Judy's Gardens

Picture a drive down a county road in south central Huron County. We're headed for Judy Zimmer's gardens at her farm just north of the Thumb's Octagon Barn. This is an area of Huron County where many roads are gravel and where small farmsteads are still plentiful.

We see Judy's barn ahead and turn in underneath a canopy of huge spreading trees. There's Judy's farmhouse and behind it are the gardens and lawns. We pull up near the potting shed and are greeted warmly by Judy.

Her gardens are a wonder. Filled with hostas, sedums, coneflowers, sculpture, stones, rock garden spots, and lilies, the plantings wander throughout the back yard. Carefully framed with edgings of all sorts, the artful arrangements of the beds form soothing lines that guide you to a seating area located on the foundation of an old building.

Here we stop and chat about the beauty around us. Judy remembers every plant, every stone. She is a whizz at botanical names and can recite the origin of almost every plant. "Wal-Mart, The Plant Farm, from my friend Fran" -- the list is long and detailed. The afternoon summer sun spotlights parts of the gardens and lets other areas fade away, almost as if some entity was saying "now look here, now there."

The charming potting shed is circled with coneflowers which she loves. Boxwoods edge the beds and there's a broken tile walkway at two of the doors. Plantings spill out of windowboxes. Beside the potting shed is the farm's pickup truck. "I couldn't get along without my pickup truck," Judy tells us. She's obviously moved tons of stone,piles of materials, plants and more plants to make this wonderful garden.

We brought tiny muffins for Judy who loves sweets. She sends us home with a coneflower to treasure. I plant it just outside my kitchen window where it is a reminder of an afternoon spent visiting in her enchanted garden.