Regina Nedas is first and foremost an artist, whose work has been displayed locally and internationally.
That creative bent extends to her property, located on Windlo Circle in Ocean Springs’ Gulf Hills community, where she takes pride in cultivating color and beauty.
“For me, designing a garden is almost like painting pictures (by) mixing a lot of different colors,” says Nedas, who has lived on the Coast since 2004.
Soon after Nedas and her husband, Al, arrived in Ocean Springs, Hurricane Katrina destroyed their house and garden. Nedas designed the current home, which was built over a four-year period, and set about re-establishing the garden section by section. She continues to design, manage and maintain its appearance.
“For me, designing a garden is almost like painting pictures (by) mixing a lot of different colors.”
Nedas is a fan of azaleas, particularly the encore variety that bloom three times a year, and she says that “perennial summer flowers are a must.”
“I have many azaleas by the road between two oaks in the front of our house, and camellias blooming in autumn,” she says. “In the backyard and blooming at different times of the year are different types of bushes and trees.”
A lifelong nature lover, the Lithuanian native was once taught botany and microbiology at an agricultural college, and she earned a master’s degree from Timiryazev Agricultural Academy in Russia. Over the years, she has educated herself on folk medicine and collected recommendations from around the world about healthy lifestyles, ethnic medicine and natural curative techniques. The culmination of her learning was her book, “The Therapy of Natural Living,” which was released in 2019.
Her green thumb and design talent were recognized the same year, when her property was included in the annual Spring Pilgrimage — an opportunity for the public to tour some of the region’s most beautiful homes and gardens. Nedas’s artwork is displayed throughout the property, including mixed media paintings, painted furniture, lamps and ceiling fixtures.
In her every pursuit, the artist is continually inspired by nature.
“It does not matter if we live in the countryside or in the city,” she says, “since the scent of flowers, grass, and trees delights us — allowing us to feel free from stress and bad thoughts and increasing good emotions.”