“Anyone in Hamburg who has a small area of sunshine can grow fruit and vegetables,” were the inspiring words offered to future gardeners by Paul Wikerd, a retired minister and resident of Hamburg since 1987.
Wikerd is an experienced beekeeper who described his goal for the gardens in his narrow State Street back yard as having “something available to eat every day”, made possible by vegetable beds under glass for cold-resistant salad crops grown in the winter. Although Wikerd is a host to a family of bluebirds, he still claimed that “the proportion of birds to raspberries is still in my favor.”
The Fourth Annual Hamburg Garden Stroll was held on Saturday, June 20, under cloudy skies with cool temperatures that made touring the five home gardens comfortable for the 20 participants. Volunteers from the Hamburg Community Wildlife Habitat Project, including Kay Greenawalt, Chairperson, and members, Pat Adams (also of Blue Mountain Wildlife), and Sheryle and Scott Delewski were on hand in Hamburg Park to greet tour-goers with maps and informational brochures containing pictures from last year’s event.
Claudia Eberly hosted the Garden Stroll from her North Fourth Street home where she has lived all her life. Eberly is a Master Gardener, a certification requiring many hours of education and real-life experience to acquire and maintain. Eberly joked that plant lovers are “all nerds” when they gather to discuss their hobby. She described her focus on pollinators and her love of birds, as well as giving extensive descriptions of perennials she has included in her pristine, fenced yard. Eberly generously prepared lavender sachets and blueberry tea cakes for everyone attending her tours.
A Pine Grove School District art teacher, Darla Rodriguez talked about how she loves to use cut flowers from her cottage-style garden on South Fourth Street to give as gifts. Rodriguez’ yard evolved from a typical lawn to a perennial bed bursting with flowers and milk weed. She said the property is known as “the house with the sunflowers” when her prolific sunflower plantings bloom in late summer.
Tilden Township boasts the retreat created by Cindy Spayd, who continued the gardening projects of her parents during her fifty years in her native home. Along the wooded paths on Spayd’s property are ponds, chicken coops, vegetable gardens, and a multitude of perennials. Spayd claimed that her goal was to no longer have to mow a traditional lawn, and has achieved success for the majority of her yard. She included a keyhole garden in her designs, as well as a spiral herb garden, making the property an intriguing spot to visit.
The trip to Charlotte Moyer’s 1850s farmhouse on the outskirts of Shartlesville was time well-spent for participants in the Garden Stroll. Moyer, a native of South Heidelberg Township and the Museum Director of the Heidelberg Heritage Society, continued planting milkweed as she simultaneously offered tours of her seven-acre oasis. A twenty-year owner of the property, Moyer has planted lush herb and perennial gardens, as well as offering a haven for wildlife with a large pond and wooded areas for shelter. Moyer graciously delivered large tomatoes to recipients of her garden tour, and offered a cold drink, snack, and an opportunity to sit and talk.
P.G. Wodehouse once stated that “flowers are happy things.” The property owners who participated in the Hamburg Garden Stroll were gracious and happy hosts to everyone involved in the event.
The Hamburg Community Wildlife Habitat Project committee invited the public to “explore the native plant gardens… Each garden is certified by the National Wildlife Federation which means they are recognized to provide certain resources for wildlife including food, water, covering, or shelter, and a place to raise their young.” Greenawalt confirmed that Hamburg was the first town in Pennsylvania, beating the city of Bethlehem by a narrow margin, to be certified by the National Wildlife Federation as a Certified Community Wildlife Habitat. Community certifications are achieved through community conservation, education, and outreach projects, as well as partnerships and volunteer training. Hamburg was required to have fifty homes achieve certification on an individual basis, as well as common areas in the community needing to be certified as well.
The Hamburg Area currently boasts over seventy homes that have been certified as Wildlife Habitats by the National Wildlife Federation. Through the Habitat Project committee, Greenawalt hopes to “encourage more people to certify their gardens, along with educating homeowners about the use of native plants.”
For more information about the Hamburg Community Wildlife Habitat Project, contact Kay Greenawalt at 610-562-4329 or the National Wildlife Federation, www.nwf.org.
