Karen Nelson can have a vacation without leaving home.
Her back yard on Lake Catawba Drive inside the Lakes and Streams subdivision turned into a tropical vacation in 2009, starting with the addition of three palm trees in the corner of her yard in February. A hammock is tied to the trees, and future plans are to add sand to the scene.
"I could just sit on the beach all day," she said, explaining why she chose to add all things tropical to her back yard.
When her family moved in three years ago they had a pool installed in the back yard. Gradually Karen designed the space into a tropical resting spot, which includes a koi pond, waterfall and pergola.
The waterfall leads down a slope in the back yard to the koi pond. The pond and fish are her favorite addition to the yard, but she said her yard has now become a gathering place for frogs that create a lot of noise at night.
A heron statue placed near the pool wards off real heron from eating her koi, she said.
Having a neighbor with his own landscaping company has helped her to complete tasks, Karen said. Jay McCormick with McCormick Landscaping built the waterfalls, designed flower gardens and helped her get rocks for the yard. He's not the only one who's lent a hand.
"It's kind of become a neighborhood project," she said. Neighbors helped her stain the pergola and often keep her company while she gardens, Karen said.
Karen's next project is to construct an arch bridge of concrete with flagstone over the river of water to provide a path to the pergola.
"I think I'm finished," she said of major projects. "It's getting to a point that I might be able to enjoy it and not work it."
Karen said when March rolls around she is in the yard through the summer gardening. And in the winter she's inside changing scenery in the house.
Her husband, Floyd, said Karen is good at what she does. He falls in place with projects she chooses and helps execute them, she said.
"She's got a green thumb and she's got an eye (for gardening)," he said.
He is supportive of Karen's next adventure --- to go to school for landscaping so she can do projects for other people.
"I'm about done in my yard," she said. "It's now time to move on to somebody else's."
Reach Crystal Garcia at crystal.garcia@northaugustatoday.com.
NELSON'S GARDENING TIP
"If you put in a koi pond, don't skimp and go ahead and put in an ultra violet light." Karen had cloudy water and tried many chemicals. When she installed the ultra violet light, the water cleared.
