BELFAST — What do gardeners and artists have in common? If you read what the experts have to say, there's a lot in common. In addition to creativity and hard work, gardening and art-making both require faith, trust and imagination, so when an artist offers to let you borrow their garden, it's sure to double the inspiration and joy. Artist Janalee Welch and her husband, Keith, will open their garden and Janalee's art studio to visitors on Saturday, July 20, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The tour of their garden, located at 49 Robbins Road in Belfast, is part of the Belfast Garden Club's Open Garden Days.
The $5 admission fee to the gardens will support the club's public service projects throughout the year. The event will go ahead rain or shine. Season passes can be purchased on-site for $35.
A former teacher and lifelong artist, Janally started gardening in earnest during the pandemic. “When I bought this property 10 years ago, there was no garden of any kind,” she says. “There were just a few small trees and shrubs planted in random places.”
Using what she already knew about color and structure, Janalee transformed her entire backyard into a garden that includes more than a dozen hydrangeas, many native plants, a new moss garden, several sculptural elements, paths, and walkways. Terraces were added to maintain the slope, along with a vine-covered pergola and large raised beds. “I think of my gardens as an extension of my art,” she says. “I see it as an artist's palette of harmonious colors, shapes, and textures.” Many garden-themed items will be available for sale during the tour, including Janalee's handmade journals.
Despite the challenges — uneven hills, eroded slopes, hard-baked clay soil, rocks, and shade — the garden's evolution is an inspiration to keep working. “It's still a young garden,” Janally says. “There's still a lot we want to accomplish.”
Open Garden Days will be held every Saturday until Aug. 17. For more information on the Open Garden Days schedule, visit belfastgardenclub.org. Proceeds will benefit the Garden Club's school programs, camp scholarships, library donations and Belfast's 13 public gardens maintained by the Club's volunteers.
