Linda Welsh’s husband Bill is a truly dedicated gardener. He broke his back earlier this year while transplanting a large hydrangea and is still on the mend, but says that won’t keep him from enjoying his passion.

He smiles as he says some men are addicted to golf, but for him, it’s gardening.

The couple met when Linda’s friend set up a double date for both of them with her boyfriend and his co-worker, Bill Welsh. This year will mark the Welshes’ 63rd wedding anniversary.

In 2006, a few years after retirement, the Welshes agreed to move closer to their two daughters, who live in East Texas.

They decided on a sandy brick two-story home at 503 N. Pacific in Mineola.

Though the house was perfect for them, a large six-foot tree stump matted with ivy needed to be removed from the front yard.

There were shrubs along the foundation and a few other trees, but Bill also had plans to add silver maples, pecan trees and crape myrtles to the front and sides of the property. After 19 years, these mature trees now add shade and beauty.

Linda says they both love bright colors, so there are many yellow blooms about the property, including chrysanthemums and lantana.

Variety reigns with a combination of nandina, daisies, azaleas, daylilies and Christmas caladiums with their huge green veined white leaves. Several large pots are bursting with cheerful lavender and white periwinkles.

The long brick wall marching along the back yard is lined with canna lilies in full bloom and variegated liriope accenting the border. Gardenias planted by the back door perfume the air, and the wind chimes on the porch jingle in the breeze.

When asked about his gardening secrets, Bill says he mixes cow manure into the soil in the spring to give the plants a boost. When he had trouble giving some of his flowers a deep watering, a helpful associate at Ace Hardware told him to take a length of PVC pipe, drill several holes along its length, then push it several inches into the soil before attaching a connector for his garden hose. He says it works like a charm.

He also says he’s careful to dig and dispose of all the roots of invasive plants such as monkey grass and bermudagrass...otherwise it’s just pull, regrow and repeat.

He demonstrates how a metal frame with a padded seat can flip from his knee cushion to a comfortable gardening chair.

Bill admits he’s been forced by his back injury to get help with mowing and edging, but otherwise does all the planting, watering and maintenance.

He says gardening clears his mind and relaxes him. Linda nods, saying their beautiful landscape is all his work and he loves it.

The Fannie Marchman Garden Club of Mineola has chosen the Welsh home as the October Yard of the Month.