Backyard oasis

If you live on a city lot and think you have no room for a garden, think again. I recently had the pleasure of strolling through Randy Palmer’s garden, and it is filled with all sorts of take-home ideas.

As I walked with him down the driveway of his northwest Spokane home, little did I know what was waiting for me in the backyard. Once I saw the entrance framed by a grape-covered arbor, I knew I was in for something special.

“Gardening became a passion of mine after I retired from the military and was able to move into my first home ever,” Palmer said. “I’ve been working at creating an enjoyable space, which has been an ongoing process.”

Now employed with the Washington Deptartment of Corrections, he’s found gardening to be a stress reliever.

“I love being able to come back to the garden at the end of a day, relax and go to another place,” he said. “I strongly believe that once you allow gardening to come into your life, it will change your whole perspective.”

The focal point of his backyard is a large gazebo, covered with attractive curtains for privacy and filled with comfy chairs. This outdoor living room gives Palmer’s family and friends the opportunity to relax and visit. The outer corners of the structure are defined by plantings of feather reed grass and the surrounding bed of Siberian iris, astilbe and heucheras soften the edges.

Throughout the garden are tidy beds edged with basalt rocks and meandering pathways. He grows a pleasing mix of perennials, annuals, shrubs and small accent trees.

On the east side of his garden, Palmer is growing a productive vegetable garden in five raised beds. Crops include zucchini, bush beans, cucumbers, peppers, eggplants, and two unusual veggies: Asian yardlong beans and bitter melon.

“I grow those for my wife, Leonora, who is from the Philippines and enjoys cooking with them,” he said.

Palmer is also trying his hand at straw bale gardening. He has three straw bales planted with six grafted tomatoes. He is pleased with how they’re doing so far and likes how the bales retain moisture better than containers do.

One of the most delightful surprises is his “secret garden.”

“I decided to avoid letting the area behind my garage turn into a dumping ground,” he said. “I wanted an area, away from everything, that you could retreat to.”

This garden room is shaded by a large pergola covered with grapevines. To add some ambience and privacy, he covered the back fence with reed grass fencing and also placed a small water feature at one end to provide soothing sounds. The area has plenty of seating for visiting with family, friends and neighbors.

And speaking of neighbors, Palmer’s enthusiasm for gardening has already had a positive impact on the young couple living behind him.

“Now they’re interested in gardening and have already built some garden beds,” he said.

What’s next on his list of landscaping plans? He wants to remove his existing front yard and is mulling over design ideas.

Palmer enjoys encouraging others to get involved in gardening and experience the joy of it.

“To create an area outside of the home that you can call a sanctuary, where you can walk through your creations, and where you can plant something and watch it mature, is one of the biggest thrills of life, besides having children,” he said.