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Community Corner

'Perpetual Experiment' Led to Winning Orland Park Garden Contest

A variety of gardening styles recognized among this year's award recipients.

The votes are in and four Orland Park gardeners have been chosen for this year's top awards in the 13th annual Orland Park garden contest.

The gardens were judged on a variety of criteria including overall appearance, plant variety, color and texture. Use of native plants and sustainability were also considered.

Donna Throw, 1st place

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Donna Throw has a thing for hydrangeas and names them off as though she's naming her children.

"There's Pinky Winky, Little Lamb, Limelight, oh and Twist 'n Shout," she said.

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Like every garden, Throw's has been a work in progress. Although she's lived in Orland Park since 1971, the gardening bug really didn't sink it's teeth in until she became an empty nester. It was then that her yard morphed into a cottage garden paradise. Free time made it possible for her to plant and replant. It was a perpetual experiment and one that landed her first place in this year's Orland Park Garden Contest.

"I started small and like most gardeners just moved things around," she said. "The garden is pretty well established now and this year has been the best yet."

Despite this summer's extreme heat and torrential rain, Throw's garden has weathered well. But she never imagined it would be worthy of recognition, let alone place at the top of this year's contest. It was her husband who planted the seed and encouraged her to participate. But a dose of persuasion from her 7-year-old granddaughter sealed the deal. And like most grandchildren, she could not be refused.

"She made me promise to enter the contest," Throw said.

Patricia Janda, 2nd Place

Before the kids went off to college, the Janda yard was abuzz with the sounds of children at play, their voices echoing over the water of the backyard swimming pool. All the while, Patricia Janda busied herself with the tasks of motherhood, until the kids went off to college and the yard fell silent.

With the pool no longer in use, Janda considered ways to make use of her yard and envisioned a garden. So the pool came down and the garden went up.

"Every year we added a new bed," she said. "The objective was to always have something blooming."

The tree-lined property was not without problems. A maturing canopy meant that sun and shade conditions were always changing and plants would have to be moved to accommodate their light requirements. But Janda persevered and found ways to incorporate plants of all varieties. She most enjoys her hydrangeas and the opportunity to "tweak" their coloring from year to year. But her Casa Blanca lilies reign supreme.

"It's magnificent the way their fragrance permeates the air," she said.

Ron Karlic and Dale Barz, 3rd place

After six trips to Japan, Ron Karlic and his wife Dale Barz were hooked on the Asian garden. So much so that they created a garden around their unincorporated Orland Park home reminiscent of those visited in the Orient.

This garden isn't a place for boisterous flower color and masses of blooms, but rather a soothing landscape wrought with the delicate textures of Japanese maples, unique conifers and approximately 450 varieties of hosta.

As members of the Northern Illinois Hosta Society, Karlic and his wife participate in a number of garden outings every year. These excursions help them create lists of new varieties they would like to acquire.

"We buy a couple of dozen [hosta] every year," he said. "Whenever we see something that we like, we buy it."

While he expects the occasional loss of a hosta or two each year, this one has been a particularly tough one. Fifteen hosta didn't return and Karlic attributes it to difficult weather conditions in the last year. But as most gardeners will tell you, loss creates opportunity. And Karlic already has plans for those empty spaces.

"That's just the way it is," he said. "Survival of the fittest."

Sue Hankosky, "Best Water Feature"

Following the installation of their pool in 2003, Sue Hankosky realized something would have to be done to ease the transition from pool to yard. The extreme slope of the property created a severe drop-off that proved perfect for a water feature. So Hankosky collaborated with a local landscaper to create a pond that would become her morning respite and a dragonfly's playground.

But Hankosky wasn't the only one who appreciated the ambiance. Blue Heron eyed her pond and found a buffet of delectable treats beneath the surface. Her beloved, and expensive, koi became the meal of choice for the fish-loving water birds. After losing seven fish, she decided to replace them with a less expensive option, goldfish.

Despite turning off the pump for the winter, the fish survive at the bottom due to the depth of the pond. At 36 inches, the pond never completely freezes and the fish resurface every year as temperatures warm. Water cascades down a rock waterfall into a pool surrounded by water-loving plants and topped with a variety of lily pads.

"It's wonderful to sit out there with a cup of coffee," she said. "It's just so relaxing."

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