Although the property was
a mere six blocks from bustling Main Street, it seemed far removed
in time. The traditional German limestone farmhouse had been built
in 1882 by immigrant Henry Lehne, and nearby were a small wooden barn,
a couple of large sheds, and a two-bedroom cottage built in 1910.
The cottage had been the home of a midwife, and area farmwives had
come there to give birth and recuperate afterward. The property still
belonged to Lehne's descendants, but when the Varney's bought it in
1991, it had been abandoned for about fifteen years. The grounds were
overgrown and overrun by wild turkeys, and only rats and snakes inhabited
the buildings.
 The
Varney's saw promise, though. All the buildings were structurally
sound, and the land was ideal for growing herbs —well drained,
sunny, and bounded across its back by a creek. They replaced the
turkeys with guinea hens because guineas will kill snakes, moved
into the midwife's house, and set about the farm's rebirth. "We
had to gut the stone house," says Bill. "We stripped the
plaster from most of the interior, but we left it on some of the
walls because it's part of the history." Their care in following
guidelines for historic preservation earned the limestone house
a Texas historical marker that relates its history.
As soon as the stone
house was ready, ti became the new Varney's Chemist Laden, even
though things remained a bit primitive. "When we first opened,
there were still snakes around here," Bill says. "They'd
come in through the old wood floors. Most of the employees were
scared, but Shirley, being a rancher, wasn't. Occasionally a small
one would come in, and Shirley would nonchalantly step on it and
stand there and finish waiting on the customer."
In the midst of the renovations,
the Varneys began laying out their first large-scale garden. They
wanted something aesthetic as well as functional, but the space
was more than two hundred feet across, and they had trouble deciding
on an appropriate design to fill it. They finally settled on a five=pointed
star set in a 180-foot circle because star shape can symbolize many
things at once. Bill personally laid out the pattern in local limestone
as he has with all their gardens. One day while he was working,
several neighbors approached and asked, "You're not going to
turn this into a trailer park or something, are you?" Bill
assured them that he planned something much nicer.
When planting the Star
Garden, the Varneys devoted each point to a different herbal theme:
medicinal, cosmetic, culinary, crafting, and visual appeal. Mixed
in with the herbs are many types of flowers to add color and variety.
The rose-covered windmill at the center was brought in from Johnson
City. Over the years, they've added more gardens: the Cross Garden,
the Ichthus Garden shaped like a Christian fish, the Secret Garden,
and the Working Garden. The stones for a sixth, the Children's Garden,
are now in place. The Varneys' son Roy, came up with the idea that
its arbored entrance be hidden in the back hedge of the Secret Garden
— a secret within a secret.
 The
gardens are designed to demonstrate the use of herbs as groundcovers,
borders, and back-drops. The Varneys believe there are five essential
herbs for any garden — parsley, rosemary, thyme, chives, and
oregano — but many of the herbs they carry aren't found in
most nurseries, such as chocolate mint, pineapple sage, and lemon
verbena. The plants are grown organically and hand-harvested. "Gardens
like this are a long-term proposition," says Bill. "They
take years to completely develop, but it's fun to see people get
excited, stop, and enjoy them."
"Our dream was to
create a place where people cold have an opportunity for self-transformation,"
says Sylvia. "Here they can have all of their senses stimulated
and have a chance to relax and re-establish a relationship with
Mother Nature or God or simply to enjoy the feeling of swear running
down their backs."
|
by:
Christopher Dow
photos by:
Tommy LaVergne
Originally
Published in
Sallyport
The Magazine
of Rice University
Summer 2001
Click on any of
the small photos
to view full size
|
