Garden guru Lovejoy a woman for all seasons

Published 5:00 am Wednesday, September 14, 2005

The Citizen of the Year has a lot to give, and she has given a lot.

When she got a call saying she’d been named the Bainbridge Island Citizen of the Year for 2005, Ann Lovejoy thought it was her brother pulling her leg.

Once she stopped laughing, she understood it wasn’t a joke.

“I was totally surprised,” Lovejoy said. “I asked the man if he was serious.”

The Kiwanis Club, which has been bestowing the award since 1984, described its decision thusly: “Cheerful, generous and hard-working, Ann epitomizes the ‘Citizen of the Year’ spirit and the Bainbridge Island Kiwanis club is very proud to be able to recognize her community service.”

Said Kiwanis president Tom Watson: “We were really excited about picking her.”

Lovejoy appreciates the honor.

“The honor is nice recognition,” Lovejoy said. “It’s a sign the community has lots of people who enjoy working with others. I didn’t do anything particularly.”

Lovejoy has nurtured people since she was a candy striper in high school.

Originally from Massachusetts, she lived in several states, as well as Italy and France, before moving to Bainbridge in 1985 with her two sons. She was a rehabilitation and hospice nurse before devoting all her attention to the things she loves most.

“Years ago, I decided I didn’t want to do anything that wasn’t joyful,” she said.

Lovejoy is well-known for the volumes of gardening books she has written – including “The American Mixed Border,” “Further Along the Garden Path,” “Fragrance in Bloom” and “Gardening from Scratch” – and her frequent lectures on natural and sustainable practices. Her columns appear regularly in this and other newspapers and she is heard on National Public Radio, HGTV and a few PBS programs.

She also writes the garden descriptions for the Arts and Humanities garden tours.

Lovejoy also serves as president of the library board and founder of the “Friday Tidies,” who for eight years have kept the library grounds “green and in good condition,” she said, “and that’s a pretty big charge.”

She established a memory garden there to honor Bainbridge cancer victims and survivors.

“It’s real easy to get sucked into this ‘me-centric’ life,” Lovejoy said. “People and plants need community to grow better.”

Through the years, Lovejoy has served on several citizens’ committees for the city, was a Cub Scout leader and volunteered at schools. While on staff at Bainbridge Gardens, she advanced the use of organic pest and disease controls.

In her spare time, she reads, cooks and knits. She first picked up a pair of needles while in high school, then knitted her way through college. She works at Churchmouse Yarns and Teas on Winslow, teaching others and sharing her “Intentional Knitting” projects, which are very dear to her heart.

Lovejoy creates shawls that intentionally call to mind a particular person.

She ascribes an inspirational word to each color she uses – such as courage or strength – and holds the words in her thoughts as she knits. She doesn’t wish for a cure for someone who is ill, she said; rather, she sends thoughts of love and hope for something they need, such as to be comfortable or at peace.

Sometimes a friend will ask her to knit for someone she doesn’t know and she is happy to comply.

Each intentional shawl is a labor of love. Lovejoy never sells these items, but she does teach others how to make them at Church­mouse.

“For me it’s all about the earth connection,” she said. “They are all very personalized and really unique.”

Lovejoy has received numerous citations, including the American Horticultural Society Writing Award. Her “Town in Bloom” volunteer gardening project received a national award for turning neglected public space into a glorious garden.

It is used as a model in other communities. And she developed a gardeners’ eco-tour program for EcoTeach, a nonprofit foundation that supports environmental protection projects in Costa Rica.

Currently, she and her groom of one year, Bud Alger, are remodeling a home and “having a wonderful time.”

“It’s funny when you start adding (what you do) all up. You never think about it. I mean, I just do stuff,” Lovejoy said. “And then you just step back a little and go, ‘Well, that’s where the time went.’”