PEORIA MAGAZINE May 2022

Grandmother Henrietta Brown and aunts Clara Howell and Marcella Brown

augment their food supply. One Italian lady planted every inch of her small yard in vegetables, raised chickens and had a hand pump for water in her kitchen. Another neighbor had beautiful round beds of pansies in the spring scattered through his big lawn. Directly across from our home was a garden filled with perfectly tended vegetables and many big cherry trees. The cherries were for the birds. I was the only child in the neighborhood allowed to pick as many cherries as I wanted. How could these memories not influenceme?My devotion to gardening took awhile, since I was immersed inmy very busy, sometimes 24/7 career on the Peoria Police Department. I still work as a private detective but I have committed time formyself and for gardening, which is very important to me. My present home is is a 100-year old plus Victorian with a beautiful wraparound porch, as well as a sunroom out back. These are my favorite places to be. Inspiration is always present in

For those who cannot garden themselves, I suggest a walk or drive through a public park or beautifully landscaped neighborhood. Spring and summer bring carloads of elderly people to our neighborhood. We so enjoy sharing. Another way to enjoy gardening is to read about it. Famous gardeners such as Gertrude Jekyll wrote extensively on her experiences. My new favorite, Writing the Garden: A Literary Conversation Across Two Centuries by Elizabeth Barlow Rogers is a treasure trove of beautiful prose by women who write as well as they garden. Something to aspire to.

both locations. My home is in Peoria’s oldest historic district. Fortunately, most of the neighbors are gardening enthusiasts, as well. Our neighborhood is the Randolph Roanoke Historic District and Resi dential Association. The architecture and enormous trees provide a dramatic backdrop for stunning floral displays. We own and maintain a private park, which contains our butterfly garden. Additionally, we own and maintain the decorative flower baskets mount ed on our five-globe Victorian light fixtures. This month, we will be dividing and sharing our perennials and de voting time to a new pocket park for a community vegetable garden. Gardening has something for everyone. The physical act of digging your hands into the damp earth and inhaling the aroma relaxes your cares and allows you to enjoy life. Creating a garden and caring for it throughout the season provides a certain satisfaction or, in failure, reason to say, “Better luck next year!”

Marcella Teplitz is a former Peoria City Councilwoman, former Peoria Police officer, current president of the Randolph Roanoke Residential Association, and an avid inner-city gardener.

MAY 2022 P EORIA MAGAZINE 27