Great Back Yards
Rambling In Rose’s Garden
By Melissa Wynn
Photos by Melissa Wynn
As my sister and I pulled into the driveway at the Dembosz residence in Quincy I knew right away that this was going to be an amazing back yard. The pristine vegetable garden and quaint tool shed beside the drive were but a tiny inkling of what was to come. Mrs. Rose Dembosz met us on the perfectly manicured lawn, with cold bottled water, to guide us through her lovely labor of love. This botanical work of art, featuring several water displays, has been decades in the making and is a proud addition the annual garden tour in Quincy. As you wander from the lawn hand made cobblestone paths wind you through Rose’s majestic property. Each bend in the trail offers a new sitting area with umbrella shaded furniture, fabulous foliage and carefully placed décor. My sister just loved the alligator in sunglasses offering wine to the garden gazers from his little serving tray, so adorable.
Further along, the path becomes sandy and opens to a clearing filled with carved bears and bordered by an ancient log that crafty Rose rescued after a flood from a neighbor. I could have spent the rest of the day in any of the decorative swings, lawn chairs or benches always available a few steps away. Every treasure in this great back yard was hand chosen by Rose herself and meticulously placed with a bit of help from Dave Cline of Valley View Landscaping and her ever patient husband Timmy.
Leaving the clearing and crossing one of three foot bridges brought us to the shady fire pit area. Surrounded by bench on three sides and offering a spectacular views of the rest of the garden, this area would make an awesome visitors campsite.
As we meandered over the foot bridge that Rose hand crafted in a local wood working class I was taken aback by the vast variety of plant life that Rose has managed to incorporate into her little piece heaven. My personal favorite was the wooden arch draped with fragrant and stunning hanging cedar. It reminded me of an evergreen garland from a magical Christmas tale.
As our rambling with Rose brought us back toward the driveway I was sad to see it end. The graceful crane statues at the end of yet another trail seemed to bid us a friendly farewell with a promise to be waiting for our return for next year’s tour. I can’t wait to see what Rose will add next!
