Dirty Knees and Dungarees

Betty Pearce has been tending her plot for 35 wonderful years

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Westerly is known for the flowing beauty at Wilcox Park, but many locals equally admire the gardens of Betty and Dan Pearce. More than 35 years ago, the couple moved to their home, which was warm and welcoming on the inside, but considerably lacking on the outside. While overgrown plants, shrubs and trees peppered the grounds, the couple saw heaps of potential; soon Betty was clearing the grounds and starting the property’s new chapter with fresh perennial beds. “We knew the yard needed work,” she explains. “The beds evolved very slowly. The trees and numerous things weren’t healthy.”

Multiple gardens have emerged slowly but surely. “This evolved year after year,” Betty tells me, adding that while growing up, she carefully watched her own mother on the limited occasions she gardened. After Betty married and started her own home, she says gardening came calling. With quiet determination and abundant patience, Betty’s gardens grew in both size and stature. “My garden is trial and error, and trust me, I have made a lot of errors,” she says with a laugh. Healthy soil is imperative, she says, and moving plants around until they find their “happy place” will take time.

While the garden was Betty’s domain for decades, it wasn’t until her husband retired that his curiosity got the best of him, and he soon began to share Betty’s passion. A friend had gifted the couple with a sign, “Pearce’s Park,” a nod to their hard work and expanding colorful landscapes. “He said we were competing with Wilcox Park,” Betty says, smiling.

A vegetable garden flourishes this time of year, and a bog garden featuring moisture-loving plants adds a unique dimension, but the garden the couple is most excited about is one they developed a few short years ago on the west side of the property. “Literally, my husband and I were on our hands and knees clearing the stones and roots,” Betty says, her voice stressing their hard work. “It was a labor of love.” An oversized rock, uncovered from below the surface, has become the focal point. The garden itself has taken a lot of careful planning and ongoing attention, whereas others on the property have self-propagated.

With all of their careful attention, the Pearce’s property has been designated a Certified Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation, and after years of hoping, the couple welcomed bluebirds this year. “Dirty knees on my dungarees,” she says. “It’s what you get from Mother Earth.”

gardens, gardening, south county, betty pearce, westerly, so rhode island

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