While some say “the bigger, the better,” Michele Kaluza knows that some of the best things come in small packages.

When it comes to gardening, anyway.

The incredibly creative woman has taken a formerly bland residential lot in the heart of 100 Mile House and transformed it into an easy-care oasis.

It provides her and husband, Stan, with a relaxing refuge at the end of the day and an inviting place to entertain outdoors six months of the year.

She’s proven beyond a doubt that with some hard work and imagination, you can truly turn a patch of nothing into something quite spectacular.

Transformation of the property began in 2006. Michele described the original lawn as rough Cariboo grass growing through mud pebbles that were the product of dew worms, common to the area.

The first order of business was to strip the grass and everything else growing in the yard. Only a 40-year-old mountain ash tree and lilac bushes were spared.

“The ash has been here that long so it deserves to stay,” said Michele, a bit torn, because when birds get into the brightly coloured berries, their yard is a sea of red bird poop.

The landscape is dead flat so terracing and other techniques that create relief and interest in most other yards wasn’t possible.

This was the third house and yard renovation for the couple and they knew that, when finished, they didn’t want to be tied to a great deal of maintenance.

“We had grass in our last place but spent our life on the mower. We didn’t really use the grass and it was too much work for just looking at,” said Michele.

That’s what convinced them to go grass-less in the back yard, opting for concrete patio slabs, paving stones and gravel throughout.

“The gravel is beautiful. I love it,” said Michele. “It’s expensive, but once it’s done, it’s done.

They keep it soft with greenery and pocket flower beds which are everywhere, adding colour and plenty of texture. The far end of the yard is devoted to raised and conventional vegetable beds, a raspberry patch and a beautiful arbour strung with hanging flower baskets.

Their favourite space is the covered end of an expansive backyard deck. A roof and walls on three sides and propane patio heaters extend outdoor living by a full month.

They make the most of it with a large dining table and chairs, full-size deluxe barbecue and accessories that make the deck a three-season extension of their home.

From up there, the view of the garden area is magnificent and it’s easy to forget how rough and challenging the landscape is in its natural state.

Michele’s knowledge of gardening was passed down from her grandmother and mother and her choice of flowers are reminiscent of those of her childhood.

Her favourite is sweet pea, which grows four feet high on a fence, then doubles back to reach for the ground. Delphiniums, hollyhocks, lupins, asters and poppies are abundant and brilliant orange osteos liven the garden up even more.

As much as Michele loves her flowers, she’s got better things to do than hand-water them. That time-consuming task is taken care of with an automatic mini irrigation system that keeps the ground evenly moist with 10 minutes of water each in the morning and evening.

“I probably use less water than most people who hand water; and the plants never get stressed from dry soil,” said Michele.

After four seasons of being under construction, the garden is finished, leaving Michele and Stan to enjoy the fruits of their labour.

The most important advice they have for others planning a yard renovation is to not bite off more than you can chew.

“Develop small areas at a time or it can be overwhelming and you can lose the joy in what you’re doing. Do what pleases you,” said Michele.

What pleased Gateway-area gardener Jennifer Spence was reworking a run-down, overgrown 160-acre ranch property into a delight that could easily blend into the English countryside.

Also president of the 100 Mile Gardening Club, she’s been picking away at her place since the year 2000 when she left the Lower Mainland to find her dream property.

It more resembled a nightmare when she first set eyes on it but she saw the potential.

A meagre old ranch house with a Plexiglas window hardly had enough insulation to keep indoor temperatures above freezing on winter nights.

It was also a common occurrence to be dragged out of bed to nail down roofing loosened during a wind storm.

“If my family had known about all of the things going on they would have called me crazy and hauled me out of here,” laughed Spence.

The first order of business was to build a new house and the second was to somehow make things grow in the typical Cariboo clay and rock soil that surrounded it.

The abundance of large stones made them the logical choice for rimming the endless flower beds that appear to flow through the yard area.

On her own, and not one to fuss much, Spence then simply piled a deep layer of manure in the beds and proceeded to plunk in perennials.

Her choice of plants didn’t come without a great deal of research, which is what Spence says is the most important thing in planning a garden.

“You need to do your homework because this is such a challenging climate,” she said, confessing that she lives and breathes gardening books and magazines. “I read and research and always keep my eyes open for anything new. If I see something, I write out a check and fill out an order form.”

Nearly all of her garden space is devoted to perennials and she says that if it’s hardy to this area, she probably has it. Many of her plants come from catalogues and she lists Vesey’s Seeds as one of her favourite mail-order sources.

At the height of summer, her gardens are a riot of colour. Plantings of her favourite flower, lemon fluff, are everywhere and look spectacular from bloom to seed-head.

Spence loves her shasta daisies as well because they’re big, are packed with presence and are easy to care for.

She’s also partial to Sweet William because it’s a hassle-free reliable bloomer in shades of pink and red with a carnation-like scent.

Red bee balm ranks high because of its tendency to attract hummingbirds to the garden.

Other plants that thrive in her zone 3/4 garden are yarrow; lamb’s ear, which bees seem to gravitate toward; dwarf elderberry called Goldilocks with its brilliant yellow leaves; and sweet rocket, which is very fragrant.

Spence thinks she’s found the rose of all roses in the Hansa rose which is a thick blanket of blooms on a four-foot tall bush.

“I think they’re the best for growing around here,” she said.

Hops thrive in this climate and masses cling to the side of her house here and there. Spence said they can grow up to one foot in a day.

Even shade-loving hostas and ferns are happy growing on the north side of her home. At first glance, the lush patch looks like something straight out of a coastal garden.

While Spence loves her flowers, so do the local deer. They’re not afraid to help themselves at any given time but Spence thinks she’s remedied the problem with a few motion detector sprinklers that scare them off with a high power blast of water.

“They cost a fortune but are worth every penny,” said Spence.

Bags of mothballs hung strategically around her 2,800 sq. ft. vegetable patch helps to deter the critters from that area as well.

Deer chasers are the extent of automatic watering systems in her yard, as Spence prefers to water everything by hand. It’s a task that takes her three hours each day but it’s a time she can spend appreciating the flowers, pluck a few weeds and see what needs to be done.

With expansive gardens, cows, horses, ducks and pigs to care for, Spence has learned to be resourceful.

A large pond, complete with goldfish, is filled automatically when it rains using a four-inch underground plastic pipe that funnels the water in from the house gutters.

Her huge assortment of garden tools are kept neatly in order in a shed, hanging in groups from pairs of shelf brackets. She said it’s a low-cost idea that really works well. Stucco mesh is used as an arbour and concrete steel mesh serves as a sturdy pea trellis.

It all serves to

help beat the daily challenges that are met each day when your passion is gardening.

In any size garden, those challenges can range from large to small but in the end, the rewards are huge.

Just ask Jennifer Spence and Michele Kaluza.

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