Page 18 The Shoreline May 2008
Three Local Gardeners Welcome Garden Club Tour
By Jan Corsello
Phyllis Pylko in her garden
The bird sanctuary in the Sagmiller garden.
Twenty members of Pine Knoll Shores
Garden Club and three guests attended
a brief bu^ness meeting on April 9
and therr^njoyed a tour of the Hereth
garden and three private local gardens.
Guests were Marilyn Smetana, former
club member Dot Belding, and her
daughter Carol Belding.
We first enjoyed the beautiful Hereth
garden in front of town hall that has
been lovingly tended by club members
Joan Smith and Lois Jean O'Keefe
since it was dedicated in May, 1999.
The poor original soil was amended
with composted leaves and rotted
cow manure before planting began
and is amended again with natural
materials each time a new plant is
added. This public butterfly garden
is planted for year-round interest and
is maintained organically. Most plants
are perennials, but several varieties of
annuals are changed out seasonally.
Year round greenery is provided by
dwarf euonomous and sky-pencil
hollies. In bloom for our visit were
pansies and violas, Lenten roses,
snapdragons, salvia "maraschino
cherry," wallflower "Bowles mauve,"
and sutera cordata "bridal shower,"
among others. Joan will identify
the current plants for any interested
members.
The second garden visited was at
the home of Leslie and Paul Pylko.
The lot, which Leslie described as a
"jungle" when she and Paul began
gardening there 14 years ago, is
now a beautiful peaceful garden.
The use of many fountains, wind
chimes, and Paul's playful garden art
enhances the woodland setting. It
is a relaxed, natural looking setting,
which gardeners know is a lot of work
to create and keep from returning to
the wild. Leslie has lavishly planted
bulbs, hundreds each year, in every
nook and cranny and shared a daffodil
secret with us. In our sandy soils,
where the bulbs sink deeper each
year, Leslie places a shell beneath
each one to prevent the downward
drift. Leslie likes to experiment, often
starting with a small cutting from an
interesting plant to see if it will adapt
to her garden. As we departed, Leslie
presented us each with a small datura
(angel trumpet).
We then walked across the street to
visit the garden of Peggy and Gene
Sagmiller. It is a "younger" garden
than the Pylko's, having been started
in 2000. The builders left them with
a ragged lot that took two years to
re-grade and install French drains
to control water flow. It's mostly a
sunny garden, but with a few shady
areas, so their plant selection varies
accordingly. Unlike the Pylko's,
this is a more formal garden, but the
Sagmillers also strive for a tranquil
feel. On one side of the drive is a tiny
but meticulously kept lawn of zoysia
grass. On the other side is a lush mature
windmill palm that was in bloom for
our visit. Another specimen plant is
a pineapple guava which will bloom
around Christmas. A banana shrub
perfumes the late afternoon air with
distinctive fragrance. A Burkwood
virburnum is also currently blooming,
as is a purple garden orchid. They even
have a bougainvillea that lives here
as a perennial! Gene especially loves
vegetable gardening, which will give
them fresh produce from mid-summer
and into the fall. Peggy has gradually
completed a lily garden, which will be
spectacular when in bloom. The birds
find it a welcome habitat, with plenty of
cover, generously replenished feeders
and a birdbath. '
Our last garden visited was at
the home of club member Lois Jean
O'Keefe and her husband Paul.
Hundreds of azaleas were in bloom
at the edges of the wooded setting.
Their first ones, "Blaze" (a deep
orajnge-red) were planted before the
house was completed 30 years ago.
The others range from white to pink
to deep lavender. The O'Keefe's
prefer a natural look, so most of the
azaleas are huge. Three light pink
Yoshino cherries were in bloom and
five Okame cherries bloomed last
month. Fairly new features of the
garden are several stacked stone walls
which contain raised beds in sloping
areas. The O'Keefes' dedication to
the environment is evidenced by their
porous crushed brick driveway on
one side of the house and their pine
straw driveway on the other. Both
allow rainfall to water the^ir gardens
rather than running of:^nto the road.
Near the road is a meandering line of
dark evergreen holly ferns which look
beautiful in all seasons, but especially
in summer when they are fronted by
white caladiums.
After the tour, 17 members headed to
the Country Club of the Crystal Coast
to relax over lunch.
This year's annual picnic will be at
Brock Basin at 11 a.m. May 14. We
will also do a plant exchange at that
meeting. We will install our new
officers at a luncheon June 11 at the
Coral Bay Club, beginning at 11:30
a.m. and will also celebrate the 25*’’
anniversary of the club.