April 15, 2004

Street Talk by Shari Kaplan

April is National Garden Month. What types of plants do you have growing in your garden, and what do you like about gardening? ( Asked at Almaden Lake Park )

“This time of year I always think about herbs; I love growing herbs. Basil is my favorite. I'm not as good at growing things from seed as I am with planting from cellpacks, so I usually buy cellpacks. When we pick flowers out, we tend to go for a lot of color. If it's pretty at the time, we buy it. We have one strip of soil, but aside from that, we do container gardening. I feel gardening is very therapeutic. It's a quiet activity, and it's something you can be creative with and enjoy the end result.”

Marjorie McCray, 49
Almaden Valley
Director of information management

“I love spending time in the yard. In one part I have a succulent area that I started with just three plants and then they just took over. I also have snapdragons in all colors that I use for cut flowers. I'm also growing sugar snap peas. In the past, I've grown corn, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, watermelons and other things. Through trial and error I find what works best. No one else in my house is really into it. I get a real sense of satisfaction working in the garden and a real sense of peace.”

Anjali Peruman, 55
Bay Point
Unemployed paralegal

“I have a townhouse so I'm a little limited. I have a courtyard in the front with flowers and potted geraniums for color, a potato bush and a dwarf lemon tree. There's one patch in front with really rich soil; anything I plant there grows well. In the back I don't have such good soil, so I do container gardening. I have about 20 pots with flowers, miniature roses and bulbs. For greenery, I have photinia shrubs. I enjoy the beauty of a garden and I like watching things grow. I also like choosing things that add nice color. It adds life to a yard.”

Ellen Anderson, 40s
Los Gatos
Account manager

“My mother and wife like tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and eggplant. We have a small garden, but we like growing vegetables. My mother and wife also really like flowers, such as roses and other flowers but I don't know their names in English. Their favorite colors are pink, red, yellow and purple. We had a big garden back in Turkey, where we grew all these things and also potatoes, beans and herbs. Gardening is a nice way to spend free time. It's healthy to be outside and work in the earth.”

Hasan Koc, 32
Cambrian
Restaurant chef

“We grow tomatoes, squash and chili peppers in the back yard. We also have some groundcovers and azaleas. We planted the azaleas when my father died, because someone gave them to us at the funeral. I love the homegrown, natural taste that comes from growing your own vegetables. I also like having a surplus; we have plenty of vegetables to give away.”

Carrie Faraone, 41
Willow Glen
Real estate agent

“I don't do anything in the garden, but I'd love if someone did it for me! I'd like to have flowers and plants, because it's beautiful to have them with all the buildings around. They're nice to have for the sight and the smell. I'd also like to have a vegetable garden with tomatoes, cucumbers and kohlrabi. There's nothing better than eating fresh tomatoes; they're like candy! I do have orange, lemon, grapefruit, fig and persimmon trees growing on my property, but I mainly just eat the figs and persimmons.”

Diane Nagler, 45
Almaden Valley
Electronic sales