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 in 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.
