One of the things that Master Gardeners love to do is visit other gardens. Last week, we had the pleasure of visiting the gardens of Susan and Terry Biscoglia in Madison. Can I tell you that we were all blown away - and coming from Master Gardeners - those are impressive words.
When you first drive down the winding driveway, you look up the hill and see this beautiful house and barn sitting amidst 61 acres just outside the Walton County line in Morgan County. Susan joined our Master Gardener group 5 years ago and is always willing to lend a hand and help whenever and wherever we need her. However, her garden is her sanctuary and here is where she loves to be and it is evident everywhere you look.
Susan and Terry moved to Morgan County 29 years ago, and started out with a horse farm where they bred and trained horses. When that phase ended, they had an unused arena. What does any self-respecting gardener do with unused space - why, they make a garden of course. Susan started planting vegetables in the middle of it after amending all the sand!
We especially loved that she uses a Huskqvarna residential robotic mower to cut the lawn in her garden - now that is called working smarter, not harder!
As a side note, 30 years ago Terry heard a sermon that said we just need more Jesus in our life. When he left church that day, he thought “Do I know anymore about Jesus now than before the sermon?” The answer was a resounding No!, and so began his life long study of studying about Jesus and Jewish history from the beginning, which makes him an Old Testament scholar.
He has taught Sunday School, Bible Studies, and at prisons for about 30 years and currently welds and does metal working as a hobby. His handiwork is showcased throughout the garden.
However, it wasn't until Terry went to Israel on an archeological tour with Ray Vander Laan, who is with That the World May Know, that Susan's garden began to form and take shape. In Israel, Terry fell in love with the gardens that were made out of stone. Upon his return, they built all the raised beds out of stone and surrounded the fruit trees with them. We loved the rocks identifying each tree. The Hebrew Bible lists the seven special products of Israel - olives, grapes, honey (from date nuts), wheat, barley, figs, and pomegranates- and these are featured prominently throughout the garden. Walking through, there is so much to see and enjoy.
Then came the chicken house and green house!
The chickens live in the lap of luxury with continuous water and feed, and they are protected from predators.
The four windows form the framework of the greenhouse. Inside there is a sink, small fridge, seating area and fans. We loved the watering can rain gutter.
The focal point of the garden is the 7 foot (it’s actually 14 ft. with 7 of it underground) Standing Stone.
In ancient Israel before the written word was easily accessible, they had their oral history. So when God did something for you, you would make a “standing stone” so people would ask about it when they saw it. Terry and Susan put their standing stone in the middle of their garden. When people see it and ask about it, they tell them about how great God is and what he has done for them, and how much they love working in his creation everyday.
We left with a sense of wonder and a greater appreciation of God's creation. Thank you Terry and Susan for sharing your story and your beautiful garden with all of us.
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