Val started to garden when the first seed she planted, actually
grew....and the rest, as they say, is history. Many years of self-teaching
and immersing herself in gardening books helped her get to where she is
today. Val also says an elderly English friend, a whiz at gardening,
guided and taught her what she needed to know. Over the years Val and her
husband Omer, have become a team. They put their beautiful pond in a few
years back, which they say has been the inspiration for the whole garden.
As most gardeners will attest to, their pond started off small and gets
larger every year. Omer is now working on the second pond which will flow
into the first. Words can’t describe how it looks to the eye, and the
sounds around it are so soothing you just want to sit and relax.
Unfortunately, most gardeners don’t get to do that too often. Val says
just walking by seems to be enough for her though, as is watching her
granddaughter Mariah, sit and enjoy the afternoon sunshine.
There’s a bridge that extends across the pond, which offers a bird’s
eye view of the very productive fish which Val and Omer bring in for the
winter. The rest of the yard is quite breathtaking, as you can tell from
the lovely pictures. Since they built in 1989, the trees have matured to
great heights and provide wonderful shade on those warm summer afternoons.
Wandering through this wonderful paradise, you come upon beautiful flower
beds of every shape and size you can imagine. The sitting areas are also
expanding to take full advantage of the lovely views. Over the years the
Lemieux’s garden has become a favourite of wedding couples. They say
that each year more and more couples take advantage of the beautiful
setting. It's no wonder that Val and Omer's garden took First place in
Communities In Bloom 2001.
Each year Val plants something new, and just like the very first seed
that grew for her, she can hardly wait to see things grow.
If you wish to contact Val and Omer about their garden, please feel
free to email them at... gardensmiles@sympatico.ca
