Landscaping Refresh 2023

There’s No “I” in TEAM!

And what an amazing team we had!  The landscaping refresh of the South Main Street side of the church was a real challenge but achievable with the right team.

Here are the players, in no particular order:  

Nora Sirbaugh, our resident Master Gardener

Diggers and Planters

Holly Weise and daughter Lucy Weise Hendrickson

Rob Myers

Sebastian Pirone

Joe Lawver

Diane Nociolo

Supporting Players

John Walsh (Power Washer)

Britney O’Donnell (Pro Bono Landscape Designer)

Liz Compton (recommended Greg’s Landscaping)

Jim Brophy (Rutgers Nursery Mulching Team)

Bruce Weiss (Financial Oversight)

Burkman Family (Benefactors)

Tom Pearse-Drance (Lighting Director)

Kim Sherman (purveyor of rototillers)

Joan Verplanck (Ringleader)

When we first started talking about relandscaping the South Main Street side of the church, the first step was cleaning the bunker wall.

It was really a mess, but looks much better now, thanks to John Walsh and his power washer!  The next phase was design, which was a bit daunting even for the seasoned gardeners.  So much to think about in terms of drought resistant, deer resistant, natives and shade.  Britney O’Donnell, an amazing designer located in Stockton, met with key members of the team to talk through what would work with an eye for what would be beautiful. She was a delight and declined to charge for the consult saying that we were “such nice people.”  And she was right!  We ARE nice people.  Following her advice and counsel, Nora arranged a visit to Pleasant Run Nursery in PA, where we selected plants and enjoyed wholesale pricing.

Next came removing all the plants from the lower bed and finding them good homes. Hard work undertaken in good spirits by Holly, Lucy, Rob, Diane and Sebastian.

It took about a week for Greg’s landscaping to spray the weeds in the upper bed into oblivion.  They had been there for so long that a layer of soil had to be removed to prevent regrowth.  The Greg’s Landscaping crew then came and replaced the depleted soil with about 15 inches of wonderful planting material.

Thanks to William and Liz Compton for introducing us to Greg!

In a marathon session, the upper bed was nearly completed in an evening by Holly, Rob and Sebastian.

Finding ourselves four plants short of a full bed, Rutgers Nursery came through with the four plants we needed, and the job was done the next day, including mulching, thanks to Joe Lawver.   The lower bed was another story.  The soil was so hard that planting would be impossible.  Kim Sherman provided a rototiller and Sebastian spent a few hours ploughing the soil into submission.  And finally, on Wednesday afternoon and into evening…another marathon planting, the lower bed was completely planted, including geraniums salvaged from the Ordination, filling in the space reserved for perennials that won’t arrive until the end of the month. 

There’s a future in landscaping for Joe Lawver, Rob Myers and Sebastian, the lower bed marathon team. 

A special shout out to Joe who removed most of the vines and roots, which was grueling in the heat.

The mulching of the lower bed was done by our friends at Rutgers Nursery, leaving just one more thing.

We need to literally light up St. Matthew’s.  Answering the call for help at Sunday’s service, Tom Pearse-Drance will put the finishing touch on the project by removing the current broken light at the front of the upper bed and installing new lights behind the plantings.  Passersby drawn to the beauty of the new plantings will clearly see “St. Matthews Church” brightly shining on the side of the building.

We are grateful to all who participated in this labor of love, especially the for the generosity of the Burkman family, and look forward to dedicating the site following a service later this summer.