As an Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension Master Gardener, I had the opportunity recently to visit a beautiful garden and landscape at the home of Jill and Dan Ryan in Riga.
The Ryans were the winners of the 2015 Orleans County Master Gardener Makeover contest and we visited their home the morning of June 11 to install a new island perennial bed in their front lawn.
Their four-acre property is stunning. The Ryan’s home is more than one hundred years old and their landscape includes a pond and a creek with mature trees and ample shade. A portion of the landscape is left “wild” while other portions are meticulously groomed.
Dan and Jill have worked to create special places to enjoy their landscape. A gazebo sits on a patio in a shaded portion of the yard overlooking the creek. Dan says it’s where he and Jill can un-wind at the end of the day. He also created a fire pit for campfires and most recently installed a koi pond just off the back of the house.
The area just north of the house was once the Ryan’s vegetable garden, but Jill says with a farm stand just down the road, the couple no longer grows vegetables. Currently they have rhubarb and berry bushes in the space.
Master Gardeners installed the perennial bed, which will add color to the yard as well as even more “curb appeal” from the road.
The Garden Makeover Contest began several years ago by Master Gardeners in Orleans County. As a fundraiser, tickets are available for $10 an entry. The drawing takes place each September during the annual Plant Sale held by Master Gardeners at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds.
The Ryans decided to try their luck last year, obtaining their entry ticket at Sara’s Garden Center in Brockport. They were completely surprised and delighted when they found out they had won, and both said the newly installed garden, “looks gorgeous.”
The kidney-shaped island bed sits in a mostly sunny spot and is outlined by rocks, which Dan installed. As winners of the Makeover, Dan and Jill were able to select $500 in plants from Sara’s, which they did in late May.
Top on their list were easy care perennials such as rudbeckia and purple cone flower as well as heuchera, daylilies and salvia. A trellis functions as a focal point and will support clematis vines.
The Garden Makeover Contest is open to those living in Orleans and surrounding counties. Square footage of the garden – either new or a renovation for an established garden – can be no more than 200 square feet. In addition to plants donated by Sara’s, the winner receives design services and labor from Orleans County Master Gardeners.
A maintenance plan is supplied for the project by Master Gardeners and the Cooperative Extension Horticulture Educator. The winner is then responsible for maintenance following garden installation.
Tickets for the 2016 Makeover are currently available at Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension – 12690 State Route 31, Albion, or stop by the Master Gardener booth/Flower Show at this year’s Orleans County 4-H Fair, July 25 through 30.
