Along with the yellow strawflower, the vibrant bells of these calibrachoa flowers contrast the deep greens of the yard. (Josh Imhof/Gazette)

By Josh Imhof, Indiana Gazette

As a child, Michelle Fryling spent summers in the garden with her mother.

As a mother, she spent them in the garden with her daughter.

As a grandmother, she now spends them with her grandson.

“It’s a lovely circle of life,” Fryling said.

She recently was awarded the June Garden of the Month, presented by the Indiana Garden Club.

Fryling has lived at her home on Gabriel Street for 32 years and has garnished it with flowers, bushes, decorations and other plants ever since. The garden is divided into two main parts: the front yard, which offers a scenic view for drivers on their way to the local baseball fields, and the backyard, which is surrounded by a large white fence and offers a home away from home for her and her family.

As executive director of communications and media relations at IUP, Fryling is often in her office and within reach of others. Here, she said she has a chance to reground herself in nature.

“I like the silence of my plants,” Fryling said. “It’s a different pace.”

The garden features a variety of perennials and annuals, the latter of which she uses as accents around the space. Bright yellow strawflowers line railings in her backyard, and orange portulacas brighten the shadowy corners of her mulch beds, attracting numerous pollinators that keep her garden healthy.

In the front, she cares for a silver mound. This fluffy, sage-colored plant reminds her of her mother.

“She always instilled a sense of stewardship in the Earth,” Fryling said. “I feel like being around and taking care of these plants makes me feel close to her.”

This stewardship doesn’t just stop when the summer ends. Fryling staggers the growth of many of her plants, with each one blooming at different times throughout the year.

The season kicks off in the springtime when her lilac bush blooms, and it runs all the way to the fall when she is ready to harvest her pumpkins.

She sources many of her plants from local businesses, such as the Twolick Valley Nursery where her grandson, Shaffer, will often accompany her. As he has grown, Shaffer has begun developing his own green thumb, helping to water the plants and weed the mulch beds.

Fryling said her mother also passed down a sense of gratitude, whether that be for her family, her home or those that live around her.

“I find that when somebody has a nice garden, it’s a beauty for the community.”

Josh Imhof is a student at Duquesne University and one of 10 Pittsburgh Media Partnership summer interns.