Diggin' In: A garden legacy

Photo by HANDOUT

A path meanders from the yard and through the woodland area, ending at a bench. (Courtesy Peggy Krapf/MCT)

Photo by HANDOUT

Perennials and ferns planted around a timber retaining wall add a natural, rustic look to the landscape. (Courtesy Peggy Krapf/MCT)

Anne Baker lived to garden.

It's what she knew, having grown up on an 1840's family farm in northwest Washington, D.C., and she did it well, according to her husband, Dave.

"She was always growing stuff," says Dave, 73, of his wife, who died at age 69 in October 2013.

"In our first apartment, she had houseplants all over the place, including a 1938 pothos that's still going strong."

A woodland garden at their home in Williamsburg, Va., was Anne's final passion. After moving into the house in 1999, she was determined to win the war on deer and voles, creating what she hoped would be an oasis of the plants she loved most _ hostas, ferns, irises and daylilies.

"I have a list of more than 300 species of plants she planted," says Dave.

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Diggin' In: A garden legacy