August 20, 2010
‘The Catholic Place’
Daviess County flower gardens offer a haven for visitors
Bill Larkin stands in front of a display of flowers and birdhouses at his home in rural Daviess County. (Message photo by Mary Ann Hughes) Click for a larger version.
By MARY ANN HUGHES (Message staff writer)
It’s so quiet at Bill Larkin’s place that you can hear the sound of a passing Amish horse and buggy. Listen closely, and you can hear the woodpeckers and the cardinals and the robins.
He lives in rural Daviess County, at the corner of County Road 1200 East and 500 North, a few miles from All Saints Church in Cannelburg where he is a cantor.
The first sighting of his place is the geodesic dome that he calls home. It was built in the mid 1970s, and he bought it in 1996. He didn’t do much to the house or the yard until he retired from Crane Naval Depot in 2003. He had spent his career locked in a computer room there, and when he retired he wanted to do something completely different with his life.
He started building steps and bridges on his property, and then he added wooden bird houses, and statues, and flowers.
Today his yard — which is less than an acre of land — is filled with thousands of flowers, hundreds of birdhouses and hundreds of small statues.
This spring, he planted 15,000 plants, including impatiens of every color, vinca and wave petunias. He also planted 10,000 seeds that he collected from last year’s marigold, zinnia and impatien plants. He has 600 birdhouses painted in bright shades of yellow, green, blue and rose, and over 100 angel statues, over 100 dog statues and nearly 100 gnome statues.
While his garden is spectacular with its riot of color, his home is just as much fun. Hanging from the ceiling are 1,400 birdhouses and hundreds of butterfly displays. Thousands of Christmas lights illuminate the setting.
When a bus filled with senior citizens arrived from Olney, Ill., last Saturday, the air was filled with “oohs” and “aahs.” Their eyes lit up like children’s as they walked into his living room and found the birdhouses and butterflies all shining under the glow of twinkle lights.
Carolyn McDonald was in charge of the group that traveled two hours to see Bill’s display. “I brought a group last year, and I knew it was enjoyable. When they came around the corner, they all went ‘ooh.’ I told them, ‘It’s small, but it’s large.’
“The bird houses and the thousands of flowers — it’s wonderful for seniors. They can see a lot, but they don’t have to walk a lot.”
Mary Purgener agreed. The 80-year-old found a comfortable chair on the deck, and sat down to enjoy the view. “I’m in heaven right now,” she said. “It’s heaven for me — the flowers and the bird houses.”
This year there is an added bonus of butterflies in the gardens. “The butterflies have really hit this year,” Bill said. “This is the best year for butterflies I’ve ever seen. Monday I saw 50.”
He also has bluebirds, yellow finch, woodpeckers, cardinals and robins.
The deer come too, and so far they haven’t eaten the flowers. Early in the morning they arrive, and often they come so close to him — sometimes within six feet — that they startle him.
His days start early, he says. By 6 a.m. he’s watering the flowers, and sometimes when it’s really dry, it’s a six hour job. In June, his water bill was $120, and he expects his August bill may reach $250.
A sign at the entrance to his yard invites people to “just laugh” and “have fun.” There is no fee to visit. “I don’t want any donations,” he says, “but people are always trying to give me gifts.”
He prints about 2,500 photographs each growing season and leaves them on his dining room table so people can take one to have a memory of their visit. “Last week we had 70 vehicles,” he said of his visitors. “Last year, we averaged over 80 vehicles a week.”
He loves talking with the visitors who stop by from all over the tri-state area. Answering their questions is a departure from his work at Crane where he barely talked to anyone during his 36-year-career.
And he’s respectful of the people who don’t really want to talk. “People come here, and they cry. They are so happy here. Ladies come in baseball caps because they have been through chemotherapy. They come depressed, but you can’t leave depressed.”
Often “they start bawling.”
In a hushed voice, he said that “a lot of people call it ‘The Catholic Place’ because of the statues of St. Francis, and the statue of Mary, and the statues of the angels.”
Bill says it’s something that he really enjoys doing — making the birdhouses, painting them, planting the flowers and watering them. “I enjoy it.”