Two gardens, one friendship
Mary Alice Woodrum and Jane Waldrop have been friends for more than 23 years.
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"We met many years ago through the CSRA Fiber Arts Guild, and we just clicked," Woodrum said. "Our kids were the same age, and we found that we had many similar interests."
Gardening was one.
"It's just been great," Woodrum said. "We'll pass things back and forth between our gardens, and I've become Jane's backup for day lilies.
Waldrop is deeply involved in the Daylily Club of Augusta.
Long before the pair began looking for native plants or swapped a single stalk, they learned something about one another that remains at the foundation of their friendship.
"We were young and broke but determined to make Christmas gifts to sell," Woodrum explained.
"So, there we were in this tiny building, very cold and the only source of heat was a gas heater in the bathroom. Well, Jane just declared that she knew how to light the thing and in the very instant that she struck the match, there went her blonde eyebrows, and all she could say was, 'Whoops.'"
"We got warm just laughing," Woodrum said. "There isn't anything we won't try."
The two have been friends since.
"Our gardens have evolved, kind of like our friendship," Woodrum said.
The latest evolution of Waldrop's garden has taken place with a list of plants that had their roots in Woodrum's garden.
"There's Russian sage, umbrella grass, porcelain berries, and a rose of Sharon that all came from Mary Alice's garden," Waldrop said. "She provided the plants, but she did not plant a single one.
"This garden is a perfect example that things don't have to be done all at once. I started planning this space last October, and I just added the plants, one by one."
Woodrum's lush garden spans five acres, and she occasionally lends some of the space to Waldrop.
"She'll often bring slats of creeping jenny or whatever she's weaning out and then come and get it when she needs it," Woodrum explained.
Waldrop works as a professional landscape designer and over the years has encouraged Woodrum to branch out and also become a landscape designer.
Just as Waldrop encouraged her friend to try something new, the pair is constantly spurring the other to grow something new.
"All in all, it's a good thing," Woodrum said.