Article 55

The Casual Gardener Visits The Gardening Community for the Holidays – Bill & Betty Fessler’s
Beautiful Garden!

I thought my readers would like to see that gardens can be attractive and appealing in the winter. The perfect
example of this is a gloriously decorated white house on Batavia Road which always has the most beautiful
gardens; year round. The home is in Warrenville, Illinois, a division of Winfield Township. The beautiful
gardens and home are owned by Bill and Betty Fessler who enjoy bringing a particularly special note to the
community every holiday season.

Many travelers on Batavia Road enjoy Betty’s front porch holiday decorations. They change seasonally
dependent upon the holiday and are filled with whimsy and interest. Currently Betty has two gingerbread dolls
and a gingerbread house sitting on the front porch next to a giant poinsettia Christmas tree for all to enjoy. Bill
has festooned the home with full pine wreaths and trim.

I visited Bill and his grandson early Fall. Bill is currently retired, but watches his grandson most days. I found
this to be a statement about the life Bill and Betty have made for themselves – they are all about family. It was
a delight to walk around the garden and learn a bit of history with Bill and his adorable grandson who was
fascinated with the Fall leaves.

Bill and Betty have been married for 42 years and have raised two children on the elegant property. Bill is the
“Chief Gardener”, but both Bill and Betty work regularly in the garden. As we walked through the garden, I
noted Bill’s pride in gardening and planting perennials, bushes and trees which can be enjoyed year round. He
has a very special Ivy which stays green most of the year and has spread all over his property. I found it
climbing trees and spreading across the ground like a river. Bill got the Ivy in the 1970’s from Christ Church
Cemetery in Washington, DC. While Bill toured the cemetery, there was an old caretaker who was tending the
ivy and singing spirituals to wile away the time. Bill struck up a friendship with the old caretaker and he
encouraged Bill to take the Ivy home with him. It’s spread happily.

There is so much of his garden which came from his friendships within the community – both family and
neighbors. Bill still has his Grandmothers Rose, which is an older variety and holds nice memories of his
family. The tall ferns he has came from a neighbor and seem to have completely taken over a large bed. The
view from his back porch includes a pool and a deck house smothered in flowering perennial beds. During the
summer Bill has annual moss roses running rampant through sections of the beds. They have taken up
residence and come back every year.

As we walked around to the front of the garden I was impressed by our conversation as much as the garden.
Bill believes that gardening is very therapeutic and suggests that keeping active in a garden makes good
health sense. I certainly agree and enjoy the fruits of his exercise - the front yard is filled with Hosta, Bluebells,
Ivy, Privet, Petunias and Mums during the summer. In the winter, one can see snow captured on the privet, the
pine trees and the beds.

I asked Bill if he has a secret to his gardening success. “Compost is the secret! I do not use mulch! I use
compost to smother unwanted weeds and help hold moisture in the ground for both trees and perennials.
There’s nothing fancy to it – I pull every weed by hand and keep the compost coming yearly. I also add one
cup of pre-mixed Miracle Grow for every plant I put in the ground.”

I recently went out to take another picture of the garden with snow cover and was touched by the still, coldness
that rested over the property. Cardinals flitted in the branches of pines and the spirit of the holidays caught in
my throat and made me yearn for egg nog and laughter and family. While crunching through the snow, I realize
this winter-garden is filled with more than wildlife, plants and trees…it is filled with love.

Please send your gardening questions for Shawna Coronado, The Casual Gardener to
dearshawna@thecasualgardener.com or The Casual Gardener, P.O. Box 358, Warrenville, IL 60555.
www.thecasualgardener.com

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