Welcome to a garden party in Roswell

There are usually two kinds of gardeners - those who strive for the aesthetic beauty of nature in all her radiant colors and aromas, and those who just love a tomato sandwich made with tomatoes picked that morning.

But husband and wife Philip Hasty and Laura Smith (she is an attorney and keeps her name for professional reasons) say why not do both? The Roswell couple married the idea of a vegetable garden with that of a formal garden, and what you get is good enough to eat.

Philip grew up in Ashburn and had his own garden for most of his life. Laura came by her green thumb in just the last few years after her children had grown.

"But I didn't get a green thumb without having a black thumb for a long time," she said.

Growing up in Roswell, Laura was not into gardening growing up, but with the influence of her husband, she has taken to growing her own garden. After her first tomato garden she decided she liked growing veggies.

And it is their "his and her" gardens that make them different. Phillip grows for bulk, he has rows of corn – three different varieties – melons, tomatoes, beans and more.

"His is the manly garden," said Laura. "It's big so he can get to use his tractor. Mine is the little one with the fence around it."

Laura is the artist. It is easy to walk through her garden, its raised beds surrounded by a wood fence she "rescued" from a property that was facing the bulldozer. An old wheelbarrow and a wagon wheel with flowers planted in them or curled around them add attractive decorative accents.

Along with flowers along the perimeter of the garden are blackberries, blueberries and a variety of spices such as thyme and sage.

And while the overall effect of the raised beds, color and fragrance does please the senses, it is a vegetable garden after all, and Laura doesn't mind pointing out she's taken out 200 pounds of cucumbers alone.

Laura makes expert use of flowers and other fragrant plants to control insects and aid in pollenization.

"Nature has a better way," she said.

For instance, marigolds among her tomato plants attract good insects to chase the bad ones away. Philip is no stranger to "green" gardening, and neither uses insecticides or herbicides if they can help it. He likes to use wheat straw in his long rows, which attracts spiders. The spiders in turn eat the aphids. All of which makes everybody happy – except the aphids.

"I still have trouble with squirrels, though," he said.

But like all successful gardeners, their biggest headache is what to do with so much produce? They are continually giving it away to friends and neighbors. But the most creative way was through a true garden party.

Philip, who is on the board of trustees for The Drake House, has entertained fellow board members and supporters as host to the charity's annual dinner. He smokes the barbecue for the main course, and of course all the vegetables are homegrown.

But the highlight comes at the end when the guests are given their grocery bags and told to go forth and pick. Fellow board member and CEO of Security Bank of North Fulton Phil Baldwin says this is the third year and he looks forward to Philip and Laura's bash more each year.

"Nothing tastes better than vegetables fresh from the garden, and Philip and Laura's vegetables are the best," Baldwin said.

Drake House Executive Director John E. Smith III said he loves the garden party because he knows "my whole board is going to go home in a good mood."
- www.northfulton.com

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