community beautification award winners

Mary Organ, Kent

Mary transformed her large front yard from a traditional grass expanse into a beautiful and organically maintained perennial garden. Taking inspiration from the “English garden,” her flower beds are separated by grass patches and stone pathways. You’ll see inspiration from Monet’s famous iris paintings as well. The design layout of squares and triangles creates a thoughtful display of seasonal color. Her planting strategy, which includes native plants to attract birds and pollinators, ensures something is always in bloom between April and September. Through gardening, Mary hopes her efforts bring beauty to her neighborhood and joy to her neighbors. She encourages them to cut flowers to take home, and divides her plants to share with neighbors and any beginning gardener.  

Bish Gardens, Kent

Bish Gardens, owned by Heidi Shaffer Bish and Randy Bish of Kent, has very humble beginnings. Back in 1998, when the home was purchased, the backyard was a gravel slope overgrown with weeds up to four feet tall and home to a sheep. That’s when a 26-year labor of love began. The garden design demonstrates an excellent use of space with great coverage and a variety of delightful tableaux. The garden’s thematic link to the home’s architecture – in the California bungalow style – provides a great focus for the space. With a clear nod to its California roots and Asian influence, the ornamental fence creates drama and intrigue, and the wide variety of planting choices is impressive in the selection of perennials, trees and shrubs. Heidi and Randy are also growing fruits and vegetables on the “back 30.” Benches, wooden paths and a water feature are strategically placed, and garden ornaments are tasteful and unobtrusive. Archways spring up, defining the “Asian,” “English” and “Irish” sections. The property includes rain barrels and a compost pile in service to the garden. Like all great gardens, this one keeps evolving.

Anonymous

The winner of the Best Home Vegetable Garden has asked to remain anonymous. There’s a lot to love about this garden. For one, we love its bold front-yard placement. It’s a beautifully designed and well-maintained garden, featuring a variety of vegetables along with flowers that attract pollinators and create visual interest throughout the growing season and beyond. Mulched wide paths within the garden allow easy access for plant care and help significantly with weed control. A fence encloses the garden, and structures within facilitate climbing plants. Pollinator-friendly plants on the outer perimeter of the fence provide a protective layer, keeping at bay the deer, rabbits and other animals that love to munch on the fruit and foliage that are at the center of the garden’s purpose. Like many among us who learned to garden from grandparents, the owner acknowledges the grandfather who taught her how to garden. And she leaves a cooler of produce on the sidewalk so neighbors can enjoy free vegetables. 

Holden Elementary, Kent

Holden Elementary has combined the joy of gardening with the joy of learning. The school started gardening about 15 years ago through the initiative of some parents that volunteered their time and talents to establish both the garden and a program that would teach young people how to grow vegetables. A grant was received, and the gardens grew.  Students enjoyed planting and watching the growth. Several years later, Portage County Master Gardeners became involved and have been working with students by providing activities and lessons. This past year they received a boost from grants from Kent Environmental Council to build a fence to keep the critters out. Big Time Renovations donated their time to build the fence. A grant from the Portage County Retired Teachers provided grow lights and planting supplies. A Portage County Master Gardener grant provided the funding for some cold frames along with some private donations, and to top the year off, students were able to attend a garden summer camp led by the master gardeners and support from 4-H educators.