If you give it a little care, it seems to flourish

For Bill and Gracie Haynes, their garden signifies many things. It is a place to work, to rest, to relieve stress, to revive spirits and to herald the spring.

The Haynes have lived in Canyon County their whole lives and in a home on North Jefferson in Nampa for the last 16 years. For the past decade, they have poured their time and energy into an expansive and fragrant garden.

Wrapping around the entire home, the Nampa couple’s garden boasts everything from lush, manicured lawns, stone pathways shaded by flowering arches, succulent fruit trees and colorful wildflower beds.

The Haynes follow a very simple philosophy about their garden: give it care, and it will grow.

“If you give it a little care, it seems to flourish,” Bill said.

One of the things Bill said he likes best about his garden is that it is constantly changing. The garden may look different one year to the next — a new footpath here, another rose bush there — but that is part of the fun.

“It’s not like building something out of concrete and wood. It’s dirt, and you can go put something different in it,” Bill said. “That beauty out there, it changes all the time. You just have to work at it a bit.”

The Haynes have tried a little of everything, but there is one staple to their landscaping recipe.

“Wildflowers are the core,” Gracie said. “In the spring time, you’re always ready for a splash of color, and they never let you down.”

Blue and purple Bachelor Buttons mix with red oriental poppies and yellow irises, ornamenting the front yard and circling around to the back. Ice plants, with fragrant, yellow flowers, open during the day and fill the front yard beds.

In the back yard, the couple uses variety. Flowers, vegetables and fruit trees grow freely. A corner, hedged by blooming wild rose bushes, is perfect for vegetables. White lace vines twirl around a recently constructed archway that leads to an inviting seating area.

Onions and chives seem content in another corner, while on another side, a peach tree merrily soaks in the sun. Even a bamboo tree has its place in the Haynes’ garden.

“It’s just been enjoyable to raise a garden,” Bill said, looking over his backyard oasis.

They have invested in a myriad of different plants, trees and flowers that bloom from early spring through the fall.

Having been raised on a farm, both Haynes come by their love of growing things naturally. Perhaps it is their upbringing that gives them the extra willingness to put the time it takes into making their garden grow.

But gardens are far from being all work and no play. Bill finds the manual labor required to maintain a garden therapeutic — “It’s relaxing to get your hands dirty pulling weeds; it’s a good stress reliever” — and he also loves his moments of rest.

“We like to sit out here and gaze, have a cup of coffee or a beer and just see what God offers us,” he said.

And to those working on their own modest slices of nature, Bill and Gracie give one word of advice: persevere.

“You have to be willing to be out there once, sometimes twice, a day. You have to stay with it,” Gracie said.

Want a green thumb?

Everyone gets the green thumb urge at some point, but not everyone knows what to do with it. Local experts give advice on how new and eager gardeners can create an inviting, low-maintenance garden for themselves:

• Pick area-friendly trees, plants and flowers. Whether you prefer poppies or petunias, geraniums over gardenias, or shrubs instead of shady trees, it’s important to know what kind of vegetation grows well in the area. Local nursery owners say that Canyon County soil tends to have high pH levels, making it difficult for certain kinds of plants to grow.

The solution: Create an organic compost that helps balance the soil, or find plants, trees and flowers that grow well in the soil as is.

Garden experts recommend these options for Nampa and Caldwell gardens:

• Trees: Honey locust, flowering crab apple, plum and pear trees (not to be confused with fruit apple, plum and pear trees. The flowering trees are smaller, easier to manage and, because of the lack of fruit, do not attract as many wasps and other unpleasant insects.) Remember to plant a few evergreens, too, like Colorado spruce or Austrian pine.

Experts say maple trees don’t grow well in this climate.

• Flowers and grasses: Say yes to coreopsis (commonly known as “Tickseed” or “Calliopsis”), gaillardia (“Blanket flowers” related to the sunflower family), salvia (sage) hemerocallis (daylilies), blue oak grass and Calamagrostis acutiflora (Karl Foerster).

• Plant a variety to give your garden color all season long. Be sure to switch up your garden with spring blooming bulbs, annuals and perennials. Pay attention to the growing season of the plants you pick. Plan it out so that your garden has something new and colorful whether it’s May, July or September. Plan ahead so that even in the fall and winter, you’ll have some color with evergreen trees and ornamental grasses.

• Be prepared to spend time in your garden. No matter how low maintenance your garden is, it requires tender loving care. Experts agree that a garden is a commitment. Planting is just one step toward a vibrant garden. Plan time to water, prune and maintain your garden for happy and blooming flowers, trees and plants.

• Don’t get too carried away. If this is your first garden, pace yourself. If you have a big yard, start in small sections and work your way up. Experts suggest that new gardeners hoping for a blooming backyard garden start by planting a few trees (those take the longest to grow), then, over time, add flowers, shrubs and grasses.

Consider other ways to fill the space, such as making little outdoor seating areas with patio furniture, a water feature and planters with perennial flowers.

You’ll find your garden to be more enjoyable and less stressful that way.