Special to the OBSERVER
Summer is winding down and we are too. We expect to recognize gardens through the end of September. Ward Three is in need of a scout to see the season through. Please call 366-3738 to volunteer. Our next week's choices will focus on two businesses in each ward that have made a special effort to beautify their property.
First Ward
Yard of the Week belongs to Clara Kubera at 127 Margay St. Creek rocks define the porch garden and also around two large trees in front of the house. The gardens have many varieties of Hostas as well as arborvitae, roses and some annuals and a neat flower you do not see very often, Fall Crocus. The side yard has a rose garden with a bench and gazing ball with stand. Large silver mounds, mums, bee balm, clematis, and pots of annuals enhance the beauty of the rose garden. Other gardens feature hydrangeas, weeping cherry tree, along with roses. Pavers provide a path through the gardens. Morning glories are beautiful flowers except that they are very invasive, Clara has this solved. She has morning glories in pots that are blooming. A tree Wisteria is blooming for the second time this year along the driveway. A truly beautiful garden.
Rick and Tammy Cooper, 161 Margay St., also deserve recognition. Neat walled gardens in front of the house contain Black Eyed Susans and Day lilies. Salmon colored roses frame the front entry to the house. A nice shed with window boxes with annuals complete a neat landscape.
Second Ward
There is a quiet little corner of Dunkirk which you might miss, just off Brigham Road where the country meets the city. There on Jay Street, #625, is the home of Mark and Sherry Tilley. Landscaping around the long ranch style house includes hydrangea, cone flowers, a hybrid pine tree and Blue Rug Juniper. A vast expanse of neatly mowed lawn and trees leads one to a productive vegetable garden, attractive even to the deer who visit frequently. This is the setting for our Yard of the Week. Our other choice is the home of Valentin and Myrna Irizarry, at 509 Dove St., ablaze with fragrant, multicolored petunias all along the front walkway. To the right of the house are some of the most massive mums you will ever expect to see, confined in a brick circular garden, fully budded and just waiting to make their presence known.
Third Ward
Yard of the Week belongs to Henry and Dora Barbknecht at 826 Washington Ave. The front yard is a sunny greeting with several Black-Eyed Susans exploding with healthy color. Pink and purple Petunias are scattered among the shrubs and ornamental grasses along the front and side of the house. The color is carried even further with hanging baskets of impatiens and a striking window box spilling over with petunias in front of the 2nd story window. A neatly trimmed lawn surrounds all of the gorgeous color of the garden.
Also noteworthy, is the home of Steve and Kathy Tilley at 743 Park Ave. This brand new garden is off to a great start with a lace cap hydrangea, hosta and a Japanese Maple tree. Planters of petunias on either side of the entry and a front window box filled with geranium, pansies and vinca vine are all neatly tended and show a rewarding first season.
Fourth Ward
Mathew and Donna Stempien of 446 Bucknor St. take top honors this week for their neat, landscaped yard and a beautiful vegetable garden in the back yard. Surrounding their home are many perennials, well trimmed shrubs and a couple of Japanese Jewett on each end of the home. The front enclosed patio is surrounded by colorful annuals. There is a small rock assembly on the Tenney Street side of the house.
Thomas and Barbara Zielinski of 430 Lord St. are also recognized for their garden this week. The patriotic front of their home has a variety of trimmed shrubs and perennials with an American flag hanging from the front porch. The fenced in back yard is lined with perennials and shrubs nicely tended with another American Flag waving high with a cluster of bright annuals surrounding the Flag Pole.
Sam Mancuso's Tip of the Week
A great time of the year for planting is fast approaching. Fall is a natural planting season. The temperature is cooling down and we usually get a good amount of rain. If you think about it, trees and flowers seed out at this time of the year. They drop their seeds and new plants emerge in the Spring. Hopefully we get much needed rain this Fall. It is a good time to plant any type of tree, shrubs and perennials. Plant them as you would in the Spring, water deeply, if needed, and mulch them to keep moisture on the roots. If planted correctly you should have a healthy, vibrant plant in the Spring.
