Garden of the Month
In an effort to recognize outstanding gardens, The Garden Club of Johnstown has launched a program to celebrate eye-catching gardens in the Greater Johnstown region that are visible from the street. It acknowledges gardens for their unique features and landscaping perfection and creativity. They exemplify beauty, creativity and a passion for gardening.
The selections are based on criteria including design, plant selection, gardening practices, overall appeal and contribution to the neighborhood aesthetic. Club members will be on the lookout for outstanding front yard gardens in the Greater Johnstown area from now thru October.
The Garden Club of Johnstown is pleased to present the “June Garden of the Month” award to Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Simon of 916 Grove Avenue, Windber. Jerry and his wife Joy have been perfecting their landscape for over 40 years and have created a beautiful and unique design.
Their corner lot features great contrast in textures, shapes and colors. The slate walkway curves to the spherical shaped shrubs by the front door. The copper hoods over the bay window and porch are enhanced by the apricot begonias in the hanging basket and nearby planters.
The front corner of the yard is further coordinated by more apricot and yellow begonias, rounded shrubs and a statue feature set on stones in a mulched bed. This together against the backdrop of the manicured lawn and stone castle-like features of the home make for a stunning example of gracious gardening.
June 2026
Jerry and Joy Simon
Grove Avenue, Windber
July 2026
Judy and Steve Tucker
126 Peggy Lane, Johnstown
The Garden Club of Johnstown has chosen the outstanding garden of Judy and Steve Tucker at 126 Peggy Lane, Johnstown as the Garden of the Month for July.
Their garden is a plethora of colors and textures that compliment their red brick home. “We absolutely love spending time in our gardens because we enjoy watching the flowers and vegetables grow and mature. By having a combination of perennial and annual flowers, we are able to create a changing combination of colors and sizes of flowers.”
Those combinations are stunning! The first to catch the eye is pink begonias (Semperflorens) that border many of their beds and fill the hanging bags on the wall. When asked how they manage to have such robust blooms, Steve said that shortly after planting he “pinches back” or removes the lead flowers stem. This encourages branching. And of course, he and Judy keep them and their entire garden well watered finding early morning the best time so the plants have time to dry during the day.
Their garden has been evolving over the last 30 years since they bought the house. Then, there were no flowers or garden beds. They spend a lot of time in the garden and work at it together. They confess that they do not have a single favorite plant but you will find many different types in the yard. In addition to the begonias, they have beautiful roses, peonies, giant zinnias and many more including vegetables.
To keep their plants happy, they say they water frequently (but not too much), prepare the soil in the spring for the annuals, add a layer of fine mulch around all the flowers, fertilize early and throughout the season and finally, cut back (deadhead) spent summer blooms often.
When asked what they enjoy least in gardening they say that it is the end of the season when we have to remove annuals and cut back some of the perennials. We can all agree with you on that note. Thank you, Judy and Steve, for sharing your beautiful landscape with us. It is an inspiration!
The Garden of the Month committee will be on the lookout for the August Garden of the Month soon.
August 2026
Eileen DeBartola
561 Grove Avenue (Moxham),
Johnstown
The Garden Club of Johnstown is pleased to present the “August Garden of the Month” award to Eileen DiBartola 561 Grove Avenue, Moxham.
Eileen has devoted more than twenty years to cultivating her garden, tending it with steady care for one to two hours every day. Her landscape reflects both creativity and a deep passion for gardening. Every plant is intentionally chosen and thoughtfully placed, creating a harmonious design that surrounds her home with beauty and purpose.
Many of the flowers you can see are hydrangeas, impatients, salvia, coleus, sweet pea vines, petunias, King Tut grass, dwarf butterfly brushes, lupine, wild geraniums, sedum, stonecrop, Martha Washington geraniums, strawberry blonde marigolds, and Boston ferns in the hanging baskets.
In addition to the care she gives her own garden, Eileen also planted and maintains the planters at St. Patrick Roman Catholic Church in Moxham (pictured below), just a block from her home. Each planter reflects her signature creativity and attention to detail. If you drive by the church, you’ll see how beautifully arranged and uniquely designed each one is — a gift she shares with the entire community.
All Club members should be on the lookout for outstanding front yard gardens in the Greater Johnstown area from now thru October.
September 2026
Barbara Todd
129 Venango Trail
Davidsville
The Garden Club of Johnstown is pleased to present Barbara Todd, of 129 Venango Trail, Davidsville, the September “Garden of the Month” award.
When Barb first began gardening at her home, only a handful of plants and shrubs surrounded the property. Over the past twenty years, she has transformed that modest beginning into a beautifully planned and meticulously maintained landscape. She devotes at least ten hours each week to caring for her garden, ensuring it remains in pristine condition. Her routine includes watering and fertilizing as needed, maintaining a thick layer of mulch throughout the beds, and thoughtfully shaping the areas around her shrubs and perennials to create a cohesive, intentional design that enhances the beauty of her home.
Barb enjoys not only the peaceful pleasure of tending her garden but also the conversations it inspires. Neighbors and passersby often stop to admire her work, and she delights in sharing her gardening experiences with them.
Her garden features a wide variety of perennials, including asters, blackeyed Susans, beebalms, columbines, hardy geraniums, echinaceas, sedums, yarrows, lupines, alliums, catnip, daylilies, and roses. She complements these with annuals such as cosmos, impatiens, salvias, zinnias, marigolds, cannas, and Boston ferns displayed in hanging baskets, filling every space with color and texture.
The Garden Club encourages all members to continue watching for outstanding frontyard gardens throughout the Greater Johnstown area now through October.
October 2026
Dave and Angela Dayok
Franklin and Goucher Street Intersection
The October Garden of the Month has been selected by The Garden Club of Johnstown. The award goes to a garden familiar to many who traverse the Franklin and Goucher Streets intersection in the Ferndale Borough of Johnstown. It is the home of Dave and Angela Dayok and it is always dressed for the season. This autumn it is especially spectacular.
“It’s been a great year for flowers,” Angela said. She and Dave have lived here 43 years and it has not always looked like this. “There were overgrown pine trees and yews along the front which we removed early on and then little was done while our children were small.” Now that the children are grown, Angela and Dave make it a point to decorate for every season. “We should all celebrate life every chance we have,” she said. Their plantings and décor are certainly a celebration!
Angela grew up on a vineyard near Altoona where her love of gardening began and then worked in a nursery for many years. She said that much of her success was learned the hard way and offers these tips:
• Water most plants at the soil level and avoid getting water on the foliage
• Know what areas in your yard receive sun and shade and match the plants’ needs to those conditions
• Know your weather zone
• Don’t overwater, especially begonias, one of her favorites.
• Feed the plants on a regular schedule
• Refresh the soil with garden soil and mulch in the spring
• Control insects and funguses
Her huge 3’ by 4’ angel wing begonia hanging baskets on her porch attest to this as well as her favorite dahlias. Also in her garden you’ll find deep purple salvia, bright red begonias with yellow centers, a rainbow of mums, vinca, coleus, zinnias, alyssum, nasturtium and many other beauties.
She and Dave divide the gardening work: she the flowers and he the vegetables in their backyard vegetable patch. Dave, a retired Culinary Instructor, tends the vegetables and uses them in the kitchen. He is especially fond of ‘Juliet’ tomatoes, which are a smallish Roma type tomato. He uses these for tomato sauces and salsa which Angela says is delicious.
As the weather gets cold, he covers the soil with black plastic and removes it in the spring after it has helped warm the soil. He then turns the soil and adds manure and compost. After the plants are in, he places a layer of cardboard around the plants to prevent weed germination and covers it with finely ground cedar mulch to retain water and hold the cardboard in place.
Angela says, “Gardening is a great way to be outside, get exercise and make other people happy as they enjoy the beauty of your efforts!”
The Garden Club invites Angela, Dave, all of our Garden of the Month winners and anyone interested in gardening to come to a meeting and learn more of what we do. There is something for everyone. Meetings are usually the second Monday of the month at 10 AM at the Westmont Presbyterian Church, 601 Luzerne St. For detailed information, check out our website at www.gcjpa.org.
Thanks to all our garden winners and watch for The Garden of the Month winners starting next May. Maybe it will be your garden!
