2022 Silver Trowel Awards
Each year nominations are sought for Silver Trowel Awards that are presented at the November Harvest Banquet. Six awards may be given: Four for excellent landscapes--residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional An individual award is given to someone who has contributed to horticulture over the years and a civic award can be given to a local business/individual who has worked to improve horticulturally-related activities within the community. This year an award was given for community service through gardening.
Residential Silver Trowel Winners: Rob and Veronica Geurts met 16 years ago. Veronica was already an avid gardener. Rob had dug a hole or two and knew what a marigold was. LOL! The first home they bought together was in 99% sun. In the eight years they lived there, they created many beautiful sunny perennial gardens and began their hobby of raising Koi in an 800-gallon pond. After becoming empty nesters, they downsized and bought their current home that is in the woods and 99% shade! First item on the agenda was to build a 3,000-gallon, 4-foot-deep pond with a 25-foot stream. With no formal plan, just a bunch of random, scattered leftover hostas to work with, they began creating numerous small garden areas divided by stone-lined gravel pathways. By incorporating their other hobby/interests of antiquing, flea markets, and thrifting, they’ve created a rusty, whimsical life-size fairy garden! Challenges included learning what plants would thrive in the shade and learning to cohabitate with the many kinds of wildlife from the woods. Of course, no garden is complete without a she-shed! Two years ago Rob set out to build one for Veronica as a retirement gift. He designed the outside to match their garden, using rusty corrugated metal for the roof and three sides. Veronica was able to add her finishing touches to the inside and dazzled it with her antique chic specialty.
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Residential Silver Trowel Award: Dan and Lisa Rocheleau built their home on a 1-1/2 acre sloping lot on Nature Court in Howard in 1993 and immediately began developing their gardens. With Dan growing up in his family’s greenhouse, his passion for horticulture was a wonderful combination with Lisa’s love of flowers and the outdoors. Their landscape evolved over the years, and beds gradually expanded to include many perennial and annual gardens including pathways, a fountain, fruit trees, vegetable garden and Lisa’s collections of bunnies and watering cans. At the base of the sloped hill in the backyard begins a natural/wild area filled with perennials and native shrubs and trees including a path leading to a small creek meandering through the property. Dan and Lisa definitely share a passion for gardening and together they maintain and develop their gardens not only for themselves but love to share them with family, friends, and neighbors.
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The Koi pond in the Geurts' backyard with numerous seating areas and many garden art objects
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The she-shed Rob built for Veronica.
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Walking from the driveway at the Rocheleau's home to the backyard are paths leading down a slope to more garden areas and to a wooded area.
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Retaining walls were constructed on this sloping lot, then surrounded by perennial plants and shrubs.
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Community Service through Gardening Silver Trowel Award: Brown County Community Gardens, UWGB Campus, 2019 Technology Way, Green Bay, WI 54311. The Community Gardens Program provides garden space and logistical assistance to Brown County residents to facilitate their access to affordable, nutritious, and culturally appropriate food. Developed in 1996 by the Extension FoodWIse Program as part of an overall initiative to increase food security in Brown County, the program has expanded to 14 community gardens on over five acres with more than 380 plots and over 250 gardeners. The gardens are supported by Brown County, Extension Brown County, the City of Green Bay, donors, and local volunteers. Cheryl Williams accepted the award on behalf of the Community Gardens from Silver Committee Chair, Patti Nellis.
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Individual Silver Trowel Award: CJ Janus joined our club in 2019. Of course, our club was not active during the pandemic but started up again in May of 2021. Since then, CJ has been an active member having taken on leading our three-year garden renovation project at the Wildlife Sanctuary. She worked with this year’s Silver Trowel Committee, not knowing that the committee members selected her for this award until she was amazed to learn of it in September! She also took on the position of historian for the club. This is a great fit for her because of her 34-year career at NWTC as the staff photographer doing portraits and educational, marketing, and PR photography for all three campuses. She is a skilled photographer having had a 20-year freelance business as well. CJ had been a volunteer judge for several years for our club and our national organization, The Gardeners of America, evaluating photos in the annual photography competition. CJ has been a passionate community volunteer in the following: photography for nonprofits, Big Sister mentoring, Circles Program at GB Community Church, reading coach at Chappell Elementary School, Compassion International sponsor, and Salvation Army bell ringer. Along with all of her talents and interests, she has created beautiful gardens around her home.
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This is a delivery of produce from the Community Gardens to Paul's Pantry.
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Here are CJ Janus and Julie Leisgang bringing in plants to be added to the Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary gardens.
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