A Glimpse Of The Garden

By Nancy K. Crevier

“A Glimpse Of The Garden” is a miniseries focusing on the heart of a gardener’s work — a special spot, an extraordinary plant, a place of respite, or a place that evokes a heartfelt memory. What is down the garden path of your friends and neighbors? What is down your garden path?

Ten-foot-tall dogwoods grown from seed line the driveway and a wall of heritage roses cascades over the picket fence where Carol Polcyn’s driveway ends. The wooden steps leading up to her front door are a mélange of greenery and blossoms culminating in a restful oasis consisting of a tiny table and chair where she can escape the summer sun and still enjoy the serenity of her property.

“There are many special things in my gardens,” said Ms Polcyn. But it is through the picket fence gateway and down still more greenery-strewn steps to the pool where she has created a haven for reading and reveling in the quiet of the day. Surrounding the pool and deck chairs is a lush border of flowers. In early July, airy pink coral bells mix with white daisies, phlox, snapdragons, day lilies, fairy rosebushes, and bright yellow coreopsis. Succulent sedum and chicks and hens crouch low to the ground, taking second seat to the brilliant summer flowers, but ready to send up blossoms as summer wanes.

This garden plot contains a certain plant that is very dear to her, a variety of flower known as candy tuft. The lavender flowers stand about a foot and a half tall on delicate stems, and clusters of them peek out from behind the sprays of daisies, waving gently over a rough stone path. “These are from my dad’s garden in Chicago,” she explained. “I took them about 30 years ago, and although they are really an annual, they self-seed every year, as long as we don’t use any dangerous sprays.”

Like fellow Newtown gardener and writer Sydney Eddison, said Ms Polcyn, she has learned to let her garden dictate to her and maintains it as simply as she can.

“It’s an English style, natural garden,” explained Ms Polcyn. “Seldom a day goes by that I don’t spend at least an hour in my garden, but I don’t want the garden to control me.

“It’s a very relaxing and tranquil in this spot. I can come down here and listen to the birds sing, and read,” Ms Polcyn said. “I enjoy my garden.”

That is what is down the garden path at Carol Polcyn’s.