What do a couple of empty nesters do with a baseball diamond in their backyard?
Turn it into a private retreat for training therapy dogs, of course.
Susan Johansen’s suburban Chicago garden has been a reflection of a helping spirit for almost 30 years.
Drawn to the lot more than the home, Susan saw a diamond in the rough.
However, it would have to withstand three rambunctious boys with a passion for playing Wiffle ball first.
For that, Susan had another plana miniature baseball diamond.
She squeezed in gardens around the field, careful not to encroach upon her boys' territory.
“The boys would begrudgingly give me a base at a time,” Susan says.
“And each time they’d give me a little grief.”
As the garden grew, likewise Susan’s tool collection outgrew the garage, and Dave suggested a shed.
“It wasn’t like furniture; we couldn’t just rearrange it,” she says.
“We really wanted to give people something pretty to look at,” Susan says.
“The dogs were never allowed in the garden from the moment they arrived,” Susan says.
“It’s like not allowing your dog on the couch.”
She was most intrigued by a dog’s innate ability to tap into human emotion.
Today the dogs frequent area nursing homes and offer emotional support to people in crisis.
Susan Johansen spends countless hours working and playing with her dogs in her suburban Chicago backyard.
Therapy dogs Sophia and Clara travel with Susan and are trained to offer emotional support to people in crisis.
Deep, curving beds allow for plenty of layering throughout the backyard garden.
A shady island bed just off the patio is home tohostas,Ligulariadentata’Britt-Marie Crawford', andAlchemilla mollis.
Succulents andalliumfill a metal chair container off the front porch.
A flagstone patio provides a perfect entertaining space for summertime gatherings.
Clematis’Princess Diana' climbs an arbor over the shady front walk.
The white arbor plays off of the white trim on the house.
The surrounding garden beds are full ofAstilbechinensis’Visions',Brunnera macrophylla’Jack Frost', and an assortment ofhostas.
Throw in a four-legged friend or two and you have a potential recipe for disaster.
Not only can dogs destroy your hard work, but your hard work could destroy them, too.
An awareness of plant toxicity will go a long way in preventing disaster.
Even better, teach your dog not to eat ANY plants.
For a comprehensive list, visit the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals ataspca.org.
Here are some common garden plants that are toxic to canines:
