Spotlight on Nassau County Gardens – Sue and Gary Fredrick

Nassau County Extension Service
UF/IFAS
Photos and information by Elizabeth Wilkes
www.elizabethwilkesphotography.com
June 15, 2018 11:00 a.m.

Sue and Gary Frederick bought their property in Hilliard in 1965 and built their home in 1974. At first, the job of removing all the wild grape and poison ivy vines along with all the weeds it seemed over-whelming. However, with a lot of hard work, Sue and Gary managed to make turn the unruly yard into something quite lovely. Her quote is “I prune roses in the daytime but in the dark of night I write killer spy thrillers.”

Hurricane Irma wrought much damage to the property but Gary, also know as “the cabana boy”, worked diligently to replaced their fence, arbor and numerous other structures in the landscape. There is still plenty of work to be done on their summer kitchen and several trees and plants will need some tender loving care to bring them back to their full beauty. The Fredericks enjoy sharing their outdoor kitchen with friends, who gather around to play guitars, fish and warm themselves over the open fires.

The colorful part of the garden is a duplicate of Sue’s mothers garden which always brings back precious memories. Looking over the scenery you will spy colorful flowers such as roses, bush daisies, dianthus plants, begonias, verbena, day lilies, geraniums, and hydrangeas.

The white flowers of the English Dogwood pair beautifully with the pretty, deep red roses of the Don Juan rose bush.

At the entrance of the property are some potted plants with Buster, their very sweet rescue dog. The garage is lovely because Sue painted an enormous flower on the door. Gary and Sue have been married 57 years and are very happy here. What a very special home and garden!

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“Spotlight on Nassau Gardens,” is a monthly recognition program of the UF/IFAS Nassau County Extension Service, featuring the beautiful gardens and plants grown by Nassau County residents. To be considered, send a digital photo with a description of your “Spotlight,” along with your name, address, and phone number to [email protected]. For more information, call the Extension office at 904-530-6353.