In Good Thyme - by Mariana Graham

People often slow down for a better look as they drive past the Rochholz home south of Oak Harbor. It isn't just that the 91-year-old farmhouse has been beautifully renovated, or that a former garage has been lovingly converted into a chalet-like mother-in-law cottage. Nor is it the well-kept farm animals, or the overall transformation of what had been a run-down property for so long. What these drivers are slowing for is a peek at the enticing gardens that surround Robert and Kristin Rochholz' Zylstra Road home. Those curious drivers - and you - will have a chance to stroll these lovely gardens during Oak Harbor Garden Club's 2001 Garden Tour and Tea Saturday, June 16. As you approach the cedar-shingled home, a garden gate to the left of the entry lures you. Open the gate and follow the stepping stones through the lawn, past a wide curving bed of perennials, bulbs, shrubs, and small trees. Whimsical, weathered twig chairs invite repose. Straight ahead is a long, broad, meandering perennial bed.

On closer inspection, you notice that yes, there are the colorful blooms of a lyrical English garden, but there's more. Perennials are set off by native shrubs interspersed with rhododendrons and old lilacs, which the couple relocated from other parts of the property. Tall conifers create a deep green backdrop at the property line. Says Kristin, "We planned this bed with a good mix of colors, textures and foliage for both sunny and shady areas. There is always something in bloom." The curving bed leads the eye past a structure discreetly housing the hot tub, and on to the picturesque focal point…a graceful weeping willow overhanging a tranquil pond. Beneath the willow is a stone bench, perfect for observing the koi which reside in the pond. On a small log bridge a lone turtle basks in the sunlight. Just beyond this classically serene garden is a simple wooden arbor flanked by massive basalt monoliths and a primitive, Easter Island-like sculpture. Step through this gateway and leave the pastoral setting behind, for you now find yourself in an exotic bamboo jungle. You almost expect to hear the sound of distant drumming as you wander a path through the 52 bamboo trees Robert has planted. There are nine varieties, including one that captures the eye with its sleek, black limbs and celadon green foliage. A small stream runs through the grove. It looks as though it's always been there, but was created by Robert and is fed by recirculating rainwater runoff.

"Bamboo is a diverse and underused plant," says Robert. "I've always liked its movement in the wind, the nice sound it makes. It has a magical effect on a garden." He's aware of bamboo's reputation for invasiveness, and plans to install an underground root barrier before the planting gets out of control. Exit the bamboo forest, and you're suddenly back on the farm again. A small orchard produces plums, apples and cherries. Raised beds of strawberries and vegetables thrive in an attractively fenced area. In the corral just beyond is a tidy new building the couple constructed for their chickens, geese, sheep, and a pygmy goat. Behind it are two active beehives. Last year, says Kristin, they extracted 36 pounds of honey, which she and her mother bottle for their own use and for Christmas gifts.

The Rochholz homestead is a labor of love helped along by a strong background in professional landscape design. Robert and Kristin are the proprietors of Creative Gardens Inc., a full service landscape consulting, design, installation and maintenance firm. In addition to establishing new gardens, they enjoy the challenge of renovating old, neglected ones, rescuing and revitalizing old plantings as they did on their own property. Robert has been in the "green business" all his life, having worked with his horticulturist father since his teens. Kristin, too, is a life-long gardener. Both are passionate about organic gardening options, which is one reason they began serving organic compost tea as a feature of their business. Their tea is a brewed water extract of special compost with additional ingredients, which is applied to lawns, flower and vegetable beds, shrubs and trees. According to Robert and Kristin, who have successfully used it in their own garden, the brew replaces chemicals and chemical fertilizers, suppresses disease and fungi, feeds all types of plants and builds healthy soil.

If you would like to see the Rochholz garden, as well as several other intriguing North Whidbey gardens, you may purchase tickets for the Oak Harbor Garden Club Tour and Tea at the Greenhouse Nursery, The Daily Grind, or by calling (360) 675-0538 or (360) 675-0392.
Garden questions or comments? Call 675-6611; fax 675-2732, or wnt@whidbey.net. Mariana Graham is an Island County Master Gardener and member, Garden Writers Association of America.

MASTER GARDENER CLINICS (click on picture)
Master Gardener plant clinics are being held at various Island locations throughout the summer. On the North end, bring questions and plant samples to The Greenhouse Nursery each Saturday in July from 9 a.m. to noon, Cenex on Aug. 4 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. or the Navy Exchange Garden Shop June 30th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. In Central Whidbey, it's at the Coupeville Farmers Market each Saturday through the end of July from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. South end clinics include Freeland Ace Hardware from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on June 23, July 28, Aug. 25 and Sept. 22. You can also find Master Gardeners at South Whidbey Tilth on July 7, Aug. 4, and Sept. 1 from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. Clinics are held at Bayview Farm and Garden June 30th, July 7, 14, 21, 28; Aug. 4, 11, 18 and 25. Clinics may be scheduled at other locations when volunteers and resource materials are available. 'Can't make it to a plant clinic? Call the Master Gardener hotline (360) 679-7327 each Monday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. through the end of September.