By By JOHN EBY / Dowagiac Daily News
Necessity is the father of invention, too.
When Joe Gray started gardening as a stress reliever after work as a case manager for Berrien County's mental health agency in Benton Harbor, his motives were more pragmatic than "textures" and "vistas" he talks of today.
Admittedly, his creation "is still not like a normal garden, where everywhere you go is flowers. You've got greenery, grasses and different textures," Gray said Wednesday evening.
His first "formation" followed the scarred, dead grass he and son Nick and daughter Liz killed playing badminton.
This being Orchard Street, it's perhaps not surprising to find a fruit tree in the tree lawn, but this one was grafted at some point so red berries hang over the street and green apples bob in the branches dangling over the sidewalk.
Of course, what looks like the illegitimate offspring of cornstalks and sunflowers is neither, but bamboo shoots, in case anyone notices panda bears on the prowl two blocks north of downtown Dowagiac.
From his vantage point, he's on top of a rise undetectable from street level, so areas where he sits to rest or reflect at the foot of the imposing former funeral home are obscured from passersby.
Gray is from Dowagiac, his wife, Connie, from Texas. They moved in in 1992.
A sapling was given to the Grays by the city to compensate for the removal of a larger tree to accommodate power lines.
A wind storm a couple of years tore off the top of a poplar he feared was a "goner," but the rest of it rebounded as a source of shade, although a willow will eventually take its place.
Another motivator was a hole left by a swimming pool which had been the focal point of the sideyard.
Gray worked in Niles until that location closed in a cost-cutting move.
Joe had never gardened before other than growing some house plants, but the plants tell only part of the story of his eclectic open-air art gallery showcasing a passion for not only recycling, but creatively combining other people's trash into eye-catching treasure.
The mint and irises were given to him. "I love the way mint smells in the heat of the day," he said. "It's such a refreshing smell, and sometimes it will drift into the house. Goldenrod echoes the end of the season. The rosebushes are original from when we moved in. Connie's uncle gave us the peach tree. The flagpole is from her cousin. A lot of stuff in the yard people threw away and I found it alongside the road," including the split-rail fence.
Oversized jigsaw puzzle pieces dot one bed. "I thought they were cool. I really didn't know what to do with them, but I might incorporate them into the walk" by light fixtures and globes co-habitating with lavender, spearmint and false sunflowers.
There are so many rakes and shovels, it takes a moment to discern between the decorative and those propped mid-project.
He trims a section at a time. "In the spring, it takes me two days to get my stamina back up." Then, two hours.
While he spends time in the winter in the basement with his train layout, puttering around outdoors also fulfills a dual function of a workshop.
He built an arbor with limbs shed from another tree and is considering piecing together a sturdier 2.0 version.
A sign points the way to the backyard, a fenced compartment divided by a locust tree which blooms in white in springtime, between the barbecue grill for cookouts and a looped footpath to admire shade-loving plants.
Where the basketball hoop used to be on the garage is a large star he found in Tecumseh. He built Adirondack chairs damaged by winter.
Someone threw out a tall ladder, which Joe rescued because "it seemed perfect" for their towering Victorian home.
Gray even amuses himself by building "robots" along the drive.
One was constructed from old letters and a lamp base, with a mop head for shaggy hair.