Mary Matsumoto photos

A project or two each year since they purchased their Kiel lot in 1984 has helped Bob and Sue Schoenborn create their lovely garden spot. One of those projects has been a prairie (above). At left, Sue is in one of her garden plots getting it ready for another growing season.

What Sue Schoenborn of Kiel likes best about her garden setting is seeing everything come alive each year when spring rolls around.

“I love to see everything start to green up and change from the dullness of winter,” she said.

She loves being outside, too, when the temperature is just right, and that, for Sue, would be in the 60s, not too hot to work and not too cold, usually in May or June. Gardening is a good excuse for spending time outdoors during her favorite time of the year.

Actually, working in the yard has an additional pleasure. It’s something the Schoenborns do together. Bob tackles the more physical side, creating the structure, while Sue plants the flowers.

Little by little since 1984

The couple purchased their riverside property back in 1984 when the plot was just a field. Besides building their house, they worked on the landscaping, a little at a time. Each year was an adventure, with a new project to look forward to. Always the question, “What are we going to do this year?”

As Sue puts it, it didn’t happen in one or two years. “It was a process, but something we enjoyed.”

The first thing the Schoenborns did was to clean up the riverbank so they could enjoy the river. Then, Sue started on her garden beds.

She would begin in February or March by sketching them to scale on paper, tak-

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