Hi GPOD! Marisa here, and today I’m sharing something a little more personal — my grandma’s garden in New Berlin, Wisconsin. It was the first garden I ever knew, but as a kid, I didn’t really think of it as a “garden.” It was simply one enormous place to explore.
There were vegetables to pick, fruit to eat straight from the trees, frogs and insects to find, fireflies to catch, and countless little corners that became whatever my brother, two sisters, and I imagined them to be. Now I get to watch my son experience that same sense of discovery, which has made me appreciate this place in an entirely new way.
This is the heart of my grandma’s backyard garden. Peach (Prunus persica, Zones 5–9) and plum (Prunus cvs., Zones 3–9) trees have grown into a canopy over the paths, fountain, flower beds, and all the little treasures she has collected over the years. As a kid, this whole space felt enormous and endlessly explorable. I still find myself wandering through to see what new treasures she has added and what’s blooming.
I grew up picking fruit straight from these trees. My grandma has grown peaches, plums, pears (Pyrus cvs., Zones 4–9), apples (Malus cvs., Zones 3–8), and cherries (Prunus cvs., Zones 3–8) over the years, and eating something right where it grew was completely normal to me long before I understood how special that was. I still look forward to mid-September every year, when it’s finally time to come over and harvest.
Me as a toddler in one of the many versions my grandma’s garden has taken over the years.
This fountain was our kitchen sink. My two little sisters and I played “house” here constantly, and the fountain and old hand pump became whatever we needed them to be that day. This was probably one of the most-used parts of the garden when we were kids, and now my son spends just as much time here, playing with the water and whatever toy critters he can find hidden around the garden.
My grandma has always tucked little surprises throughout the garden. Birdhouses, ladybugs, frogs, wind chimes, figurines — you never really just walked through the garden. You looked around to see what you could find.
Flowers are tucked into just about every available space here, including containers. These pink rain lilies (Zephyranthes cvs., Zones 7–10) are just one example. My grandma has containers throughout the garden, and whether they’re filled with annuals or perennials, she’s always finding another spot for more color.
This combination is one of my favorites in the garden. Purple bellflowers (Campanula cvs., Zones 3–9) and pink verbena (Verbena cvs., Zones 7–11) grow together in a bright mix of cool and warm color that always catches my eye.
Geraniums (Pelargonium cvs., Zones 9–11) will always remind me of my grandma. They’re everywhere, inside her house, surrounding the deck, lining paths, and tucked into garden beds. She’s always experimenting with new combinations too, like this salmon-pink geranium paired with succulents.
My grandma grows enough food to share with her entire neighborhood. Before I had a garden of my own, she was basically my summertime grocery store. Now we get to trade vegetables back and forth. If her cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata, biennial) isn’t doing well, I’ll bring some over, and I know I can always count on her for cucumbers (Cucumis sativus, annual) and zucchini (Cucurbita pepo, annual). In fact, I rarely bother growing cucumbers myself because I know Grandma will have plenty to share.
My grandma is also a master canner. These jars are filled with cabbage and peppers (Capsicum annuum, annual) from her garden. Learning to grow food from her shaped so much of how I garden today, and now one of my goals is to learn everything she knows about preserving it, too.
If you’d like to see a little more of this garden, I shared a reel this spring of my grandma, my son, and me harvesting leeks together — three generations in the garden.
Instagram: @mindful_gardener
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