BoomerGirl Diary

Adams barely knew the difference between a dogwood and a redbud until eight years ago, when she purchased her home and began to discover the joys of gardening.

She recalls the humble beginnings of her now lush and welcoming space.

“The yard looked nothing like this,” she says. “The previous owners had two huge dogs and a chain-link fence around the perimeter. It clearly needed something, and I knew it would be a big something.

“So I sat with that space for a season and then began in phases. I couldn’t even keep houseplants. But this space intrigued me. This was my spot to cultivate this unknown hobby.”

And cultivate she has done.

But when Adams speaks of her garden, it’s clearly not about a pretty flower here and a bare area that needs attention over there. Her landscape is more of a spiritual journey, an everyday awakening to the outdoor life that shares her address.

For instance, the garden is full of giant boulders that Adams has placed meticulously in just the right locations, facing certain directions and creating specific angles. Her quest to communicate with her garden seeps into each winding path, pebble, plant and art. She explains the importance of one particular piece of artwork.

Photo Gallery

Spiritual growth

“If my sculptures get past Quan Yin, then they get to stay. She is the goddess of this area of the backyard,” Adams says. “In fact, I had to return a sculpture because Quan Yin thought she was a prima donna and could not share the same space with her. When I returned that sculpture to the shop and explained why, they thought I was crazy.”

Maybe Adams’ need to create a contented grouping of hardscapes and flora is indicative of her career. As a chiropractor, she continually deals with pain and a need to realign that which has veered off track.

“Some days, I deal with more pain than others, so it is nice to come home to the garden where there isn’t any pain,” she says. “There is a great source of renewal — the connection with the earth and the energy exchange. There is almost an immediate feedback in gardening, and yet patience and tolerance and learning to let go all have their roles as well.”

A Buddha in a meditative position is nestled next to a mossy rock. Huge ferns perched atop giant urns add to the lush, almost Oregonian feel of the garden. In another corner stands a sculpture of a woman who appears to be stretching, as if awaking from a lovely mid-day slumber. A weeping birch trunk zig-zags, leaving one marveling at Mother Nature’s sense of humor.

“I think art is one of those things that really feeds you,” Adams says. “The gardens are sculptural, but the human form in conjunction with the plant design makes it more personal. It really is about the energy.

“My art keeps me company and it portrays my personality, which is something plants cannot necessarily do. Plus, I love supporting artists.”

The garden boasts plenty of three-dimensional art. In particular, Adams gravitates toward faces and figures; there are nine faces in the garden. The first was a bronze she found quite unexpectedly that now peers at visitors while snuggled in the rocks of the large water garden. One mammoth pot has lips and the beginnings of a nose. An overgrown fern growing inside looks like a whimsical and unruly hairdo that finishes the look.

Most of Adams’ plants love shade.

“(Shade gardens) seem more serene, and they don’t dry out as fast,” she says. “Plus, texturally, shade plants are so interesting.”

Her garden is brimming over with Japanese maples, elderberry, buckthorn, false astilbe, pagoda dogwoods, oakleaf hydrangeas, sweet bay magnolias, anemones, hostas, witch hazel and a splash of color with caladiums. It appears much more mature than a mere 8-year-old garden, and it would have you imagine that a life-long gardener was behind its conception. And yet, a newbie created this place.

When asked if taking on such a formidable project was daunting, Adams says that never occurred to her.

“I love that people can appreciate it,” she says. “I love that I feel so comfortable here. It is a bit like when I decided to go back to school to become a chiropractor. I didn’t question it; it just seemed like my path.

“The same is true with this space. It is just a path I had to take, and by doing this I’ve got a better appreciation of forms, texture, scale, nature and art in general.”