There are many reasons why and many ways in which volunteers find themselves tending a small plot of garden at Ault Park. For Laura Balside, the caretaker of Devon Acres, it was a friend who was gardening in Ault who got her interested.  “When I heard my friend talk about gardening at Ault Park and how much she enjoyed it, being in such a pretty setting, I immediately wanted to join,” Laura reflects.

Laura’s passion for gardening was inherited from her mother, a war-bride from Devon, England and an avid gardener.  The name of her garden, Devon Acres, honor’s her mother’s memory. There’s certainly a nod to the English cottage style to Laura’s garden with its stand of flowers including coreopsis, Columbines, sage and perhaps the largest butterfly bush, ever.  And while gardening may not be as easy as it once was, Laura is far from quitting.

“I’m 71 years old, my body knows that but my mind still thinks I’m 30. That means I now take my lawn chair and do a lot of my planting sitting. If not, I’m up, I plant, and back in the chair for a rest. I even rake most of my leafs, sitting in the chair,” Laura says. “I rake them up and then it’s off to the compost pile with my two wheel buggy.  If you want to get something done, there’s always away.”

“I love my garden, being out in the sun, and the marvelous people of all ages I meet. They always finish their conversation with a thank you to which I express my appreciation but explain this is by no means a chore.”

Over the years Laura’s garden has become lush with perennials, but she leaves room in the front to tuck in some annuals for continuous blooms. “I buy plants for their color and ones that demonstrate an air of flowing, freedom and independence. I do love my purple iris (most older women love purple) and my columbine, which appear very delicate but fight back and pop up every year, often in different places,” Laura shares.