After entering through a wooden gate built into an archway, visitors of Connie Wandler's backyard are at once transported into what she describes as her "oasis."
The word oasis usually conjures up mental images of exotic retreats in the middle of barren deserts and while North Battleford is by no means an uncultivated dustbowl, it feels fair and fitting to hear Wandler describe her yard that way. This is because Wandler's exotic backyard does stand out of the North Battleford norm of plants from hardiness zone 3b.
The tropical atmosphere the yard evokes is due in no small part to the swimming pool surrounded by super-sized planters full with burgundy and lime fronds of Canna lillies and an unusual palm-looking tree at the centre of the yard. Wandler says visitors often joke and ask her if palm trees grow in Saskatchewan now, but she says it's just an old Elm tree whose branches began to grow stick-straight in all directions after a particularly aggressive pruning a few years ago.
The remaining trees are one of the only elements in the backyard that wasn't overhauled when the Wandlers' backyard project began in 2007. That year, they sold their cottage at the lake and had their pool installed. Since then, she says, it's been a constant process.
The small tradeoff between cottage and pool was also part of a deal made between Wandler's husband and grandchildren, she says.
"They said 'Grandpa, if you sell the cabin then you need to get a pool' and so we did."
The deal has seemed to work out ok for the Wandlers. The backyard (and the pool) is a huge hit with their grandkids, so they get to see them often.
While more time with their grandkids has been one bonus to selling the cottage, Wandler also finds that, since she's been able to focus on only one yard to maintain, she's been able to get back to her gardening roots and try new things.
"I grew up with flowers. My mom had African violets and Lady's Slipper (orchids). There were plants in the house and a yard full of flowers. I've always been around them and now," she laughs,"it's an obsession."
And It’s an obsession that always has her looking for inspiration and new ideas.
"We’ve gone to Hawaii lots and I love the tropical plants,” says Wandler. “It’s definitely an influence and hibiscus is in bloom there all the time.”
Wandler says she tries to add something every year so that the backyard is always different. While some of the pots housing the tropical plants that have come to be the Wandlers' staple get moved inside over the winter, the real experimenting happens in the greenhouse, where Wandler grows hard-to-find plants from seed that she’s been wanting to try.
And sometimes it’s as if tropical plants are drawn to Wandler just as much as she is to them.
“Last year we went last year to the dump to take grass clippings and someone had just thrown them out” Wandler says pointing to two large yucca shrubs in planters surrounding the newly built deck.
Sometimes one person’s trash is another person’s treasure and, Wandler says with emphasis, "plants are treasures."