Gardens, gardens everywhere! Story by Tania Moffat, photos by Dorothy Dobbie


J


on and Pat Brehaut share a passion for gardening. It’s more than a hobby; it’s relaxing and deeply satisfying. “Gardening should move you, and inspire you to greater


things,” says Pat. Their inspiration for greater things is evident when you


look at their Sherwood Park property. The most visible difference is the absence of lawn. Neither the front nor the back is graced with a blade of grass. A trade in which the Brehauts definitely came out ahead. Street side, they traded a lush lawn for the gentle sway


of Karl Foerster and Overdam grasses and a graceful Tolle- son’s Weeping Blue Juniper, colourful ground covers, ever- greens such as dwarf mugo pine, juniper, cypress and yew, textured shrubs and perennials. Spots bare of greenery are filled with shredded bark mulch, but the eyes focus on the dry stream bed, which is carried off by rocks of assorted sizes and complimented by the placement of driftwood, an abandoned boat and other ornamentation. “We often get passers-by stopping to chat about the


garden and the children in the area also love to stop and look. They enjoy our ornaments,” says Pat of their unique front yard. The backyard is just as stunning, though in a more relaxed manner. It’s inviting with surprises and interesting plant-


localgardener.net


A dry stream bed is the focal point of the front yard.


Mounds of perennials and shrubs replace lawn. Beautiful Gardens 2015 • 13


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