What’s the key to creating and maintaining a garden? Start by planting something you love.
This is the advice of gardeners featured in the Hamburg Garden Stroll. The sixth annual event, held this year on June 17, opened six private gardens to the public in Hamburg Borough, Perry Township and Tilden Township.
Each site spotlighted a unique approach to gardening, from growing vegetables only or commingling them with flowers to adding serene water features or distinctive ornamentation. But each gardener agreed that establishing healthy plants is attainable to anyone.
“Start with whatever plant is your favorite and work from there,” said Paul Wikerd, one of the hosts. “Even with one tomato plant, that’s still gardening.”
“You start with a plant you love,” agreed fellow gardener Claudia Eberly. “But you also take into consideration what that plant likes.”
The Hamburg Community Wildlife Habitat Project organizes the event. Each year, the Garden Stroll highlights gardens certified by the National Wildlife Federation. To qualify, properties must include food, water, cover and a place for wildlife to raise young. Sustainable practices (i.e., rain barrels) and the use of native plants are also encouraged.
Garden Stroll organizer Kay Greenawalt noted the first tour was organized after Hamburg became the first Pennsylvanian Certified Wildlife Community in 2011. Today, 90 communities across 30 states share this distinction; Hamburg is one of three in Pennsylvania.
Bill Rhodes’ colorful garden on South Third Street are filled with plants ranging from banana trees to yellow petunias. What many notice first, however, are the brightly colored sculptures peppered across the yard. Rhodes originally studied to be an architect before changing career paths.
“I always thought an architect should be an artist and I started taking lots of art classes,” he said, explaining work he’s done to improve the exterior of his Victorian Italianate house. “This is just me doing the artful thing.”
At the opposite end of town, garden strollers visited the Fourth Street garden of Claudia Eberly. A master gardener, Eberly uses her sun-drenched yard to create bright, bloom-filled beds. She says gardening takes lots of patience, as some plants take a year or more to be established. But she finds the work soothing and rewarding.
“I lose myself when I’m out here,” she said, her gaze on a favorite plant. “My mind is not on all the crazy things going on in the world.”
Paul Wikerd hosted another tour stop. His narrow State Street backyard holds several raised beds and a cold-frame plot for winter months. Round compost bins hug a fence line; neatly boxed beehives are next in line.
“I try to keep a little bit of everything,” Wikerd said, pointing out raspberries, arugula, broccoli and more. “The ideas is to have something to eat from the garden every day, all year long.”
“It’s not a lot of work,” he added. “It’s a little bit of work, a little bit at a time. I just like to see things grow.”
Sue Fisher agreed. She and her husband are currently making their garden on Franklin Street their own, since their move from Tilden Township in March. Fischer’s front beds include Montana sandwort and a low-growing flox.
“It’s a show stopper when it’s in full bloom,” she said.
The backyard included bunches of coralbells, cheerful blooms of evening primrose, a newly established calla lily and lots of herbs, another favorite of Fisher. Neat zucchini plants were tucked into the flower beds, making a pleasing blend of the beautiful and the practical.
The two gardens rounding out the tour were in a more rural setting in the outskirts of town.
Debra and Donald Kline worked together to create their backyard haven, including a small pond, central fire pit and hammock getaways. Shady groves surround the site and carefully placed stone-walls help define areas.
“My husband is the creative one,” said Deb. “I tell him what I want and he does it.”
“My favorite spot is in the hammock or on a chaise lounge [near the fire pit,]” she added. “At the end of the day, I grab my book and relax for an hour or so.”
Vickie and Tim Rausch, hosts of the last stop, also cherish time outside their country home. Most of the pine trees on the two-acre property are former Christmas trees; many of the plants in beds were gifts from friends.
When a storm knocked two trees over several years ago, they turned the resulting holes into twin ponds connected by a small stream. The family stocked the water with two koi and, Vickie suspects, neighborhood kids added goldfish won at fairs.
“This is where we are all the time,” Vickie added. “This is where we live.”
The Hamburg Community Wildlife Habitat Project is already considering what gardens to include in the 2018 tour. To be included, properties must be in the Hamburg Area School District and gardens should include the key elements of a NWF certified garden.
For details on Natural Wildlife Federation certification, visit www.NWF.org or call 1-800-822-9919. To submit a garden for consideration in next year’s event, contact Kay Greenawalt at 610-562-4329.