By Shayna Mace | Photography by Shanna Wolf
When Penny Vaughan and her late husband, John Zawadsky, moved into their home in Fitchburg’s Seminole Forest neighborhood 30 years ago, they loved the property — but not necessarily the cookie-cutter landscaping that came with the home.
“There were plantings and trees, but it was blasé,” says Vaughan.
She made it her mission to transform the landscape. As a new gardener, she started by picking up perennials from The Home Depot. Then she added in ground cover for her side yard and parts of the backyard, which resulted in lush plantings that enveloped the perimeter of her property. As Vaughan grew more confident in her landscaping skills, she ordered plants and root stock through catalogs. Throughout the years, her property has evolved, and so has her understanding of how to adapt and care for her plants.
“[Your yard] is constantly changing. Trees change, they die, they break off in storms and change your light sources,” she explains. “Learning about which plants are adaptable and can [thrive in] a little to a lot of light saves you money over time. The other lesson is learning what’s native to your environment and staying away from things that grow really well, say, in the South, but not in Wisconsin.”
Vaughan admits her property is a lot of work, but she still loves caring for it.
“When I’m working outside, I am always amazed by how many people appreciate this yard,” she says. “People compliment my yard so much, and it creates conversation with [people] I wouldn’t normally talk to. So, that might be the best part of the whole thing.”
