Garden fully accessible to wheelchairs, walkers

She went on to explain that she and her husband managed to transform the property by doing a massive cleanup, hardscaping, adding 40 yards of compost and a sprinkler system, and more.

They kept fruit trees that were barely hanging onto life — “In our first year, we picked just one apple” — because after professional pruning, watering and feeding they had 700 pounds of fruit the second year. It was all given to Life Cycles fruit tree project, so the fruit will not go to waste. (Zaffaroni doesn’t harvest fruit or grow vegetables as the Moss Street Market is a 10-minute walk away.)

“It just shows you what happens if you water and feed something,” and now the couple enjoys three healthy apple trees, two pear, one quince and an enormous walnut which produces lots of nuts although the squirrels get them all.

Their garden is also completely accessible.

Pathways are made of compacted, fine screenings to allow people in wheelchairs or using walkers to enjoy it, and a new stairway has shallow risers and deep treads, safer if anyone falls.

“Gardening is a very peaceful and meditative thing for me … and it teaches a person to be patient, and accept failure,” she said, adding she likes the philosophy of traditional “paradise gardens” where elements such as water, ponds, canals, scent and fruit trees have been essential features. She wishes there were more places to seek inner calm and what the Japanese call “forest bathing.”

“I also feel there is something very worthy about creating something beautiful, ” said the long time member of the Victoria Horticultural Society and keen advocate of Victoria Hospice.

Left: A gazebo faces the rising sun and is a “toasty” spot for early coffee or late afternoon tea when the sun has moved to the other side of the garden. Trees above the open-roofed gazebo used to drop pitch on furniture below until the owners covered it with recycled glass. The gazebo is swagged in jasmine, honeysuckle, climbing hydrangea and roses.

A carpeted alcove under the back of the house is a favourite place to relax year round. Because it is south facing and protected from wind and rain, this outdoor “room” is surprisingly warm in all seasons.“We wear warm jackets and sit with cups of tea, even in winter to enjoy a snowy scene,” said Zaffaroni.

Above: While less than a quarter of an acre the garden evokes a surprising a visual vastness thanks to paved pathways, broad stairs, arbours, trellises, a gazebo and much more around each enticing corner.

The south facing kitchen is warm and welcoming thanks to soft blue cabinets and ample sunlight that streams in all day through a wall of windows, offering extensive views of the garden below.

A desk in the cottage is where Zaffaroni does all her garden research. She is an intensely committed gardener who also likes to recycle, and found the glass windows second hand.

Right: A chaise longue in one of the alcoves under the house faces onto a broad patio edged in layers of colourful blooms and vines.

The view from the dining room takes in the huge walnut tree, new patio, staircase and full accessible pathway down to a tiny cottage and pond at right.