Beautification Committee volunteer Marsha Galespie relaxes in her landscaped backyard.
By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
VENTNOR – It was hot and steamy Saturday, but the blooms were quenched and perky thanks to the hard work and dedication of Ventnor gardeners who prepped their gardens for the occasion.
The Ventnor Beautification Committee held its annual Garden Tour July 15 at 21 homes in Ventnor and Ventnor Heights. Proceeds from the event will be used for beautification projects around the city.
John Van Duyne stands in front of a piece of painted driftwood.
Homebuilder John Van Duyne welcomed visitors to his 1920s Sears built home, which he purchased from his family in 1980. Since then, he has been adding landscaping, water features and an inviting teardrop shaped swimming pool under two shady trees.
“These are all native plants that attract hummingbirds, butterflies and pollinators,” he said.
A block or two away in the Heights, Marie and Duff McQueen showcased their Italian vegetable garden. She plants eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, and other veggies from seeds she purchased in Italy. There’s also a trellis covered with white grapes that will mature in the fall.
A special feature of their backyard is a fig tree that bears more figs than the couple can eat.
“This is a lot of work, but I enjoy it. At 77, I don’t watch TV, and what else is there to do,” Duff said.
Charlie and Sue Davidson went on the tour to see what their fellow gardeners in Ventnor have done with their mostly small front and backyards.
“We don’t have a garden at our condo at the Oxford, so we thought we would come out and see these beautiful gardens, Charlie said standing in Marsha Galespie’s backyard.
“We have an acre at our home in Gladwyne, and we are avid gardeners,” he said.
Nick Palazzo stands in his perfectly landscape Dorset Avenue front yard.
Nick and Carol Palazzo have a gorgeous front yard where they sit on their porch every night and enjoy a cup of coffee or a cocktail. They’ve been living on Dorset Avenue seasonally since 2014 but became permanent residents this year.
Their beautifully landscaped front yard includes lots of native plants and a giant vase as a feature.
“We tried to be true to New Jersey, but we added the palm trees,” Nick said.
Around back, they have fewer plants but a beautifully hardscaped patio where they enjoy meals with their grandchildren.
Fred and Bernadette Casper, who live across the street, have been living on Dorset for 23 years. When the Dorset Avenue bridge is raised to let boats pass on summer weekends, the traffic backs up for about 15 minutes. But you wouldn’t know that when sitting in their backyard where a tiki bar has been installed in half of their garage. The rest of the yard includes a pergola, garden patio and a koi pond with an alligator on top.
Fred and Bernadette Casper stand in front of their koi pond with an alligator on top.
“We have 20 koi in this pond,” Bernadette said. “When Hurricane Sandy came, it killed all our koi so we started over again.”
Some of the koi are 10 years old, Fred said.
Pat Stern has lived in Ventnor since 1977 but was hosting visitors for the first time, she said.
“Someone stopped by and said your front garden is so beautiful, would you be interested in being part of the garden tour. I was honored and said yes of course,” she said. “I’m happy I did, this is fun.”
Her backyard also features a huge fig tree that produces hundreds of fruits without much fuss, she said.
“I started it from a cutting from an old Italian man who lived across the street many years ago,” she said. “Amazing it survived.”
Rob Allen also has a tiki bar in his back yard. With some experience from working with a family member, he learned about remodeling, and purchased his ranch-styled home after Sandy.
“It was originally built in 1975 and was never touched. It had avocado green fixtures and appliances,” he said.
He loves living in Ventnor and being close to restaurants, shopping and the beach.
“I re-created an over 55, just not in the boonies,” he said.
After the remodel, which opened up walls for an open concept, he tackled the backyard, which took about five years to complete. The garden grew horizontally until all areas were perfectly landscaped, now it’s growing vertically, he said.
Rob Allen rubs Hoi Tai’s belly to bring him happiness.
A feature of his garden is a statue of Ho Tai, the feng shui Budda of Happiness and Knowledge.
He went over to the statue and rubbed his belly to bring him happiness. Then he tugged on Ho Tai’s ear to bring him knowledge.
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