IN THE GARDEN
by
Maryann Miller

 

When Conrad Wolfman decided to turn his entire front, side and back yard into a beautiful garden, he contacted Leon Sanders at Savana Lawn & Landscaping to come up with a design. "I started off with just an idea," Conrad said. "First, I wanted a stone walkway from the front porch to the mailbox."

"But the existing porch was a mess," Leon said. "It was old and rickety. So we designed a new one."

"Then we decided to have a pathway around to the side," Conrad said.

"And that wonderful iron bench just came along," Leon said. "And we had to make a space for it."

From the way the conversation meandered, one would get the impression that the garden just evolved, and it did in a way, but it did start with a plan. Leon is an experienced landscape designer and he drew up a plan that Conrad approved before work started. But both men admitted that they had fun veering off the plan a bit and coming up with new ideas. "It's been a real exciting project," Leon. "And definitely the biggest one I've done so far."

One of Conrad's special touches is the frogs. There are about 15 scattered throughout the garden area, and Conrad is pleased when neighborhood kids come to see if there is a new frog. He's recently added a few more that the kids will have to stop by to see.

Conrad, who moved to Winnsboro just a year ago, once played in his high school orchestra in New York and has a real affinity for music. He plays several instruments, but doesn't consider himself a professional. He does, however, enjoy concerts and can be seen often at the Crossroads Coffeehouse & Music Company in Winnsboro where he videotapes the concerts. He is also establishing his own little "frog band" on his front porch. "I'm getting these from the Main Street Gallery downtown," Conrad said. "I think it's great that we can get fine quality like that right here in Winnsboro."

Creating this garden has a deep spiritual significance for Conrad, who experienced a conversion a little over ten years ago and considers himself blessed that "After years of working for Satan, the Lord saw fit to bring me to Him."

So the garden is first and foremost for the glory of God, and secondly for his mother who always wanted a beautiful garden but never had one. "And it's also for the city of Winnsboro," Conrad said. "It's a gift of beauty for the community that has welcomed me and made me feel so much at home."

When the side and back are finished, Conrad plans to have a formal dedication of the gardens. The side features this fountain, which is a bit stark without the plants that will be coming soon, but is a stunning piece of artwork.

Part of the design for the back includes a stage where Conrad plans to hold small concerts, also as a gift to the community. He is a strong supporter of local businesses, churches, and the Trails Country Center for the Arts. He offers his videotaping services for no charge for churches and non profits.

Conrad is originally from New York and has lived in a number of places, retiring and moving from Dallas last October. He enjoys retirement, but does stay busy with the video business, as well as recently becoming a distributor for Limu, which is a health supplement drink. "I enjoy doing that because nothing is more important than good health, and it is rewarding to be a part of that,"Conrad said.

Making the decision to have Savana Lawn & Landscape create this oasis of beauty was not a hard one for Conrad. He had seen examples of their work around town, and it was important to him to use a Winnsboro business. Leon, pictured here on the left, creates the designs for a new project and has a staff of about seven to nine who do the bulk of the work. His wife, Lisa, also helps out.

In addition to landscaping and yard work, the company does dirt work and stump grinding, so they stay busy all year.

That was good news for Jason Zachary who came back to Winnsboro recently for a visit and started working for Savana. "I have family is here," he said. "And the only reason I left six years ago was because there was no economy to support my type of work."

His type of work is custom trims and interior carpentry for new construction or renovations. He also does decks and porches and built the porch for Conrad. But he does some of the planting, too. "I do whatever has to be done," he said.

Jason, pictured here on the right, is happy to be back in Winnsboro and happy to be working for Leon at Savana. "It's a great company, and he's a great guy," he said. "They are so friendly and so family oriented."

It took several weeks of hard work to create this garden, but everyone is pleased with the outcome. And rightly so. There is a sense of peace and serenity in the garden. One can almost hear His voice.