The Gardens of NoCo: Jeanne Garofalo
Shannon Howard | Feb 16, 2010 | Comments 4
If you’ve driven along Elizabeth Avenue in Ferguson, chances are you’ve seen the picturesque garden of Jeanne Garofalo. Started 25 years ago as a buffer between the busy roadway and Jeanne’s charming 110-year-old home, this colorful space proves that you can achieve big impact even in a small yard.
The style of the garden is definitely “cottage,” marked by casual drifts of heirloom flowers and a rambling, informal layout. But there’s also a strategic plan at work…more garden beds mean less lawn to mow!
Jeanne, a retired teacher and master gardener, has reserved one little fenced area for her dogs, but otherwise nearly every inch of her property offers some kind of blooming delight. What’s incredible is that she not only built the entire garden by herself, but she managed to do so while also raising three children and staying very active in the community.
She taught in the Ferguson-Florissant School District for 27 years, then went on to serve on the school board for another ten. Now she’s just enjoying the fruits of her labor, eagerly awaiting another growing season!
I took these photos of her garden in June 2004, so some things have changed since then. But I promise, come summer, this little jewel on the corner of Robert Avenue will still offer a beautiful bounty of both sun- and shade-loving plants. Be sure to keep an eye out for it!
Filed Under: Farm & Garden
I love beautiful gardens like this instead of yards. That’s the norm rather than the exception in the City of Portland (OR), where people don’t want yards to mow and the weather is great for growing amazing plants and flowers all year long. It makes way more sense to have something pretty instead of polluting with fertilizer and a lawnmower to have plain old grass. It’s also a nice way to distinguish the city from the ‘burbs!
ALways enjoy this garden as we walk the streets of Ferguson.
Unfortunately, it makes it difficult to see oncoming traffic on Elizabeth when coming off of Robert.
Jeanne always does a great job with her garden. I look forward to it every season.