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Mauri Rapp Abington Journal Correspondent

CLARKS SUMMIT - For many people, gardening is a hobby. For Anthony Curra of Fox Run Circle in Clarks Summit, it goes well beyond that. Curra’s garden serves as a source of hospitality for family and friends, a place where the people he loves can gather for a delicious meal, a dip in his pool or just a pleasant afternoon of relaxing in the sun. It is, as his mother puts it, “like a paradise in the backyard.”

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Curra used rounded rocks that he found in an old river bed to edge his gardens.

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Curra tends to a group of morning glories, which climb a trellis he fashioned from a tomato cage.

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When the Curras first moved from Long Island to the Clarks Summit area 24 years ago, Anthony’s wife Mary Curra said, there was nothing in the backyard but grass and a small clematis vine. Each year since, Curra has added flowers, vegetables, plants and trees.

Curra caught the gardening bug when he was 12 by helping his grandfather. From then on, Curra would spend his summer vacations helping out in the yard. “While everyone else was playing, I was working,” he laughed. “I guess I got my green thumb from my grandfather.”

Many of the plants that the Curras have in their back yard have come from family members, friends and neighbors. “Whenever our friends have an extra plant or something to get rid of, they think of us,” joked Mary. One of the garden’s centerpieces is a large trumpet vine, which has rooted itself around the wooden trellis leading from the Curra’s pool area to the rest of their backyard. Curra’s uncle gave him the vine about 20 years ago.

“It was just a scrap at the time, and now look at it.” said Curra.

The vine has grown so hardy and strong that, when several trees were knocked down in the area after a straight wind storm on June 26, including approximately 100 trees that fell at neighboring Baptist Bible College, the roots from the trumpet vine held fast and kept the trellis in place.

A nice surprise from Curra’s gardening came as a result of his composting. The top part of his yard was used for composting until he noticed plants and vines blooming. Now he has a selection of gourds and melons growing in that area, most likely from the scraps that he threw away. “It’s a nice little surprise to see these growing here,” he said. Another hidden aspect can be found among his Bee Balm, Prickly Pear and Rudbeckia, where a single mound of grass hides a large ant hill with thousands of ants. “They don’t come in the house, they don’t bother us, and they keep the soil nice and loose,” he laughed. “We just didn’t have the heart to get rid of their home.”

Eventually, Curra learned to use the fruits of his labor in the garden while he was at work. A former professional chef at a local country club, Curra created menus for at least 30 events each year. Soon, he became noted for his unique cold table, on which he would place cuttings and arrangements from his backyard. “People would ask me ‘where did you get those beautiful flowers from,’” he said. Curra said that the key is to make sure that he selects plants that won’t need to be replaced every couple of years. “You don’t want to keep spending your money here and there, so you want plants that will last,” he said.

One challenge the Curras said that they faced was the soil in their neighborhood. “The ground practically grows rocks,” said Mary. As a result, they double dug the ground approximately two feet under to get to the beneficial soil underneath the rocky ground.

A large contigent of rabbits also pose a challenge. “We shoo them away every morning,” Curra said. Because of the Curras’ diligence in caring for their yard, this year’s lack of sun and excessive rain has done little to affect the colorful landscape.

Curra said that every year he thinks of something different to put in the yard. As for future plans, he said he would like to try growing a grapevine, which would allow him to draw from his Italian roots and try winemaking. His backyard, he points out, is shaped like a boot, just like Italy. But no matter what, the Curras will continue to enjoy having their 18-plus member family meet under their private pavilion among the beauty of the flowers and bushes for some good food ripe from the vegetable garden. “We sit out here and we solve the world’s problems,” Curra said. “Sometimes, this is all you need.’

Want to nominate?

The Abington Journal and theabingtonjournal.com are running a 14-week story series written by Mauri Rapp and a contest on featured home gardens in the greater Abington coverage area. We will be accepting nominations for up to 14 gardens, which will be featured each week in print and online from July 29 through Oct. 28. Our readers will then vote for their favorites at your location or the Abington Journal office and on our Web site. To nominate a garden, call Editor Kristie Grier Ceruti at 570-585-1604 or email kgrier@theabingtonjournal.com.