Rocky Mountain paradise

GRANTS - Everyone loves flowers. It is generally agreed that they are peaceful, cheerful, smell good and brighten any room. People like them in a garden, in the home, in public places and for special occasions.

Gardeners grow flowers for profit or as a hobby. Some folks might need to landscape their property on Gold Street in Grants, but Juan Luis has a very definite reason for being such a prolific gardener.

There was a time in his life when Luis was not particularly interested in flowers. He was born in Cuba and was a high school science and geography teacher, an atheist who believed in evolution.

But in the 1990s he had begun to view Communism as lacking a purpose. He was disillusioned, and in 1991 Luis' life changed dramatically when he came to the United States. He began to study the Bible with one of Jehovah's Witnesses because he was curious about the Bible's message.

Luis began to appreciate the beauty of life and began to believe in God and now understood that he had a purpose. After awhile, he missed the beauty of Cuba, his homeland. To show his appreciation to God, Luis began to plant flowers.

“What motivated me most was to know that this planet will be a paradise, so I started my little paradise.”

He had been in his home since 1995, renting from the Archundes. The yard was full of rocks, weeds and trash, but Luis was diligent with his gardening project. He improved the soil with horse manure and fertilizer, and cleaned the yard.

The first flowers he planted were rose bushes he bought on sale. He planted them around the porch near the house, and next he added grass down the center of the yard.

The dahlia is Luis' favorite flower, but his wife loves flowers too, and because she was also feeling homesick for her country, Mexico, he planted flowers for her, too.

Rosa's favorite flower is her namesake, the rose. She has used them as the center of large arrangements she makes for friends and the Kingdom Hall where she and Luis study God's word.

Passing by the Luis garden on Gold Street, one will see a plethora of blossoms from the curb all the way up to their home.

“I think mostly, it was the blessing of Jehovah,” Luis said, “because I'm not that much of a gardener. I just try everything.”

Luis sees room for improvement in his little paradise. He would like to concentrate on areas of his garden and create individual specialty gardens. Roses, of course, would have one garden all their own, and he would also like to plant vegetables; cucumbers, zucchini and tomatoes, to start. Zinnias are another favorite flower and Luis wants to give them their own area.

“I just want to encourage the residents of Grants to plant flowers and enjoy life,” the gardener said.