There's no denying, though, that when it comes to plants, Art's a bit of a pack rat. He receives strange and wonderful plants from friendly gardeners all over the country. And he scours gardens, cemeteries, and old home sites for heirloom selections of roses, daffodils, iris, and other plants that have all but disappeared from the nursery trade.

"I think I'm reinventing my childhood," he explains. "My grandmother's garden had thousands of different plants. It made such a vivid impression on my mind. I later inherited the property and then sold it to pay for my college education. I wish I could go back and dig up the plants that are probably still there."

Doing so would, of course, require researching all of their complete histories, as Art unfailingly does for nearly every plant in his garden. "I'm a bit anal," he admits. "I want to find out exactly what the dumb thing is, when it was introduced, and how it got here."

No such mysteries plague Art's neighbors. They know exactly when the strange plants arrived. It all started the day Art ripped out his lawn.

photo: 'Miss Kim' lilac, blue Siberian iris, and an urn filled with vetiver grass (Vetiveria zizanioides) make a splendid combination in the English mixed border.

"Cottage Garden Surprise" is from the April 2003 Issue of Southern Living.