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Mauri Rapp Abington Journal Correspondent

CLARKS SUMMIT - For many, a white picket fence is the finishing touch to the quintessential American dream. Frank and Joanie Garnecki of Clarks Summit are living that dream, with a twist. Their very own white picket fence surrounds a vast garden containing a bountiful bevy of tall, colorful flowers and fresh vegetables.

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Garden No. 6 Frank and Joanie Garnecki, Clarks Summit

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At left, oleander were a gift from Joanie Garnecki’s mother.

Abington Journal Photos/Mauri Rapp

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The Garneckis have been gardening since they were young and have gardens for all 35 years of their married life. Their current garden has been around for about 10 years, since they first bought the house they now live in on Fairview Road. “One of the draws of buying this house was the size of the property,” said Joanie. “We knew it would be a good space to put in a garden.” The following spring after buying the home, the Garneckis got to work clearing what they said was a patch of mostly ragweed. However, in a manner of speaking, the Garnecki garden has actually been blossoming for more than nine decades. “In 1918, when Joanie’s grandmother came over to the United States from Italy, she was given a loaf of bread, a hunk of cheese and a bag of bean seeds,” said Frank. “She ate the bread and the cheese along the way, and then planted the seeds when she came to this country.” Since then, these heirloom seeds have been passed down through the generations. Her grandmother also gave the Garneckis an oleander tree which blooms on their patio, and Frank’s grandmother brought heirloom seeds over from her native Czechoslovakia in the 1960s. These seeds still produce the 24 tomato plants that the Garneckis plant each year. “It’s just nice to be able to plant something that was given to us from our grandmothers,” Frank said.

Everything in the Garnecki garden is done completely organically, from the use of manure as fertilizer to the way that they control pests. This is where the white picket comes into play: to the naked eye it adds aesthetic value to the backyard, but it also keeps rabbits and deer from grazing in the garden. “We put chicken wire along the fence and buried it about eight inches down,” said Frank. “That discourages them.” They also have a few rubber snakes scattered throughout the garden to deter birds and rabbits. As for weed control, the Garneckis said that elbow grease trumps any type of weed killer on the market. And insect control is done the old -fashioned way, by plucking the bugs off of the leaves. Frank explained that this organic approach gives them peace of mind that they aren’t ingesting harmful substances. “We don’t want to eat chemicals,” said Frank. “And we have a well, so we don’t want to drink the chemicals either.”

While many gardeners tend to favor either mostly perennials or mostly annuals, depending on their preference, the Garneckis said that they average about half and half. Joanie said she likes to plant annuals because that allows her to use the flower cuttings in her home d�cor. And just like those heirloom seeds and plants that were given to them as a gift from their grandmothers, the Garneckis make it a point to share the gifts of their garden with friends a family as well. The beans that they grow are often given to family members, as are the raspberries from a bush also given to them by Frank’s mother. The tradition of handing down the seeds from generation to generation has already begun with the Garnecki generation, because several of their cousins in New York State also have seeds derived from the same source. And as the Garneckis pass their garden’s offerings on to family members and friends, they always remember where they originally came from. “We’re lucky,” Frank said. “Because we have been able to nurture the gifts that others have given us.”

Want to nominate?

The Abington Journal and theabingtonjournal .com are running a 14-week story series written by Mauri Rapp and a contest on home gardens in the greater Abington coverage area. We will accept nominations for 14, which will be featured in print and online through Oct. 28. Our readers will vote at 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@theabington journal.com. Weekly winners will receive a $10 gift card from Corky’s Garden Path. One grand prize winner will receive a $200 gift card.