Homegrown champions

Rowdy, the family cat, patrols near the border of mixed hostas, caladiums and aegopodium that extends the length of the side yard to the sidewalk. ()

Shannon Katona built this pond in her backyard in the Westfield neighborhood in Northeast Baltimore. ( Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun photos )

The glass mushroom garden, created from vases topped with overturned bowls. ()

Garnet-colored daylilies form a border with other varieties of daylilies along a driveway. ()

Above a dragon sculpture hangs a memorial wind chime to her son, Xander. ()

Best medium garden

Shannon E. Katona, Baltimore

Shannon E. Katona's love of gardening is so infectious she planted gardens not only in her yard and the adjacent property she and her husband own, but in her neighbor's yard as well.

As with the Migliores' garden, some of Katona's features were born as a response to problems. When a large tree toppled onto an above-ground pool several years ago, she was left with a big, bare space adjacent to a wooden deck. Her solution: Create a fish pond.

When another large tree died in the front yard, she piled mulch around the stump and created a new flower bed.

Katona says her gardens have evolved without a plan.

“Gardening to me is a lot of ‘keep trying to see what works,' ” she said.

Motivated by a desire to create and share, Katona established a garden full of surprises and whimsy. In the spring, crocuses pop up to resemble a stream flowing across the yard. In one corner, a fairy mosaic of concrete and stone is placed amid moss and surrounded by containers of annuals and small perennials that depict various scenes. With the help of figurines, one features a beach scene, another camping; toy Spice Girls perform for an audience of Legos in yet another.

Katona grows 30 varieties of hosta and 35 kinds of daylilies. Salvia, roses, hydrangea, coral bells, liriope, astilbe and crepe myrtle add color and texture.

“At this point, I don't feel like being out in the yard is work,” said Katona, who works in the computer lab at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute.

Her latest project, a “magic kingdom” garden overseen by a seven-foot tall metal dragon, will be a memorial to her youngest son, Xander, who died unexpectedly last year of an undiagnosed heart defect. When done, it will feature a waterfall surrounded by a moat and plants.

“My gardening is a healing thing,” she said. “My serenity comes from being creative.”

Favorite plants: Hosta and caladium

Her advice: “Flexibility is huge,” she says. “Nature and plants sometimes have their own ideas. … You have to be flexible and willing to try different things.”