Terie Langen's clients get an unexpected bonus when she takes them on inspection tours of homes for sale. Once the pictures of the grandchildren have been shown, she pulls pictures of her tiny garden from her wallet.
   Terie's garden is not just integral to her personal life; it has become an extension of her office. As a home based real estate agent, she has the pleasure of starting her day with a cup of coffee and a stroll through her garden, from herb bed to vegetable patch to flower border. There's always a new gift to greet her, a fresh flower bud or a suddenly ripe, pink tomato.
   Terie complements the lady's-mantle, petunias, raspberries and grapevines in her garden with furniture and accessories that make it as cozy as her living room. "I look at the garden as another room of my house, so I set it up with pieces that have meaning for me," she says. Candles, torches, wind chimes and ceramics are tucked among the basil, parsley, roses, Russian sage, phlox and lilies in her eclectic mix of edible and decorative plants. The same mix is evident in the dried-flower arrangements and wreaths she has created for her home.
   Terie says mixing business with pleasure is perfect for her because her clients are often interested in the gardening potential of a property they're interested in.

"And if they think a yard is too small to do much with, I have my pictures ready," she laughs.


This article appeared in the April, 1998 issue of Canadian Gardening. Story by Eva Weidman. Photography by Richard Palanuk.