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Mauri Rapp Abington Journal Correspondent

CLARKS SUMMIT - Most gardeners can’t wait for the early signs of Spring, when they can start planning and preparing their gardens. Ron Grambo of Clarks Summit doesn’t wait that long. His gardening plans are laid out in advance, sometimes even before the first snow of the previous winter has fallen. “I start placing my seed orders usually after Christmas dinner,” he said. Grambo has good reason for planning so far in advance. Almost every flower and plant in his gardening is an annual started from seed. As many gardeners can attest, this requires a great deal of advance preparation and coordination. After the seeds are ordered, Grambo begins planting each flower according to instructions to make sure it is ready for bloom at the appropriate time. He said most years he starts with impatiens and then moves on to petunias. “I plant what grows best here,” he said, noting that impatiens tend to grow well in his backyard. And while many may like the reliability of perennials that return year after year, Grambo said he likes the variety that planting annuals affords him. “I like to take everything out each year and start over the following year,” he said. A onetime CPA who is now an accounting professor at The University of Scranton, Grambo is extremely organized. He takes copious notes after planting his flowers to keep track of how each one has fared. Then, he makes his seed orders according to which he liked best. He begins planting seeds in January and usually finishes in April, and puts the seedlings in the ground around Memorial Day weekend. His sense of organization does not mean that he doesn’t allow for a bit of whimsy. “Whenever we have a graduation coming up in the family, I like to plant the school colors,” he said. “By the time we have the graduation party, when everything is in full bloom, it looks great.”

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Garden No. 5 Ron Grambo, Clarks Summit

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A view from Grambo’s deck overlooking the poolside garden.

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Grambo cited his flexible schedule as part of the reason he began gardening. “The academic life, it’s a different type of schedule,” he said. “I don’t have a typical 9 to 5 job, so I have a little bit more free time during the day.” Yet despite the free time that Grambo said he has, one must still marvel at all of the work that goes into his garden. This year alone, he estimated that he planted approximately 900 plants. Add that to the time it took Grambo to build a fence and install a brick patio and driveway, as well as care for the garden and yard, and one could say that Grambo certainly uses his time wisely.

Because of the layout of his backyard, Grambo combines container gardening around his pool area and along his deck with bed gardening beyond the patio area. He also decks out the front yard with shrubs and flower beds. A recent loss of a willow tree also led him to plant two new trees in his yard: a Crimson King Maple and a Shademaster Honey Locust. Grambo said that while the maple tree will probably never grow big enough to provide his house with enough shade, the honey locust will provide a shaded area in his side yard.

This year, like most gardeners, Grambo faced the challenge of the inordinate amount of rainfall. “The flowers are tall and lanky this year because of all the rain,” he said. “They haven’t grown as full as they usually are.” Still, because he plants something new every year, he has the advantage. At the end of the year, he can take everything out and start all over again for the following year.

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@theabingtonjournal .com. Weekly winners will receive a $10 gift card from Corky’s Garden Path. One grand prize winner will receive a $200 gift card.