The New Victory Garden in The Memorial Villages, Houston, TX
The Rooted Garden team was thrilled to design and install this kitchen garden for our client Karen’s 90 year old father. When I met Karen, we were in the midst of a global pandemic. She shared with me her desire to build raised garden beds for her father, who had recently come to live with the family.
Karen’s father, Peter Williams grew up in London. His love of gardening began at an early age. Like most Londoners, the Williams family had a Victory Garden, a necessity in order to supplement food rations during WWII.
Peter Williams stands inside his newly created kitchen garden in Houston.
Peter Williams grew up in London. His love of gardening began at an early age. Like most Londoners, the Williams family had a Victory Garden ~ a necessity in order to supplement food rations during WWII. After he moved to the United States, Mr. Williams settled with his family in Longview, Texas where gardening continued as a part of daily life on his family’s farm.
In 2020, the world went to war again, this time~ against Covid-19. Fighting this virus meant hunkering down.. literally, going nowhere. And so, Mr. Williams’s days were spent watching TV, reading, and simply passing the time inside. At the young age of 89, it just wasn’t safe to be anywhere else.
Enter the new victory garden.
Karen and her husband were excited to discuss plans for large garden in their side yard. It was the perfect location; sunny, with gravel already in place for drainage, and easy access for our gardener.
We designed a four-garden classic with powder coated steel beds in graphite grey.
In went flowers and herbs… rosemary, thyme, chamomile, oregano, basil, sage, parsley, chives, cilantro and dill. In went vegetables… peppers and tomatoes, two varieties of each. In went swiss chard, bush beans, pole beans and arugula.
As we finished, seven hours later, we talked amongst ourselves about what a wonderful gift this was going to be.
We hand watered, labeled plants and tidied up before calling our clients out to see their new dream garden. The team is working on the Rooted Garden planting layout that ensures the client will have a beautiful and productive kitchen garden. All of our plants are locally grown using organic growing methods and no synthetic fertilizers.
On the morning of installation, I learned that Karen’s father had not yet been told about his new gardens. This made the day even more special, just anticipating his reaction.
By 9am, a forklift arrived to deliver our custom steel beds. The action was just beginning! Next was soil delivery~ and hours of labor by our talented team to fill and adjust each garden bed into the perfect position. Drip irrigation was installed and checked before our planting team arrived to make everything beautiful.
Metal, power coated raised kitchen garden are built to last for many years. They are a custom steel design and than powder coated which will withstand corrosion and won’t chip, crack or peel. The custom powder coated color was chosen to coordinate with the trim details on the clients home and the thin profile maximizes the clients space while providing a modern aesthetic. Each garden bed measured 8’L x 3’W x 2’H, with a two foot pathway in between and around the gardens.
One of the signature design elements in Rooted Garden Kitchen Garden designs is the use of metal trellises that provide beauty and function for vining vegetables such as beans, tomatoes and cucumbers. The team placed two large custom made “Nicole” arches. The trellises would anchor the space and give our clients a harmonious balance between form and function.
The look on Mr. Williams’s face said it all. He was excited and a bit nostalgic.
His days now had purpose. We shared a conversation about things he loved to grow. Onions were his favorite. Karen told me that he had onions still planted over at the family farm in Longview, that would need to be brought over to the new gardens right away.
This garden installation was a beautiful example of how something so simple can feel so meaningful. Gardening is a gift best shared across generations. The victory has changed from survival to hobby to hope. It keeps us young, or at the very least, young at heart.
