A passion for planting
Ken Broadway shares his love for gardening
STORY & PHOTOS BY: JEFF WILFORD
The yard at Ken Broadway’ s rural New Sharon home is a series of meticulously cared for garden plots.
Potted geraniums and daisies line the walk from the driveway to his front door. Lilies, irises, carnations and gladiolas grow in the various plots. Somewhere in each plot is some sort of reclaimed household implement— tires, an old broaster, a wash bin, steps, an old stove— that has found new life as part of the garden landscaping.
Ken said he and his wife, Cindy, are proud of their efforts to recycle things that otherwise would have been thrown away. Then he pointed to an old toilet with flowers growing out of the bowl.
“ That’ s one thing my wife is not proud of,” he said.“ I try to recycle old toilets, too.”
But first and foremost, Ken gardens. He grows irises, lilies, carnations and gladiolas. A recent trip to a greenhouse in Cherokee yielded a flower he hadn’ t found locally— gerbera daisies, which bloom all summer.
4 • 2025 Senior Lifestyles