Pauline Green loved flowers.

At least, that is according to her daughter, Connie Wentz.

Wentz recalls this as she sits in a metal lawn chair, surrounded by the countless plants encircling her Lehighton home.

“It could be from there,” Wentz answers after being asked where she got her green thumb.

Wentz moved into her current residence more than 40 years ago. She did not waste time in starting her garden.

In the early years, she would spread marigold seeds along the hedges outlining her yard. Those have since been replaced with her favorite perennials, day lilies.

Wentz’s husband, John, spent three decades building up the stone walls that now act like beds for dozens of flowers, including a trove of Brown-Eyed Susans.

Above those beds stand tall stalks of corn, and beside them, grapevines. A small orchard sprouts on a parcel of land just below the lawn.

Wooden black bear sculptures carved by John and small, porcelain trolls painted by Green are scattered amid plots of flowers and trees.

To a less experienced grower, Wentz’s vast garden might seem intimidating. But she pointed out that it is mostly made of perennials, so tending only takes a few hours a week.

“They pretty much take care of themselves,” Wentz said.

She is also recently retired, which she said makes maintenance easier.

There are two things Wentz loves about gardening. First is the excitement of bringing something to life; second is simply looking at her blossoming flowers.

“The beauty of it — it’s just incredible,” she said.

Through trial and error, Wentz has learned what flourishes in her garden and what fails. She has lost track of how many day lilies she has planted, but cannot seem to keep azaleas, rhododendrons or dahlias.

She has also learned there is power in persistence.

“Don’t give up on them (your flowers),” she said. “Sometimes they look like they’re dead, they’re really not.”