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durhamregion.com 4 The Citizen August 23, 2013 Tim Whittaker - Publisher Joanne Burghardt - Editor-in-Chief Mike Johnston - Managing Editor Fred Eismont - Director of Advertising Eddie Kolodziejcak - Classified Advertising Manager Abe Fakhourie - Distribution Manager Lillian Hook - Office Manager Cheryl Haines - Composing Manager PH 905-579-4400 CLASSIFIEDS 905-576-9335 GENERAL FAX 905-576-9335 NEWS FAX 905-579-1809 865 Farewell St., Oshawa ON L1H 7L5 Member: Ontario Press Council, OCNA, CCNA, SNA. All content copyright A Metroland Media Group Ltd. Publication thecitizen Retired couple spreads pleasures of gardening to the community Parvaneh Pessian ppessian@durhamregion.com BROOKLIN -- There's no shortage of eye candy sprinkled along Sophie and John Bigham's 10-acre country property at 7425 Country Lane in Brooklin. The most alluring of the many sights, however, is the lavish 84-foot diameter circular garden that's divided into eight sections with plantings inspired by the colour wheel. "It's kind of like a maze and there's 28 gardens within the colour wheel," says Ms. Bigham, member of the Brooklin Horticultural Society and a gardener for more than 30 years. The unique colour wheel was one of the first features added to the garden when they moved to the home more than a decade ago. "I was driving to work one day because I was figuring out how I was going to plant it and I came up with the colour wheel," Ms. Bigham explains. "I divided it into eight sections and ... put all the pink plants in (one) section, all the blue plants in another, all the purple in another, so it was really easy to do and I basically stuck with that idea." The Bighams' garden, which includes 300 hostas and various types of clematis, hydrangeas, daylilies, roses, and annuals, was one of 10 sites showcased during this year's Beyond the Garden Gate, the Town of Whitby's garden tour presented on July 27. The colour wheel garden, the rose garden and the woodland garden on the property were also featured in a 24-page spread in Canadian Gardening Magazine last year. Ms. Bigham, 66, admits she didn't have much interest in gardening during her youth and only took up the hobby when the couple purchased their first home together. "You just kind of get hooked with all the different plants and flowers and now, it's almost like I've become a slave to the garden because there are just too many gardens," she says with a laugh. On average, she and her husband -- both retired -- spend about three or four hours a day in the garden. "John and I do all the work ... he does the grass and the edging and then I do all the planting and the designing," Ms. Bigham says. One of the couple's biggest joys is sharing their garden with the community, which they often do by hosting open garden tours at their home. "I think it's something that I really like to share with other people because there is so much to see so it's nice, especially for seniors who can't garden anymore," says Ms. Bigham. Even when the couple isn't busy showing off their creation, she adds that they try to set aside some time each day to admire the garden, especially in the evenings during sunset. "I like to have a cup of coffee and just walk around the garden and enjoy it for an hour every day," Ms. Bigham says. "I never get tired of it." Reporter Parvaneh Pessian covers the town of Whitby for Metroland Media Group's Durham Region Division WHITBY -- Chris and Vena Calver, above, toured the garden of John and Sofie Bigham, at right, who had their garden featured in the the Beyond the Gate free garden tour, presented by the Whitby in Bloom committee in July. A stone fence and arch frame a section of the garden, at bottom. sabrina byrnes / metroland