Hatfield couple's garden vision transformed suburban backyard

He and Kathleen, together since her senior prom in high school and married almost 43 years, don't entertain much. Or let's just say they don't entertain others much. They spend a lot of time entertaining themselves in the garden, which uplifts them with its "contemporary country feel."

Favorite times? There's the quiet of 5:30 a.m., when Thinnes feeds the fish in the ponds. It's exciting when the waterfalls go on at 10 a.m., but when they shut down at 5 p.m., the silence can be rich. Kathleen likes the noontime brightness, but 7 p.m., when the light changes, is a near-meditation.

"If I'm tense or nervous, I just walk out here. It takes you deep within," says Kathleen, whose own passions center on spiritual healing and personal transformation.

So the garden is a joy at any hour.

Going forward, Thinnes says he'll be "very, very selective" about the plants he buys. These days he's leaning toward unusual ones and natives, for their adaptability and wildlife-friendly qualities.

Good that the major jobs are done, says Kathleen, who thinks "any more would junk up the garden." Besides, Thinnes seems to relish the idea of slowing down and taking his time to get the chores done.

At this rate, he says, "I don't see why we can't stay in this house for 10 or 15 more years."

That's a long time to go without a construction project out back. And how to resist that big pile of graph paper crying out for a pencil?

Hard to know how Thinnes will fare, just as it's hard to tell if he's truly "only kidding" when he mentions something to Kathleen.

"I was thinking of putting a picket fence out front and taking out the lawn," he says casually, as her eyes widen. "We can plant flowers everywhere."

Must be a joke. Sure. Just like "I'm a basic gardener."

To arrange a visit to John and Kathleen Thinnes' garden, e-mail John at competitiveadvantage

@verizon.net.

Contact garden writer Virginia A. Smith at 215-854-5720 or vsmith@phillynews.com.