by Jackie Reid Dettloff 
This months garden is a tiny jewel. Pat Bucketts front yard at 3053 North Pierce St. is a miniature work of art. Five years ago when Pat moved here from Wauwatosa, she inherited a steeply-sloped yard with grass and a clump of day lilies. What she wanted for herself was a low-maintenance garden that would be beautiful all year round. So she set about transforming her yard. Little by little she built up the soil with composted kitchen scraps. She brought in stones and a variety of perennial plants ground covers, pampas grass, shrubs and a serviceberry tree. And now she has a garden that pleases her as well as the neighbors who walk by. As much of the color in our landscape fades, Pat Bucketts little plot is bright with the foliage of burning bush, the red berries of cotoneaster and the soft petals of hydrangea flowers. I love my garden, Pat says. Maybe once a month I might have to pull a few weeds, but mostly it is maintenance free.
Riverwest Currents online edition – November, 2006