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Gardens in all their glory

Mauri Rapp Abington Journal Correspondent

Editor’s Note:

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Week 12: Abington Community Garden, South Abington Twp.

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The following are excerpts about Abington area gardens that were nominated by the community and profiled weekly from July through October in The Abington Journal. For additional photos and the complete stories, visit www.theabingtonjournal.com.

Week 1: Annie Jenkins, Clarks Summit

When Annie and Matt Jenkins were in the process of moving from Ardmore, outside of Philadelphia, back to their hometown in the Abingtons, a spacious home on Nelson Street in Clarks Summit caught their eye. Once they saw the backyard garden, however, they were practically sold. According to Annie, the original garden was created by previous owners of the house. “I don’t want to take credit for something that they created,” she said.

Nearly two years later, the two have added trees, herbs and other aspects to it, creating an English-type garden setting right in their backyard.

Week 2: Kristen Jungbluth, Waverly

If brown is the new black and 40 is the new 30, then the use of containers is definitely one of the trends in gardening that has been gaining popularity in recent years. Kristin Jungbluth, of Oakford Woods in Waverly, has used container gardening for the past several years as a simple yet attractive alternative to flower beds.

She said she enjoys creating pieces that feature one particular flower or plant as a larger statement that supersedes the smaller plants within the piece.

Week 3: Anthony Curra, Clarks Summit

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.”

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.

Week 4: Becky Scioscia, Factoryville

Becky Scioscia of Factoryville not only enjoys gardening in her backyard, but also in her front yard. As a result, her garden is not only something that her own family can enjoy, but something that can be enjoyed by everyone who walks by.

Scioscia became interested in gardening when she and her husband, Steve, first moved into their home on College Avenue and saw that a previous owner had left behind some perennial plants.

Each year at Halloween, the Scioscias pick a theme and then decorate their front garden according to that theme, creating a fun but spooky environment. Week 5: Ron Grambo, Clarks Summit

Ron Grambo of Clarks Summit plans his garden 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. He said most years he starts with impatiens and then moves on to petunias. Week 6: Frank and Joanne Garnecki, 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.

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.

Week 7: Karen and Carmen Trovato, West Abington Twp.

Rather than spend tons of money on a spa retreat or vacation getaway, Karen and Carmen Trovato simply step outside and enjoy their gardens. “They say that people garden as a form of therapy,” said Karen. “It’s true. Out here you can forget you have a care in the world.”

When the Trovatos first bought their land on the crest of Wilbur Hill in West Abington Township, the entire yard was a field. Now, eight years later, it has been transformed into a spacious yard with several gardens containing herbs, spices, vegetables and flowers.

Week 8: Tom and Charlotte Davis, Factoryville

When Tom Davis and his wife, Charlotte, first began building their home at the end of Mathewson Terrace in Factoryville, they encountered an impenetrable bank of blue stone. After construction, the Davises had another problem to tackle when they discovered water flowing from Watkins Street down the rock slope behind their house. One of the first steps was to divert a majority of the water coming down from the rocks over to the woods along either of his property as well as his vegetable garden. Next, he planted a rain garden in a grassy space near the base of the rock slope to soak up water.

Week 9: Marie King , Clarks Green

Marie King may live in the heart of Clarks Green, but a step outside her patio door takes her into a far different setting. Two waterfalls, lush greenery and colorful blossoms and foliage all conspire to create what King calls a gardening style “on the verge of wild.” “I like some splashes of color, but also like to play with form and texture,” said King. For example, she said that the purple basil she has planted is the perfect contrast to green sweet potato vines which drape nearby. Rhubarb leaves and a mysterious vine grown from her compost pile also add to the form and shape of her garden.

Week 10: Jim and Tracie Lennox, Jessup

For Jim and Tracie Lennox of Jessup, the key to keeping their garden lush and bountiful this year was to plant a variety of vegetables that grow well in the garden and taste good on the dining table. While many gardens were hit by tomato blight and other types of plant rot, the Lennox garden has stayed chock full of cabbage, rhubarb, soy beans, green beans and other vegetable plants that thrive in below average temperatures and wet weather.

Week 11: Morgan Family, Clarks Summit

At the house of Mitch and Sondra Morgan on Crossgate Drive in Clarks Summit, the garden is full of color all year round. Mitch Morgan learned to garden from his grandparents. His abilities were put to the test when the Morgans bought their house six years ago; their new property had previously been a cow pasture and had never been planted, so the Morgans added topsoil to promote plant and grass growth. The Morgans had to figure how to plant along a steep pitch in the front yard.

Week 12: Abington Community Garden, South Abington Twp.

The Abington Community Garden is still going strong at the end of its second year. Situated on approximately two acres located next to the Abington Community Center along Winola Road in South Abington Township, the community garden gives local residents the opportunity to grow fresh produce and flowers for a small rental fee. The garden was the brainchild of the Abington Area Joint Recreation Board, which began planning for the garden in 2007 and broke ground in April 2008 . This year, more than 100 tenants have rented plots at the garden. Week 13: Beth Thompson and Jeff Kasprzak, Ransom

As two longtime city dwellers born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, Jeff Kasprzak and Beth Thompson never had the space to grow the garden they’d always wanted. When the couple moved to their current home in Ransom, they finally had the space and acreage to plant everything they’d always wanted to plant while living in the city—and then some. Dozens of varieties of trees, flowers and bushes are planted in their three-quarter acre yard.