay’s garden started 23 years ago as a small flower bed, created under a tree to make mowing easier. Over the years it grew, right along with their knowledge of gardening and their desire to create a peaceful retreat around their home. The Jay residence has also been an in-home family childcare center for many years, so they purposefully focused on growing a yard that was also a safe and fun environment for children of all ages. Feast your eyes on the detailed beauty of this special place as the Jays answer some of our questions about the history and development of their unique garden.
Maple Grove Magazine: What accounts for all the delightful whimsy in your garden?
Conny: Some of the art elements in the garden are simply expressions of creative energy, put together from elements found in nature, at garage sales and secondhand stores. Other elements represent a memory, a gift, a person or event in our lives. For example, there is a set of 40-year-old wall ornaments from Gary's mother that have been made into a trellis for clematis vines. There are many rocks collected on trips and some that were gifts (along with a story) for Gary's 60th birthday. We have iron art from Smith Brother's Landing in Pepin [Wisconsin] and from Francis Metal Works here in Osseo.
Gary: The brick patio, fence and shed have memories of when Conny's parents visited from Germany and laid the patio and built the shed and fence. The history of our garden goes on and on.
MGM: How do you share the labor in this space?
Gary: We both share in picking plants and design, though it is mostly Conny who tends to the vegetable and flower gardens.
MGM: Has the children’s play area always been a part of the space?
Conny: When our first grandchild was 3, he and Gary worked together to build the tree fort—a source of great memories for both of them. In season, they occasionally sleep up in the fort.
MGM: How do you choose your plants?
Conny: We have mostly perennials, some gifts, some purchased and many traded for at the annual Maple Grove perennial exchange. For summer color we use large planters filled with a collection of different coleus. In the fall, clippings are rooted and overwintered on our porch and kitchen bay window. The amaryllis collection is summered outdoors in two old red wagons and brought inside for indoor bloom in late winter when we really need a bit of color.
MGM: Is the garden only in the back yard?
Conny: The entire property is used for gardens and accents. The children use the entire yard for play, and they pick and eat the berries from the red currant bush, as well as feast on chives (and the fresh veggies from the garden). We do not use chemicals. They learn to respect the flower beds and not trample the plants, but to enjoy their beauty and scents.
Gary Jay takes great pleasure in photographing the flowers and other elements in the garden. You can visit these and his other works at garyrieks.artistwebsites.com.
