Cheney gem earns honor

Last time I checked, Spokane was about 280 miles from the nearest body of salt water. But The Jardin Voyager, “planted” in Cheney, waits for her next crew of grandkids to man the helm and sail off into the land of imagination.

The Jardin Voyager, a once glorious wooden hulled 27-foor cruiser that cut a pretty wake on Puget Sound in its day, is in permanent drydock in the backyard of Rick and Nancy Keyes near Cheney. The only waves this boat will see any time soon will be Wave petunias planted in the flower beds that surround it.

The Jardin Voyager (or Garden Voyager) is only one of many creative and whimsical elements that won the Keyes the June Garden of the Month award from the Inland Empire Gardeners.

On what was once a dairy farm near Marshall, the Keyes have spend the last 17 or so years creating a garden filled with antique roses, clematis, perennials and bits and pieces of functional garden art created out of scrap metal, found objects and anything else that looked cute and could hold up a plant.

“We started with some shrubs from the conservation service 17 years ago and just never stopped adding to them,” says Nancy.

In the front gardens, Rick created a 100-foot-long arbor of cattle fencing that now holds up a few of Nancy’s roses and clematis. The arbor serves as a windbreak and frame for a garden of perennials and vegetables. When the roses fade the purple and blue clematis are in their glory. Around the front door Nancy created a welcoming entry garden. At the entrance to the backyard is an all-white flower garden with a dozen different perennials in bloom. Using a single color in a garden allows the shape and texture of the plants to really stand out

In the backyard, where the Jardin Voyager is docked, fences are covered with more roses and clematis. That makes it feel like an old-fashioned walled garden. Blue delphiniums, magenta hollyhocks, lilies and dozens of perennials add more color. On a concrete pad in the center of the yard where the Keyes’ six kids shoot hoops, Rick created a large game board ready for a game of checkers.

While the Jardin Voyager is always ready for an imaginary journey for grandkids, the Keyes have also added a comfortable table for a little alfresco dining on warm summer evenings. When a chill settles in the air, they retreat to an outdoor fire pit that is set in a cozy pocket in another corner of the garden.

Near the house, the Keyes have built raised beds and added a small covered porch and greenhouse.