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For almost 20 years, sisters Nan Forrer and Carole Brodman have gardened at their respective Muhlenberg Township homes.
They share plants and tips, commiserate when things don’t go their way and celebrate the joy they get from their gardens.
“Every year, one of my very favorite things is to go plant shopping in the spring with my sister,” Nan said. “We’re very supportive of each other and our gardens. I’m always lamenting my garden, and she says she loves it. Sharing gardening is good for the soul.”
However, Nan admits she’s very little help to Carole.
“She has a natural knack for gardening,” Nan said. “She just is excellent at problem solving. I will have the family over for dinner and I often drag her out to the garden in the spring. She always has good advice.”
Carole’s garden began when her home was built.
“I had a house that was newly built and was sitting on top of a mud pile,” she said. “It was really a struggle. I had to deal with the clay and a lot of rock and leftover debris from the builders. My daughter and I used a pickax, and the garden I have now started as an oval garden by the fence in the back. Then I did more with the front, added a perennial border and then in the back added more shrubs to the perennials.”
Nan’s garden grew up around the house her husband helped design and build.
“This was a field before we moved in,” Nan said. “I always wanted a yard where I had lots of flowers. I love flowers. I like to bring them into the house.
“First I added the border beds and then the interior beds, herb garden and annual garden. The pond at the side of the house was built by one of my sons and his friends. That really became a cornerstone of the property at that side of the house.”
As the years passed, Nan’s garden microclimate changed as well.
“We have very different looks to our properties and we have different microclimates, even though we only live just a few blocks away from each other,” Nan said. “We can’t do the same thing in our gardens.
“When we moved in, the neighbors in the back had big shade trees, and we planted a weeping willow and two pears. Then other people moved in and they chopped down those trees. A few years ago, we had to have the willow taken down. Every time something happens, you’re almost starting all over again. What was a shade garden is now a sun garden.
“I’m still working the kinks out on that. I have a huge hosta that now gets sunburned because it needs more shade. My sister suggested I put it behind the ornamental trees and plant something that likes the sun better.”
“Every year, it’s a completely different ballgame,” Carole said. “Soil conditions change from year to year, not to mention weather. Every year is a gamble.”
“And over the years,” Nan said, “my garden has changed a little to accommodate my grandchildren. A part of the garden had to become their magical place. I was captivated with the idea of rooms in a garden and went along with that idea. One of my rooms has to become a playroom, but I didn’t want that to dominate the rest of the garden, so I worked in nooks and crannies for sandboxes and playhouses. That’s been a new but pleasurable challenge.”
Carole’s garden is filled with perennials, most of which she’s divided and replanted.
“I always advise to use what you have by dividing plants,” Carole said. “Perennials are terrific to have. They get to a certain size and you can get multiple plants. It’s one way to save a lot of money. If you buy shrubs, they last a long time and take up a big space. Then you can underplant with annuals to fill in. I’m partial to dahlias because I love the colors and they have nice big flower faces. I do like impatiens because of the beautiful color combinations.”
Nan, on the other hand, loves roses.
“I think roses are my all-time favorites, but they are the fussiest,” she said. “I work full time but I keep trying to grow roses. They’re the only plant I’ll fuss with. I also like day lilies and any fragrant flower, like lavender and lilacs, and I’m partial to hyacinth because of my grandmother. She’s where we get our gardening interest. She also always had beautiful roses and enjoyed gardening.”
“Gardening is just a pleasure for both of us,” Carole said.
Contact Stephanie Caltagirone: life@readingeagle.com.
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