Gardening: July garden showcases the color purple – Thu, 07 Aug 2014 PST

Connie Osiers favorite color is purple. How do I know? It was pretty obvious when I drove up to her South Hill home for this interview for the July Garden of the Month sponsored by the Inland EmpireGardeners.

Her front yard was a sight for sore, heat-stressed eyes. Velvety purple petunias, pink and white Stargazer lilies and light purple zinnias lined the walk to the dark blue front door. The lilies fragrance added to the sensual treat. A magnificent purple-leaved laceleaf Japanese maple draped over a wall at the foot of the sidewalk. Container plantings of mixed purple

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PAT MUNTS photo

Connie Osier shares a moment in her award-winning garden with Zamboni her tuxedocat. (Full-size photo)

Connie Osiers favorite color is purple. How do I know? It was pretty obvious when I drove up to her South Hill home for this interview for the July Garden of the Month sponsored by the Inland EmpireGardeners.

Her front yard was a sight for sore, heat-stressed eyes. Velvety purple petunias, pink and white Stargazer lilies and light purple zinnias lined the walk to the dark blue front door. The lilies fragrance added to the sensual treat. A magnificent purple-leaved laceleaf Japanese maple draped over a wall at the foot of the sidewalk. Container plantings of mixed purple annuals and chartreuse sweet potato vine adorned the front step and border beds. Below a small sitting area by the front door are large Endless Summer hydrangeas that rounded out the color theme. More on themlater.

Osier and her family have lived in their 1939 house for 25 years. We basically had to demo the yard in the beginning and start from scratch, she said. Osier helped the process along by taking landscape design classes at Spokane Community College which helped sharpen her skills for creating an exciting series of spaces starting with her entrance garden through to her backyard full of fruit trees, vegetables andchickens.

The space along the east side of the house is planted with aspen, alpine firs and wildflowers that combine to make you feel as if you are walking along a North Idaho trail. This garden was created after a major water line break meant everything including a large pine had to go. The pine was rotten and hanging over the neighbors irreplaceable tile roof, shesaid.

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Gardening: July garden showcases the color purple - Thu, 07 Aug 2014 PST