by Diane Sagers

CORRESPONDENT

Tooele Valley is a mixture of old and new. Most of the communities of this valley have been established for more than a century and a half, so many homes have been here for a very long time. These have thoroughly established landscapes and gardens. Other homes that have popped up over the years have also been here long enough to have mature plants in their landscape designs.

During the past few years, however, Tooele County has been in a boom cycle with the mass construction of new homes. Drive through certain parts of area towns and you will find yards that are in the process of becoming. Some are simply grass with a few tiny trees and shrubs trying to get their roots into the ground. Brand new homes are often surrounded with no landscape at all -- the ground is simply untapped potential.

With proper care, gardens improve with age, but that does not mean that only older yards look attractive. With a willingness to put in some time and "sweat equity," homeowners can have yards they can enjoy early in the game.

Steve and Wanda Marsh can attest to that. They moved into their new home in Grantsville two days before Christmas 2006. Their yard was "just flat land," and so they set about early this spring to change it to a peaceful, serene haven that is reminiscent of the woods and natural areas surrounding us.

Their yard is still in its infancy, but it is already attractive. Their landscape could encourage those who stand in their front yards, hands on their hips, looking at bare ground, to think, "things will get better."

The Marshes moved here from the San Juan Islands off the state of Washington. These islands in the Puget Sound are rustic, beautiful, serene and very green, due to climate and soils that are totally different than those of Tooele Valley. They lived on the islands for nine years. Prior to that, they lived in California, with a climate that was also very different from ours.

The change is dramatic for the Marshes but they have learned to adapt to change. "The ocean view is a mere 900 miles away," Steve said.

They have changed their garden perspective to fit their new surroundings.

"We are learning all kinds of things. After living in Washington and California it is a whole different ballgame. We are learning all kinds of new things," Wanda explained.

The learning curve is perhaps not as vast as it could be since Wanda was raised in Tooele. However, she left the valley 46 years ago when she got married. She and her husband have returned to care for Wanda's mother, Edith Brown.

Their gardening expertise comes from experience but also from genetics.

"Mother is the gardener of gardeners. She gave a lot of that talent to Joe (Brown -- Wanda's younger brother) but Mother is the gardener. She is a wonderful gardener. I guess I got it from her. I have always liked gardening. I did some for 4-H projects and some things like that growing up.

"Steve's always liked gardening. He did a little landscaping as a summer job while at BYU. We just love learning about it," Wanda explained.

They have always designed their own landscapes because they like to develop a look that fits their personalities and garden objectives. They also like a natural look.

"We liked hills and rocks and trees and valleys. We will actually have a water feature with falls and a little pond. Steve has built one in every yard we have had. Those are the kinds of things we like that make us feel comfortable and bring us serenity and peace," she said.

As they assessed their new yard in Grantsville, they saw "flat ground." They have created raised areas and beds to create that look. With that in mind, their objective as they have made plant and landscape selections is to develop privacy and as much green as they can muster for their yard. They would very much like to enhance the view of the mountains and establish a "canyon-y" look within their yard.

"We are trying to create a nice harmonic environment that will be pleasant," Steve said.

Nevertheless, they are very aware of the desert climate they have returned to and have carefully chosen plants that are compatible with the soils and climate here. And they water everything in their yard -- with the exception of the lawn -- using a water-saving drip system. At some point, they hope to have an English garden style in their front yard as the plants become established.

The yard is still in the process of becoming, but even as the plants are getting established, the Marshes already have a landscape that they can be proud of.

Tips for the week:

* Plant very short-season crops for a fall harvest.

* Divide perennials after flowering.

* Water flowers deeply and infrequently, as soil dries out.

* Trim back annuals and fertilize to extend bloom.