The home of Dr. William and Cheryl Leech at 1312 E. Main St. sits on three acres in the middle of town.
When they moved onto the property 30 years ago, there were two spruce trees in the front yard and the only trees in the back were scattered along the fence row. The back yard featured a massive brush pile at its center and a dirt go kart track that ran the perimeter of the property. The pool area inside the brick fence was entirely concrete.
Over the years, the couple has developed a park-like setting in the back yard, planting trees, and installing a fishpond, a raised garden and several perennial gardens.
“Our approach has been to keep it as simple as possible and grow plants that thrive in Indiana’s clay soil: hostas, grasses, coral bells, daylilies and hydrangeas. We use perennial flowers that spread each year to give both color and a natural look, adding annual flowers for bursts of color. We’ve diversified the ecosystem by planting a peach tree orchard, a new strawberry patch and by nurturing several wild black raspberry patches that grow along the fence row. These fruit-bearing plants complement our raised garden, which contains cut flowers and lots of tomatoes. As our property has grown and flourished, so too has our family: over the last 30 years we’ve raised six kids, welcomed four grandkids, gone on countless golf cart rides, played with many dogs and had lots of fun.”
The additional feature in this garden will be “musical artisans” Kenn Clark and Monte Keller performing for your listening pleasure as you stroll the beautiful grounds.
