by Jennifer Pritchett
Northern News Services

NNSL (Aug 06/97) - Carol Robinson's garden is so beautiful that a complete stranger asked her to marry him.

"Two doctors from Michigan stopped a cab in the middle of the road and asked if it was my garden," recalled Robinson of the incident last summer. "Then they asked if I would marry them," laughed the 10-year Woodyard resident.

As Robinson told the story of the two tourists, a truck stopped to compliment her on the garden she has spent years nurturing.

"It's simply beautiful," said the female driver, who was obviously impressed by the garden's variety of flowers covering virtually every centimetre of land surrounding the modest log house on Bretzlaff Drive.

While gardening is a full-time job for Robinson, she maintained that it's not perfect with weeds growing in amongst the flowers.

"That's why I've planted them so close together," she said. "I'm not fanatic about it. This really isn't immaculate -- things aren't clipped."

And Robinson clearly loves to garden, allowing it to actually take over her house when she's getting her flowers ready for the next season.

She starts out fresh every year and grows her own seeds indoors beginning in February.

"My house isn't big, but there are flowers everywhere," she said. "My husband says that as long as he has an area between the chesterfield and the TV, it's OK."

Margaret Purdy, a friend of Robinson's, said that she loves coming to her place and sitting in the garden.

"I garden too, but not to Carol's scale," she said. "I like sitting here and enjoying her flowers. It's very relaxing."

Robinson said that one of the nicest things about the garden is its scent in the evenings especially.

"You can smell it when you walk down the street at night."

Robinson looks forward to the YK Ski Club's Loved Gardens Tour in two weeks, when visitors will walk through her garden.

Its second year running in the city, the tour of Yellowknife gardens is spread out over two Sundays (Aug. 10 and 17), and is geared toward Yellowknifers and tourists who want to see some of the area's most beautiful gardens.