local roots: Couple wanted garden to go along with good view

Nancy Draper / guest columnist

Seven years ago, when Vickie and Kevin Yanasak considered purchasing their Edgewood home, they looked down below the expansive deck and asked why the former owner hadn’t developed the landscape.

“Look at that view,” they say they were told. “You’ll be looking at the mountain and the territorial view of Puyallup — not at the yard.”

While the Yanasaks did love the view, they knew they wanted something more — a yard planted with a great variety of trees, shrubs, vines and groundcovers. They wanted to create a garden space to nurture and enjoy for many years to come.

“We had nothing but gravel, blackberry bushes and a single tree,” Kevin Yanasak said. “There was no fertile dirt in the yard so we had to bring some in.”

Once that was done, the Yanasaks began buying plants, both large and small. They both joke about the plants they’ve purchased so far.

“We have supported every nursery around here,” Vickie Yanasak said.

In addition, they moved some favorite plants from their previous home in Milton to the new property.

The Yanasaks then posed a challenge to a contractor specializing in ponds. They wanted a water feature installed as the focal point of their sloping yard, and wanted the waterfall to be located at the lowest point, so they could see it from the upper deck. Kevin Yanasak had the vision for the project.

“We basically asked the contractor to make the water defy gravity, and he did a great job,” Kevin Yanasak said.

The huge re-circulating water feature is a beautiful sight both from the upper deck and from the edges of the three waterfalls and ponds. Kevin and Vickie Yanasak know the names of every plant in the yard, and both enjoy tending to them. Plantings include a Weeping Birch, Weeping Golden Chain, Japanese maples, Pampas Grass, a lavender hedge, a Chocolate Mimosa, a red bark Double Weeping Cherry, a Staghorn and lots of Woolly Thyme in the rocks around the pond.

Nearly 20 years ago, Vickie Yanasak unearthed a vintage wheelbarrow on their property in Milton. Now overflowing with sedum (Hens and Chicks), it acts as a focal piece in this garden. To add a welcoming touch to their yard from every entrance, Kevin Yanasak’s lifelong friend, master carpenter David Schlumpf helped build four beautiful arbors. Each is accentuated by climbing Wisteria, Star Jasmine or Clematis montana Broughton. Because these vines are thriving where they are planted, they create the illusion that the arbors have been there for decades.

The Yanasaks had a terrific vision for their property and have brought that vision to fruition.

“This yard has only been in the works for four years,” said Kevin. “We’re really looking forward to seeing what it looks like as it matures.”

Nancy Draper can be reached by e-mail at nancydgardens@yahoo.com.