Vivian May of 75 Sherwood Drive, Brockport writes, "We built our home in 1972 and it wasn't until about six years later that I began my love of gardening. Every few years I expand my gardening area. I plant only perennials and I have reached my goal of having something in bloom from early spring to late fall. I plant annuals in pots only, to scatter around the deck and patio. The yard is a haven for a great deal of wildlife. I would welcome anyone to browse and share some gardening tips." Phone 637-4963.

"We have a large backyard so we decided to make a special flower garden," write Steve and Cindy Springsteen, 69 Lake Street South, Bergen. "It took a lot of work but it is so enjoyable. Most of our garden is filled with perennials. To mention a few: wisteria, brown-eyed Susans, iris, moonflower, lupine and butterfly bush. We are enjoying our garden, to say the least, and plan to do a water garden soon."

The photo at right is one of the gardens at Karen Fien’s home at 75 Clark Street in Spencerport. "My husband, Dave, and I bought my grandmotherís house 11 years ago," she writes. "My gardens were inspired by  my grandmotherís small garden off the back of our kitchen. It was filled with old perennials, such as columbine (which reseeds everywhere, and  I share with friends and family), fernleaf peonies, blue iris, old roses, lily of the valley, peonies (which are over 50 years old) and assorted spring bulbs. I have expanded the garden to extend the entire back of the house, and created new borders all around the house and the backyard. The gardens are ever-changing and expanding. Things die out, others take over a whole area. Flowers appear out of nowhere and, sometimes, an expected surprise like a blue veronica pops up next to  moonbeam coreopsis and looks great without any planning!"

Linda and John DeRue, owners of The Country Corner Bed & Breakfast at 317 Redman Road, Hamlin said they purchased a dismantled metal corncrib and used four of the sides for the backdrop for their garden, planting trumpet vines so that in time it will fill in and look like a wall of flowers. In front, they planted a variety of flowers from morning glories to wisteria, hydrangeas to hosta. It’s their first perennial garden and they hope to expand it each year with more varieties of flowers and more interest-ing antiques. "It has already drawn a lot of attention from people driving by and guests staying at our bed and breakfast. People are most welcome to stop and tour our garden anytime. As we are new to this we would welcome suggestions and infor-mation to help us in this garden project," the couple said.

Shown above is one of the flowers gardens at Connie and Paul Nau’s home at 24 Countryside Drive in Hamlin. The garden includes an assortment of perennials, annuals and bulbs for continuous color throughout the season. Connie Nau is a certified Master Gardener and designs gardens as well as an artist who paints garden scenes in home interiors. Located around the home are many original hand-painted birdbaths and handmade garden accents, such as hypertufa, the peat moss, cement, soil construction material blend. To visit, call 716-964-5984.

Mary Lou and Dave Rockow's gardens at Lomond Shores in Kendall are in bloom from early spring when the Pasque flowers, hyacinths and a large assortment of perennials bloom into the late fall with chrysanthemums (shown above), holly and the whole mid-season array of black-eyed-Susans and phlox. Garden art includes these warm and homey signs using the "Gromps" nickname grand daughter Hali assigned Dave when she was one and art adds to the floral interest in the lakeside garden -- a cultivator, garden fork, decorative and functional birdhouses -- are tucked into the borders. There's also a complete herb garden for Mary Lou’s culinary treats. "We’ve almost filled up all the border areas," says Mary Lou. "Now we’re working on the (lakeshore) bank!" There, a red hibiscus and a butterfly bush have sprouted and bloomed this past summer between the rocks. Mary Lou believes they came from discarded plant material removed from "real" flower beds around the house.

Says Paula Falco, 339 Lake Avenue, Hilton: "I planted my first garden ever at the age of 40 when I moved here seven years ago. Everywhere I’d ever lived before was just too hot for the effort and interest. My backyard shade garden(s) consist of perennials which bloom over three seasons and one annual -- impatiens. My husband constructed a pergola off the side of the garage and under that we placed old animal feeding troughs which are filled with impatiens. An old green medal glider salvaged from the roadside sits in a mulched area edged with granite slabs. To the left in the photo, under the tree, are planted bulbs and lily of the valley which bloom in spring before the hostas emerge, along with the large bleeding heart. Ivy and vinca vine cover the ground. A large vintage rose bush climbs over the pergola which is topped by tree branches. Impatiens add color balance." The garden arrangement continues in the area at left beyond camera range where old farm equipment, a birdbath and a garden globe are incorporated among astilbe and freckled violet, lamium, more impatiens and more hosta. "We'll be moving soon and I'll be planting a bigger and better garden there, now that I have some experience and confidence under my belt," Falco says. "That garden will be "tour worthy" and I hope to show off that one to Suburban News and Hamlin Clarkson Herald visitors in the next couple years."

"When I moved into an apartment in a senior complex 13 years ago, friends asked, 'Don’t you miss your house?' My reply was, 'No, I miss my garden,'" Myrtle Mathews of 405 Wellington Woods Drive South, Brockport writes. "A few bulbs, lilacs and perennials were moved here. Then, generous friends shared their favorites with me, and soon all garden space was filled. A few favorite annuals give color when there's a space. The bees, toads, praying mantis and hummingbirds, and on occasion a little brown bunny, have found this country garden in town. From the first snowdrops to the last mum, this is my pleasure. My neighbors also enjoy the garden season." Shown above, some early spring poppies against a picket fence. 

"I have been gardening for a number of years, each year making my gardens just a little bit bigger and my mowing yard a little bit smaller," says Carolyn Hurlbutt, 94 Gorton Avenue, Hilton (392-3794). "The gardens which encircle the backyard include a large shade garden planted with a large selection of hostas, a cutting garden from which I dry flowers, quite a few perennials some of which came from my grandmother’s garden, a pond which has a relaxing sound and small pathways here and there that my grandchildren enjoy. I would welcome anyone who would like to stop by to browse and/or exchange gardening tips. What’s fun about gardening is that you are always learning something new."

Linda Measday of 2 Thistlewood Lane, Spencerport writes: "The gardens are landscaped to recreate nature -- water flowing over stone, wooded areas and a wild meadow. In October 1994, the gardens were certified by the National Wildlife Federation as a Backyard Wildlife Habitat. They are home to many varieties of wildlife such as deer, rabbit, turkey, hummingbirds, hawks and butterflies. We also have several seating areas, and many statues and paths. Plant varieties run the gamut from A to Z, all perennials, as well as shrubs and trees. I have been gardening since I was a child. My grandparents were my teachers. Their passion for gardening became mine. My garden is my love, my child. Visitors are welcome. Many people stop and ask permission to visit." (352-0731).

"This picture of our 2000 garden shows many of the annuals and houseplants that my husband, Tom, grows each year,"  writes Carol Coburn, 258 Whittier Road, Spencerport. "He especially likes the geraniums which he brings inside each fall so we can enjoy the blooms all winter long. Those blooms grace our deck as do other plants he grows around the water garden that he built for me in 1994. He is definitely the green thumb of the family. His flowers are a constant reminder of our love which has endured 35 years of marriage."