An abundance of
azaleas
But there’s one garden that stands out from the rest. A short
drive down Horseleg Creek Road will take visitors to Dogwood Drive where Jack
and Penny Martischnig have created a stunning backyard botanical feast for the
eyes.
And while variety may be the spice of life, their garden is
remarkable not for the dozens of blooms and plants sprinkled around the property
but for one particular floral feature — the azalea.
The Martischnigs are
the proud owners of more than 1,500 azalea bushes of every color imaginable. As
spring settles on the mountainside where they’ve built their home, the flowers
have awakened to blanket the picturesque backyard.
“We’ve been here since
1973,” Penny said as she walked through the garden on Wednesday, with bright
pink and white azaleas gathered around her. “We married in 1981 and started
putting in the azaleas. We just love them. We love the outdoors and spend a lot
of time out here so we wanted something beautiful to look at while we were
outside.”
The couple didn’t know much about azaleas when they first
started planting them. They started with the pink Coral Bells, Penny said. The
hardy variety did well and they moved on to the glistening white Snow variety.
“Because we live in a heavily wooded area, we tried to settle on plants
that would fit into the landscape,” Jack said.
Penny remembers
purchasing tiny purple Mildred plants for 75 cents each at the old Rome Seed and
Feed.
As the azalea collection grew, so too did the Martischnigs’
interest in the different varieties. Soon the larger white blossoms of the
radiant Delaware Valley were enticing bees and butterflies to the garden, as
well as the delicate pink Ruffle variety and the blushing orange/pink
Glory.
“And we planted each and every one of them,” Penny said as she
surveyed the vast rows of azalea bushes. “It’s a hobby if you love it. But
you’ve got to love it to take care of this many plants,” she added. “It’s a lot
of work.”
When in bloom the azaleas cover the entire backyard with their
varying petals of red, yellow, pink, white, purple and deep orange. Their
varieties include the pink George Tabors and Pearls, Red Hexes, Ruffles and Hino
Giri, White Kathys , Purple El Fridas and the brilliant orange
Fashions.
Azaleas are part of the rhododendron genus. One difference
between the azalea and other rhododendrons, however, is that rhododendrons grow
their flowers in stripers while most azaleas have terminal blooms (one flower
per stem). However, they have so many stems that during the flowering season
they are a solid mass of color. Azaleas are recognized by these flowers blooming
all at once, in a showy display for a month or two in spring.
The
Martischnigs say their azaleas require some shade and need lots of water. Though
their garden boasts more than 1,000 individual azalea bushes, visitors can also
see where dozens of other bushes have succumbed to the recent drought.
“A few years ago we had a lot more flowers,” Jack said. “But we’ve been
plagued by the deadly D’s — drought, disease, dog and deer.”
“They need
lots of water and Jack fertilizes and uses a pesticide and natural repellants
such as lace wings and lady bugs to keep away the mites,” Penny said. “We have
to trim them every so often as well.”
Deer are also a concern on the
mountainside, but the Martischnigs’ dog Cocoa keeps them at bay.
Stone
pathways and low walls, all built by Jack, lead visitors around the backyard and
through the maze of flowers. And while other garden gems abound such as a koi
pond, an unusually bent apple tree and dozens of other sparkling floral jewels,
the azaleas reign supreme here. Their striking color dominates the scene and the
Martischnigs are just fine with that.
“We love being outdoors and this
provides us with a beautiful view right outside our backdoor,” Penny said. “Our
guests love it as well. Tending this many azalea bushes is a little bit of work
but it’s worth it when you love them as much as we do.”
Posh Posy Florist www.poshposy.net