Island garden honors resident Little Cranberry dedicates landscaping to gardener Julie Alley By Catherine Ivey logs and gardening magazines. with plants and shrubs was legend Of the NEWS Staff Residents of Little Cranberry by those of us who knew and ben- were proud of Alley and her work. efited from her talents. LITTLE CRANBERRY It They had watched her grow up on "In tribute to her and her love as only in the last few years of the island and had seen her struggle of flowers it was felt that we er life that Julie Alley discovered at times for a foothold in life. In gar- should dedicate this garden sanc- ow much she enjoyed gardening. dening, she seemed to have found it. tuary to her memory," Bowditch After managing the general But her career was short-lived. In said. tore on this island of fishermen January of this year, Alley died of a Nestled behind two new wings nd artists off Northeast Harbor, sudden brain aneurysm at age 44. at the Neighborhood House - nd briefly cleaning houses, the This week Cranberry Islanders which were also dedicated Mon- slesford native fell into working made sure that Alley's memory day - the new garden replaces a with the earth and flowers in her and love for gardening will not be scrappy raspberry patch that arly 40s. forgotten. On Monday afternoon, stood in the spot for years. "She told me, 'I know what I nearly 100 residents gathered at Past a cedar sign for "Julie's want to do now," said her the Neighborhood House to dedi- Garden," neatly arranged gravel mother, Lilian Alley. "She was cate the newly landscaped paths and newly planted flower eally very interested in it." grounds and flower beds there as and moss beds are enclosed by an In springtime, Alley would "Julie's Garden." asymmetrical, airy fence. Land- egin planting gardens for sum- "Julie was an island girl, born scape designer Gary Allen of her residents. By the time the and bred," said longtime summer Great Cranberry and a crew of pople arrived on the island, the resident Philip Bowditch in mak- three built the fence out of whole, looms in their colorful beds were ing the dedication from inside the rough-hewn cedar trees from the bundant. When winter returned, 80-year-old Neighborhood House, island's woods throughout the Zoe Isaa lley planned her gardens for the a community center, library and summer. of "Julie ext spring, studying seed cata- dance hall. "Her love and genius See Garden, B6, Col. 1 Kevin B