Sister's Chapel Hill Garden Is Twice As Nice

CHAPEL HILL — The Triangle has several celebrated gardens. In Chapel Hill, there is another that has become a neighborhood centerpiece.

Twins Bernice Wade's and Barbara Stile's garden at their house on Gimghoul Road, near the UNC campus, is like a floral fireworks display, bursting with color and fragrance. When the garden is open, it attracts hundreds of people a day.

Julie Lindsay, a twin herself, never misses a chance to jog by.

"It's encouraging that they're willing to share their work with everybody in the community," she says.

Bernice started the garden with her husband, Roger, back in the 1940s. When Bernice's husband passed away, Barbara came to live with her. That was 22 years ago. Since then they have been enjoying each other and working this garden.

"It's become quite well known and on Sundays we'll have 400-500 some days," says Wade.

"We've added a lot of new beds. A lot of new plants and had a great time," adds Stiles.

The garden has gotten so much attention, one of their neighbors even wrote a book about it, aptly titled, "The Garden Is Open."

"Each year you add a few feet in front and a few feet in length and put a new bed in and that's the way it goes," says Wade.

With Easter coming up, the sisters are expecting a lot of visitors who are looking for a perfect backdrop for an Easter photo.