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HAY RIVER - Eight years ago, Arlane Roy didn't know very much at all about gardening.

But since then, she has learned a lot about growing flowers and vegetables.

This year, she and her husband, Gilles, were honoured for having the best overall yard in Hay River.

Arlane Roy stands in her yard, which was recently judged the best in Hay River. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

Roy said she and her family moved into their home in 2000, and she started to work on growing flowers and creating a garden on the large double lot.

However, she had no knowledge of how to grow plants back then.

"I just learned it from books," she said.

Roy recalled her flowers didn't look so good for the first couple of years. That was because she was using too much fertilizer and the flowers died right away.

Along with reading books, she said she learned the proper way of growing by experimenting.

Roy said the honour from the Hay River Yards in Bloom competition helps pay for all the work she's put into her garden.

"It was so exciting," she said of receiving the award, which was presented at a banquet on Sept. 27.

The Yards in Bloom contest, which is presented by the Hay River Beautification Committee, also awards prizes for the top three best yards in six areas of the communities.

Roy said she is in her garden every single day for two hours in the morning and two or three hours after supper from the middle of June to the end of September.

"I spend a lot of time in my garden in the summertime," she said.

During the day, the 46-year-old mother of two girls operates a licensed day home for eight children.

Along with flowers, her yard is dotted with various toys and play areas for the children.

Roy noted she has many types of flowers in her garden, including perennials like roses and lilies and annuals, such as petunias.

The property also includes a vegetable garden, where such things as potatoes, carrots, beans and peas are grown.

Roy said she loves gardening and growing flowers.

"It's very relaxing to me," she said. "You have to love gardening to enjoy it, because you spend so much time with flowers."

She said she gets a lot of satisfaction from watching plants grow.

Roy has lived in Hay River since 1997, when the family moved from Yellowknife.

She is originally from the Philippines, and keeps tropical plants inside her home.

Her father loved gardening when she was growing up, she recalled. "That's where I think I got my interest in gardening."

Anyone can learn how to garden, Roy noted. "Just read lots of books about gardening and be patient with the plants."