She had her grandmother, who passed along the gardening-obsession genes.
He had a high school teacher, who inspired him to start his own gardening experiments at home.
When Jeff and Mindi Pettit married 18 years ago, they had each other – which was plenty of inspiration to turn a small yard in Snohomish into a floral mixing pot.
The vegetation in their quaint back yard has been planted, pruned and prepped. The yard is ready for the 700 or more visitors who come out each year to the Snohomish Garden Club’s Garden Tour.
The dozens of roses, clematis, hydrangeas, perennials and annuals are ready for viewers. The Pettits are ready to entertain.
But the couple didn’t develop their garden over the past decade just for guests.
Their back and front yards are a safe haven for the two gardening fanatics, who work full time. After work, they fine-tune their garden for two hours a day on weekdays and spend about eight hours on their yard on weekends.
Their garden is the ultimate relaxing cup of green tea.
“We put a lot of money into it,” Mindi Pettit said of her garden. “But its cheaper than a therapist.”
Both Pettits work stressful jobs. Mindi Pettit is a court reporter and Jeff Pettit is a project manager at Boeing. When they’re feeding and tending their plants after a long day, the tension all fades away.
“It’s a release,” Mindi Pettit said. “Just as soon as I get out here, I feel more relaxed.”
Ironically, the easing effect the Pettits get from their garden is created by an overwhelming explosion of grasses, bushes and flowers that consume their back yard, except for the purposefully rugged rock pathway and a couple of fountains.
“We used every square inch,” Jeff Pettit said. “We filled it in. We packed it in.”
The lush vegetation fits nicely with the romantic environment the Pettits were going for. French music plays faintly from outdoor stereos hidden in the plants.
“We’re all French all the time,” Mindi Pettit said.
A three-foot metal replica of the Eiffel Tower is tucked away on the side of the path. Jeff Pettit built some wooden screens that allowed vines to grow up and create some privacy.
In the front yard, the foliage is just as dense, but there’s also a small courtyard with an unusual water fountain featuring winding glass prongs that light up.
“You should see it at night. It’s just fantastic,” Mindi Pettit said.
The garden was started from scratch when the Pettits purchased the house a decade ago. But even before they bought their house, the couple’s relationship has always revolved around gardening.
While living in apartments, for example, they gardened in containers. Now they go on dates to – you guessed it – plant nurseries.
“We love plants,” Mindi Pettit said. “We’re plant addicts.”
The Pettits’ garden has gained some notoriety recently. The May 2005 issue of Better Home &Gardens did an eight-page feature on the couple and their garden called “Where love grows.”
Their enthusiastic gardening also helps to inspire their neighbors, many of whom have become fellow addicts.
“Gardening begets gardening,” Mindi Pettit said. “It’s contagious.”
But instead of group therapy, the Pettits and their neighbors on Pine Avenue in Snohomish have allowed their gardening fixes to flourish. Many of their neighbors have gotten to know each other through this shared hobby. Seven of the homes on the Pettits’ block will be on this year’s garden tour.
“This town’s been amazing,” Mindi Pettit said.
Bill Huntington, who moved in down the block six years ago, got hooked, as well. One year after he bought his house, he was asked to be a part of the garden tour. Now he’s a budding gardener himself.
“We share ideas, jokes and laughter,” Huntington said. “We take care of each other.”
“It’s more like the neighborhood where I grew up in a small town,” he said. “Everyone knew each other. There definitely is a common bond.”
Reporter Chris Collins: 425-339-3436 or ccollins@ heraldnet.com.
Other homes on the
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