< Previous70 COASTMONTHLY.COM | DeCeMber 2022 HOMEPORT entertainment. On the boat dock is another small table, perfect “for our evening cocktails,” she said. When they moved back, the yard was a mess. There was dirt, debris and a few oleanders Gaudin planted a few years earlier. As a Master Gardener, she knew the yard had potential and started creating gardens around the perimeter of the property. She planted bottle brush, palm trees and lots of orange cosmos. A flowing yellow-flowered esperanza anchors one of the gardens, and a variety of purple salvia, day lilies and foxtail ferns fill the center of one area. She loves the color purple, so she has vitex, plumbago, iris and duranta, among other plants. A border of large rocks — all colors and shapes — line the outside of each of the gardens. Gaudin collected the rocks over several decades and moved them — one by one — to Galveston and then again to the Kemah house. There are hundreds of rocks, intermingled with shells she collected from beaches in Galveston, Bolivar Pen- insula, Florida and Alabama. “The men who helped me make the gardens thought I was crazy,” she said. “But I wanted my rock collection here.” Under the house, an assortment of potted plants decorate the area. The couple has con- verted a clay chiminea into a large planter next to the two comfortable blue swings facing each other. A multi-tiered plant stand, painted purple of course, has been hauled from houses she has lived in since her youth. “I just liked it and always kept it,” she said. They planted a small herb garden with basil, rosemary and stevia, and scattered seeds for aru- gula nearby. They also have an olive tree, Meyer lemon tree and a pomegranate tree. On the other side of the yard is a raised bed for vegetables. And hanging from many hooks around the property are a variety of interesting humming- bird feeders and wind chimes created by a Louisiana artist. “We have many hummingbirds here,” she said. “I like to watch them.” (Above) An assortment of potted plants decorate the downstairs deck. (Opposite) A table on the upstairs deck offers a great view of the canal; succulents sprout from a brightly colored Talavera fish on the patio; a swinging bench is one of many seating options on the downstairs deck. COASTMONTHLY.COM | DeCeMber 2022 7172 COASTMONTHLY.COM | DeCeMber 2022 November 18 through December 10 presents www.islandetc.org for tickets 2317 Mechanic Street Galveston Now you can look younger with a new kind of cosmetic denture. Dentures should not only fit well and feel comfortable, they should look good too. Using neuromuscular dentistry we can achieve a better bite and the best fit for your dentures. Avoid that “sunken in” look of unnatural looking dentures. With our new cosmetic dentures the results speak for themselves. Before After Dental Cosmetic Center – Bay Area John K. Hackbarth, DDS and Lauren Houliston, DMD General Dentistry 1708 Amburn Rd., Suite A, Texas City, Texas (409) 316-3470 • www.newsmiletoday.com DenturesFaceLift COASTMONTHLY.COM | DeCeMber 2022 73 Let’s wrap it up early for next year. Open a Christmas Club* account today, put a little money aside throughout the year, and it’s ready to shop when you are! * This is a deposit only account and does not accrue interest. No withdrawals are allowed. Funds are disbursed in November. OOOOO Five-Star “Superior” rating by BauerFinancial, Inc., awarded September, 2022 Galveston • League City • Friendswood • Alvin • Pearland See a HomeTown Bank New Account Representative.74 COASTMONTHLY.COM | DeCeMber 2022 COASTMONTHLY.COM | DeCeMber 2022 75 GARDEN VARIETY ‘ALL THRIVING’ Nurses by profession tend and care for a healthy League City garden story and photos by BARBARA CANETTI M arie Feliciano has a weakness for a special plant species — the monstera, also known as the split-leaf philoden- dron or Swiss cheese plant. Feliciano has 16 varieties of this tropical plant in her League City garden, including some very rare and very special species, which she cares for daily, monitoring their growth and expanse. “This is my favorite,” she said, standing next to a towering 3-year-old monstera deliciosa Thai constellation. “I call her Nirvana because she makes me happy.” Each day, Feliciano and her husband, Leo, spend time in their garden, pruning, plucking, trimming, watering and talking to the plants. The Felicianos, both nurses, like to propagate the different plants and expand the varieties. Walls of the garden are decorated with bright murals of but- terflies, bees, sunflowers and other blooms, all painted by Ma- rie, a self-taught artist. She also painted some walls inside her house, creating a giant golden monstera in a powder room. “I paint the walls outside because in the winter, when the plants are dormant, this makes my garden alive with color,” she said. Several years ago, when Marie’s father passed away, many friends gave her live plants as gifts. She wasn’t much of a gardener then, but didn’t want to see the plants die. So, she learned how to take care of them and the couple began growing other plants. She was more attracted to the mon- steras, as well as plumerias and other philodendrons. Marie goes into the garden each morning, watches the sun rise, drinks her coffee and talks to her plants, she said. “I talk to them and sing to them like a crazy plant lady, but look — they are all thriving,” she said. (Opposite) Marie Feliciano grows a variety of monstera plants in her League City garden. Her favorite is a 3-year-old monstera deliciosa Thai constellation she calls Nirvana. (Above) Feliciano painted bright murals on the walls to keep her garden alive with color during the winter months, she said.76 COASTMONTHLY.COM | DeCeMber 2022 GARDEN VARIETY She has a separate garden and staging area for the plumerias. She doesn’t yet know what colors they are and will patiently wait until they bloom, she said. She has one variegated plumeria, which has bright pink blooms. As she walks around her garden, she points out some of her favorite monsteras — the large-leafed Adansonii blanchetii; the tri-color adansonii; the very rare monstera dubia that changes as it grows vinelike; and Monstera esqueleto, with its showy large leaves. She has a variety of other philo- dendrons: the pink princess, with pink and green leaves; the Philo- dendron rugosum pig ear, which starts out crinkly but straightens itself; and the Texas Jose Buo- no, with splotches of white and green on its leaves. She also has three types of plants with distinct heart-shaped leaves or Sweetheart plants: a Hoya kerrii, a variegated albomarginata and an Albo reversa — the green and white colors are reversed from others in the species. In the corner of the garden is a memorial to her cat, Cookie, a silver Persian who died a few years ago. Purple morning glory vines brighten the sentimental spot for Marie. The yard, however, is now a playground for their two dogs, Sir Winston and Aurora. (From top) Marie Feliciano has a separate garden and staging area for her plumerias. She doesn’t yet know the colors of the blooms; variegated albomarginata and an albo reversa have distinct heart-shaped leaves. (Opposite) A rare monstera dubia, which features foliage that changes dramatically as it grows vinelike. “You know what they say: Your pets are the new kids and the plants are the new pets. I have quite a few pets.” MARIE FELICIANO COASTMONTHLY.COM | DeCeMber 2022 7778 COASTMONTHLY.COM | DeCeMber 2022 GARDEN VARIETY Leo has been experimenting with propagating plants via aeroponics, which is growing plants without soil. The roots are suspended and dan- gled in a box and irrigated with a nutrient-dense mist. This differs from hydroponic systems in which plant roots grow in a nutrient-rich solution. Because of his training as a nurse, he carefully documents daily the growth patterns of the different plants, he said. “I am finding ways to root faster,” he said. He points to plants with 6 inches of root growth. “These have been here for about two weeks,” he said. He also monitors the watering and misting of all of the plants using an app on his phone that measures humidity and moisture. The freeze of 2021 made the couple realize their garden and plants could be at risk if another cold spell returns. In the past, Marie would carry each plant inside if frost threatened. But because everything has grown so large, she can’t take plants into the living room again. So, she’s planning to enclose their patio to protect the plants from bad weather, she said. Her plants are like her pets, she said. “You know what they say: Your pets are the new kids and the plants are the new pets,” she said. “I have quite a few pets.” (Clockwise from top left) The work area in Leo and Marie Feliciano’s backyard; Leo has been experimenting with propagating plants via aeroponics, which is growing plants without soil; a memorial to Cookie the cat in a corner of the garden. COASTMONTHLY.COM | DeCeMber 2022 79Next >