St. Albert's most colourful lady has a surprisingly quiet garden, where nature provides the dominant theme and the art is as comfortable and at home as the decades-old spruce trees that line the back fence.
St. Albert's most colourful lady has a surprisingly quiet garden, where nature provides the dominant theme and the art is as comfortable and at home as the decades-old spruce trees that line the back fence.
Carol Watamaniuk's garden is a place for stories and memories where almost every item reminds her of a friend or colleague.
For example, the long, straight line of spruce trees reminds her of retired city foreman, John Beedle.
"This was the old tree nursery for the city. John Beedle told me he planted those when he first started working for St. Albert, when he was in his twenties so the trees must be around 60 years old," Watamaniuk said.
The majestic splendour of the trees provided the foundation that allowed Watamaniuk to develop the yard's persona, which is almost like a fairyland filled with sculpted angels' heads, tiny elfin-like figurines and surprising features like plastic flowers and painted tree stumps.
Yet the former city councillor, who is so well known for her bright dresses and flashy hats, grows surprisingly few flowers. Those that do grow are there merely as highlights against the layers of old brick, dark spruce, green hostas, bent willow and natural rock.
"I'm a real contrast as a person. I love wearing bright colours, but in the garden I love earthy colours and I like things that are worn-looking and have history," she said.
And the plastic flowers? They are blue delphiniums and pink water lilies.
"The delphiniums were to show you how beautiful the real ones were but they finished blooming last week," said a laughing Watamaniuk. "The water lilies are in the pond for my granddaughters. They love them."
Every time you turn a corner in this garden you see something different, like a white birch log that's been hollowed out to make a birdhouse and then tied to the back of a rustic-looking chair. Perhaps you'll spot a totem pole, or maybe a piece of driftwood, or a vase, which Watamaniuk painted herself.
Watamaniuk is shy about her own artistry, which is everywhere.
"I'm afraid people might think it's kind of cheesy, but I am constantly moving things around or repainting things to make them look different. Or I'm recycling things. You can take anything, from stumps to inexpensive vases and then change them and make them interesting in the garden," she said.
Childish delight
With about 14 of Beedle's old spruce trees along the back fence, this is a big yard, but curving paths divide it into different little rooms. Tiptoe along the stones and you step into areas that reflect different aspects of Watamaniuk's personality.
One room is for her twin grandchildren and it's a place for the girls to play with dolls or to make chalk drawings on the sidewalk. There's a worn mirror against one tree, a double set of Cheshire cats to pat on the head and a rickety chair where little girls, or elves, can happily take a seat.
As you walk along one of the many paths you may notice a broken piece of pottery that's buried in the ground. Beside it there's a tiny sculpted room that was jointly created by Watamaniuk and bricklayer Paul LeClair. When LeClair dug down he found old tin cans and broken bricks left by previous workmen.
"I saw there was a whole history here. Paul chipped away at the brick and made a kind of house that looks like a cave dwelling. I added the little broken-clay figures and every time my granddaughters go by, they say, 'Hi, Neighbour' to the little house full of people."
Willow fences have been placed in key areas to help define the different spaces. Watamaniuk commissioned artist Grandma Willow to weave a willow hanging for the back retaining wall.
Angels are everywhere in this garden and Watamaniuk says quietly that they are her way of saying, "Thanks" for the blessings of life. Most of the angels were bargain-store purchases that Watamaniuk dressed up herself with paint. She chipped away the plaster so the figures look old and comfortable wherever they sit in the garden.
Secret garden
Watamaniuk created a small, almost secret space that can only be seen from the dining room window. The art here makes her smile. It includes a green foam-rubber dragon that once belonged to her sons when they played Dungeons and Dragons. There's also a curious porcupine/beaver head that is a souvenir from Nova Scotia, a totem pole from Mexico and a fence painting created by St. Albert artist Sherry Nixey.
A large willow chair provides a quiet corner of reflection and beauty. Quirky things, like a fat-lady sculpture, provide the humour.
"I love folk art because it's so from the heart," Watamaniuk said. "The fat lady, you will notice, is eating fruit and vegetables, yet she is still fat. I can so relate to that. My garden is fun and folksy and there isn't any really expensive art here. But it's a place where I can really appreciate the things that people have given to me. I have a hard time parting with the things I've been given and I recycle them and paint them and add them to my garden. This is my sanctuary."
