HILLSDALE - Marriages, like gardens, flourish when they are tended with care.
After a year and a half of tying the knot, Craig and Susie Burchfield have found that as their love grows for one another, so do their flower gardening skills.
The newly married couple has found serenity in flower gardening together in their retirement years. They met on treadmills at the Hillsdale County Senior Services Fitness Center. Now, they do more walking outside and have since turned their side and back yards at 21 Warren St., Hillsdale, into a cozy and peaceful haven.
"Two years ago I had a large neglected deck that came off the back of the house," Craig Burchfield said. "We met at the same time. It wasn't a plan - it just happened."
Whether he's referring to the relationship or the garden, one can only speculate, but the birds that visit the backyard haven are grateful for the colorful playground they frequent.
"It's a lot of work, but it's worth it," he said.
With tall 30-year arborvitaes to hide in while five bird feeders are filled daily, everything from gold finches to hummingbirds visit the garden. The idea came to add three more arborvitaes, then another rose of Sharon bush, beebombs and more, showing a nurturing touch for gardening in the small area that blooms year-round.
"It's always evolving," Susie Burchfield said. "We have black-eyed Susans, geraniums, munson, coleus and begonia. It all just happened from redoing the deck. And, we started with one bird feeder."
The couple enjoys sitting inside as well as outside. But if they're inside looking out the sliding doors onto the deck, they are distracted away from their television.
"It's like live entertainment," Susie Burchfield said. "In the winter we have woodpeckers with their red bellies, along with blue jays and finches. It just goes to show that people with a patio and sliding glass doors can create a little haven, making an exciting place out of a small area."
One thing does lead to the next, they admitted. After putting in a stone walkway along the side of the house, flower gardens began to expand, wrapping around the house.
Craig said he really didn't have any interest in flowers until retirement. After working at Hillsdale Tool 34 years, he finds the activity relaxing and satisfying. Susie, also retired, worked in customer service at Fairway Products for 39 years.
They are grateful for their newfound love for each other and their shared love for flower gardening and all that it brings, noting that "it keeps growing."
Friend Florence Arnold said she was astounded by the beauty of the small space outside on the couple's deck.
"I talked them into sharing what they've done after seeing it for myself," Arnold said. "It really goes to show how flowers add to the beauty of our homes."
The Link LonkSeptember 01, 2020 at 09:42PM
https://www.hillsdale.net/news/20200901/couple-nurtures-flower-garden
Couple nurtures flower garden - The Hillsdale Daily News
https://news.google.com/search?q=Flower&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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