Most people count a lush green lawn as necessary for a complete home, but Powell River resident Teresa Dingwell has other ideas for her property in Westview. Instead, she and her husband Kerry have created a rock garden in their front yard.
The rock garden is a well-planned lot with gently curving paths of small pebbles, with larger rocks carefully placed around the perimeter and in the middle.
“I really like piecing them together,” said Teresa. “You can see that I haven’t just dumped them.”
There will be splashes of colour throughout, thanks to some witch hazel in the middle, Japanese white pine, Japanese red maple, hydrangea and other plants. The witch hazel and white pine have wooden frames, serving nicely as borders, and a drip irrigation line is ready to be installed for the shrubs and the planters.
At the back, closer to the house, a carved stone bench is a perfect spot for a morning tea and admiring one’s work.
Teresa was inspired by a visit to Stonehenge in her native England, and the impressive balancing stone she saw on her summer trip to Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia.
“I just love rocks,” said Teresa. “Whenever we go on holiday, I will pick up a few little pieces, bring them home, place them somewhere and remember that holiday spot when I’m out gardening.”
The rocks come from T&R Contracting, or other local quarries, or just from scavenging. T&R helped deliver and place the bigger pieces; all are carefully handpicked.
Their young grandsons help out, too.
“They say, ‘Nana will like this one,’” said Teresa, adding that the kids bring home rocks from the beach to add to the garden.
The rock garden is a work in progress. After a hard winter and the recent arrival of spring, Teresa said she cannot wait to get back outside and get back to work.
Kerry also provides a helping hand.
“He has the patience of Job,” said Teresa of her husband, who helps with moving and sorting of the rocks.
Previously the owner of 40 acres of property close to Lund where they had an impressive rock garden, the Dingwells downsized and moved to Westview three years ago. In town they were confronted with a much smaller lot, which had an unsightly hedge and patchy grass at the time. Almost immediately, they set to work building a new garden.
Coupled with her love of rocks is another ulterior motive.
“It’s basically to cut out work for when we get older; it’s just neverending work having a lawn,” said Teresa. “You don't have to maintain a stone garden once it’s there.”
She said she hasn’t yet convinced her neighbours of the benefits of a rock garden, although their curiosity appears to have been piqued, as evidenced by their frequent peering over the fence as they pass by.
Teresa said she has noticed another rock gardenon Joyce Avenue by a day care centre. The trend could be catching on.
