Backyard Bliss: Alpena woman creates tropical oasis
News Photos by Darby Hinkley Nancy Smithem’s yard on Sheridan Street in Alpena is full of colorful flowers and tropical-themed decor, including flamingos, surfboards a “she shed,” and more. Not to mention an above-ground pool. Above is her brightly colored back deck.
Welcome to Nancy Smithem’s backyard oasis.
Nancy Smithem’s backyard fire pit is surrounded by turquoise, lime green, and hot pink Adirondack chairs, situated next to her “she shed.”
Nancy Smithem's she shed.
Nancy Smithem’s back yard includes this tiki bar and covered seating area with a pink flamingo theme and fringe detailing.
Nancy Smithem splashes around in her pool with some neighbor boys who enjoy coming over to swim in the summer heat. From left to right are Gunner Tolan, Jackson Birmingham, Smithem, and Jacob Birmingham.
Nancy Smithem’s yard on Sheridan Street in Alpena is full of color, from front to back. Above is a peek into her “she shed.”
A glimpse of her front yard.
Nancy Smithem’s back yard on Sheridan Street in Alpena features a variety of brightly colored flowers, including the pink, white, yellow, red and orange snapdragons above.
News Photos by Darby Hinkley Nancy Smithem’s yard on Sheridan Street in Alpena is full of colorful flowers and tropical-themed decor, including flamingos, surfboards a “she shed,” and more. Not to mention an above-ground pool. Above is her brightly colored back deck.
Welcome to Nancy Smithem’s backyard oasis.
Nancy Smithem’s backyard fire pit is surrounded by turquoise, lime green, and hot pink Adirondack chairs, situated next to her “she shed.”
Nancy Smithem's she shed.
Nancy Smithem’s back yard includes this tiki bar and covered seating area with a pink flamingo theme and fringe detailing.
Nancy Smithem splashes around in her pool with some neighbor boys who enjoy coming over to swim in the summer heat. From left to right are Gunner Tolan, Jackson Birmingham, Smithem, and Jacob Birmingham.
Nancy Smithem’s yard on Sheridan Street in Alpena is full of color, from front to back. Above is a peek into her “she shed.”
A glimpse of her front yard.
Nancy Smithem’s back yard on Sheridan Street in Alpena features a variety of brightly colored flowers, including the pink, white, yellow, red and orange snapdragons above.
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ALPENA -- From the moment you set foot in Nancy Smithem's back yard, you might think you walked onto a set on Home and Garden Television (HGTV).
With a lush array of colorful flowers, pink flamingos, beach-themed decor and outdoor furniture, a vacation awaits her every summer day.
She lives on Sheridan Street in Alpena.
"I moved here in the fall of 2017, so I started gardening in the spring of 2018," she recalled. "There was nothing in the yard. No grass, no fence, nothing. There was an old, dilapidated shed. So, all of this I've accomplished in four-and-a-half years."
Smithem's yard was slated to be included in this year's Garden Walk, but that was canceled because of lack of participation. She was looking forward to sharing the fruits of her hard work with the community.
"It's my hobby, so it's what I do," she said of gardening. "It takes me about 20 minutes to water the back, and about 10 minutes to water the front."
She loves entertaining people of all ages, from family to friends and neighbors.
"I love to entertain," Smithem said. "I love to have all the neighbor kids over, anybody that wants to come. I have a lot of grandchildren and, I always say they're kids of my heart, they're not my blood, but they're kids of my heart. And they're always over, and I want them to know it's an open door policy for all of them."
Most of the decor is from out at the lake, when she lived at Long Lake for 23 years. Then she moved to town and brought the beach with her.
"I took a lot of perennials from my house at the lake," she said. "And friends gave me perennials."
Smithem also has some annuals.
"I just love flowers, and I've got to have color," she said.
In addition to the flowers, she does have some vegetables, including tomatoes her mom grows from seed.
She explained how all the pink flamingos migrated to her yard, front and back.
"The pink flamingos started as a joke," she said. "Somebody stuck one in my yard … and I thought they were funny, and I loved it. So now, everybody buys me pink flamingos."
Smithem has been gardening all her life.
"I got it from my mom," she said. "My mom's an avid gardener, and my one daughter is really a gardener, too, so I passed it down."
Her mother is Geraldine Wyman, 93, of Alpena.
"On my scooter, it's three minutes," Smithem said of the distance to her mom's house several blocks away.
Smithem rides her electric scooter around town if she's going a short distance.
She filled "every nook and cranny" of her yard with tropical bliss.
"I put the cushions away every night," she noted of the brightly colored deck cushions.
It takes some work, but Smithem enjoys it, and she especially loves sharing her beachy oasis with others, day or night.
"It lights up at night, and looks beautiful," she added.