May 2018 Garden of the Month

Once a Gardner, Always a Gardner

The Gettysburg Garden Club, through its Garden of the Month committee, is pleased to present the Garden of the Month award to Joanne Fisher of 72 Meadow Lane Gettysburg, PA.

Joanne has been gardening at her home for the past 45 years. While she admits that since having a heart attack she doesn’t crawl around on her knees planting new plants or spend hours working in the sun. She hires someone to do the mulching and digging, but she still loves planning, weeding, trimming and dead heading her garden. Oh boy does it look wonderful! As you drive by the home you will see crescent shaped bed anchored by a flowering pear tree. This bed is filled with tulips, grape hyacinths, hostas, azaleas, and peonies. Closer to the street you will find a mound of grape hyacinths and tulips strategically hiding the utility meter. Lining the front of the house are larger bushes such as holly, juniper, rhododendrons, and lots of lily of the valley which she planted from just a few small pips. She also has some hardscaped features as an oversized semi-circular front step and sidewalk, with a nice bench for sitting on while reading the mail or watching birds bathe in the cobalt blue ceramic bath.

While this front garden is worthy of the award all in itself, there is more. You can catch glimpses of her gazebo garden retreat in the back yard. She loves throwing parties for her friends in the gazebo decked out with several knock out roses and a clematis archway. The gazebo offers a perfect view of her gardens, beyond the flowering plum trees and under the towering hemlock reside spireas, coreopsis, lavender, delphiniums, dahlias, dutch iris, poppies, yarrow, bachelor buttons, pincushion flowers, coneflowers, daisies, lilies and a bleeding heart. Lining the back edge of her property is a row of hydrangeas. The side of the property is lined with many evergreens such as arborvitae, spruces, and hemlocks. There is also weeping redbud tree and weeping cherry tree to offer some color and shade. Last year she added a water feature that is an old fashioned hand-pump that flows into a whiskey barrel, from Oregon, the water then flows through a rock pathway intermingled between the plants. While the deer and rabbits like to munch on her plants, Joanne doesn’t do much to stop them.

Joanne’s personality and spirit are reflected in every part of her garden. So even if you can’t physically do every little aspect of gardening due to aging, medical condition or a disability, a garden can still be had with a little help whether hired, bartered or graciously provided by friends and family. From planned flower beds to patio containers, once the seed of gardening is planted in your soul, there is no way to ever stop being a gardener!

To nominate your property or someone else’s for the Garden of the Month award please call or text Deb Steckler at (717) 357-3623 or fill out our form.