Last modified: Saturday, August 28, 2004 1:51 AM EDT Don Langevin measures one of his giant pumpkins growing behind his home in Norton. (Staff photo by Martin Gavin) Land of giants BY JANETTE SEARS / SUN CHRONICLE STAFF NORTON -- `` All Plants Large and Small'' might be a good title for a book about the many things that grow in Don Langevin's gardens at 42 Walker St. Although Langevin, an author and part-time publisher, might never write such a book, he has written four other gardening books during the 26 years he has lived at the property with his wife, Anne. Langevin started the commercial end of his gardens by growing chrysthanthemums, so his first book was ``The Growing and Marketing of Fall Mums'' in 1992. For several years, in a 40- by 100-foot area of the far back end of his two-acre property he grew a fall variety of potted mums. He grew about 3,000 to 5,000 of the fall plants each year for which his second oldest son, Matt, now 32. Matt sold them door-to-door each year to help finance his college education and donate to a scholarship fund at Bishop Feehan High School, which he attended while selling the mums. As a memento of the family venture, the original wooden sign, `` Matt's Mums,'' hangs on the fence beyond the garden area where the property faces the Norton Country Club's golf course. That large garden area now bears a much larger plant, however, as Langevin decided several years ago to try growing giant pumpkins. While growing the mums, he had tried growing one giant pumpkin and said it was the focal point of attention when people came to get their pre-ordered plants on Labor Day weekend. Langevin has not only been growing the giant pumpkins since then, but has written three books on the subject (1993-2003) and is known to many as the Pumpkin Man. His reputation extends quite far, in fact, as he has sold his giant pumpkins to popular attractions such as Sea World, Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun, where they have been exhibited. He usually grows about 10 giant pumpkins in the 40- by 100-foot lot, each weighing anywhere from 500 to 1,000 pounds. As for the secret to growing the enormous beauties, Langevin said they must be grown from seed and the seed should be one that has been tested and refined by other gardeners, rather than just an open pollinated seed. Such gardeners willing to share their seeds can be found online, he says by visiting sites such as www.giantpumpkin.com. With a growing love for all things large, Langevin has since ventured into growing giant watermelons, such as the 50-pounder currently growing in his garden, which he hopes will reach close to 100 pounds. He is also growing giant onions, which will weigh about 5 to 6 pounds each, and giant parsnips. Downsizing On a smaller scale, Langevin is also a master at growing average-sized plants, such as the asparagus, beans, broccoli, brussels sprouts, corn, eggplant, squash, tomatoes and many other varieties growing in his vegetable and herb gardens. He also has a blueberry patch, with four different varieties, which he says yield about 100 quarts a season for family and friends. On the non-edible side of things, Langevin has also created some very attractive flower beds about his property, the most impressive of which are directly behind his house. In fact, having hosted a baby shower for his daughter and son-in-law, Dawn and Rob Muir, in his backyard this summer, Langevin added a special touch of creativity to the backyard flower gardens. He did so by creating a pink and blue floral theme in honor of his soon-to-be grandchild. The theme begins at the left back side of the house, with an outer border about 40 feet long of pink Wave petunias following a serpentine inner border of taller blue salvia. The colorful border also forms a partial circle around a very large mass of low-growing juniper, which Langevin chose instead of grass for this deeply sloping area. Treating it as a lawn, however, he also keeps the winding border of the juniper neatly edged, which adds a special touch to the entire area. In addition to the petunia and salvia, color in this large area comes from a large circle of black-eyed Susans, yellow marigolds, pink-and-white cleome and various shades of pink cosmos, with a patch of tall sunflowers across the way. The pink and blue theme continues beyond the chain link fence adjacent to this area, which encloses the in-ground Gunite pool and its expansive concrete patio area. Bordering most of the concrete are alternating areas of the blue salvia, pink Wave petunias, pink cleome and pink cosmos, as well as borders of purple petunia and pink-flowering periwinkle ground cover. Adding an extra touch of color and texture, these bordering beds also include Autumn Joy sedum, sage, daylilies, fountain grasses and a lavender shade of bee balm. For a whimsical touch, Don has built a straight-topped structure just outside the back gate of the pool fence, which he calls the corral. The corral, which leads to the giant pumpkin patch, is topped with six various styled birdhouses made by Don's brother-in-law, all of which Don says are occupied. As for the satisfaction Don gets from surrounding his property with these average-sized flowering plants and some of the special trees he planted years ago, he says, ``It's paradise on earth. ``I can sit here at night by the pool until the mosquitoes drive me out because it's relaxing. Usually the wind has died down, so it's calm, you can smell the cleomes and you can see the sunflowers kind of fluttering.'' LOVE YOUR GARDEN? Do you have a green thumb? Have you created a special lawn or garden area at your home? If so, we'd like to feature it on our weekly Great Gardens pages. Contact Janette Sears by phone or fax at 508-222-2442, or via e-mail at jsears@thesunchronicle.com