New Jersey gardens: A secret garden blooms in Scotch Plains

Barbara Ann and Joe TimkoPhotos by Patricia Samuelian

Story by Kimberly L. Jackson

Barbara Ann Timko has at least three of the Top 10 qualities that would be on almost anyone's good neighbor list: She's funny, friendly and very fond of flowers.

Talk to her for even a few minutes, and the plant-love is apparent. Visit her home on Seneca Road in Scotch Plains and you'll see confirmation that she's the plant-aholic  she claims to be.

“I think my problem is that I love plants so much that I keep buying them. And then I tell my husband, 'we have to make this garden bigger.' “

And that is how her garden grew.  “I had no vision,” she confesses.

But the result of the more than 10 years she and her husband, Joe, have put into their landscape is an enviable front-yard garden with a porch from which to admire their work.

A profusion of floral color combines with whimsical ornaments in a way that compels passers-by to stop and chat. Prankster pals tuck gnomes and other objects among the dense plantings and wait for her to eventually discover them.

"I think it's meant to be shared," Barbara Ann says of her landscape. "It is work, but it is enjoyable to others and it doesn't seem like work."

She grows hydrangeas, peonies, bee balm and buddleia. There are Shasta daisies,  astilbe, coreopsis, geraniums, petunias, foxgloves and delphiniums. And hostas. They are in the backyard cutting garden for use as filler, and mixed in with tropicals in the Secret Garden.  "I filled it in with hostas too because it is a little bit on the shady side," she says. On their 11,500-square-foot property, Barbara Ann estimates that at least 40 plant varieties are growing.  

Each themed planting area had its challenges. First of all, there was the clay soil everwhere. It was full of rocks and roots.  "You either had to truck in good soil, or you had to plant things in containers," Barbara Ann said.  "We did a little of both."

She recalls weekends when they would spend hours just working over the soil. A neightbor would bring them lemonade, and shared Shasta daisies that continue to thrive.

While Barbara Ann does the picking and planting, Joe has done the heavy lifting and the digging.  When a large pine tree was removed, Joe's shovel was no match. "There was a huge area of nothing but root," Barbara Ann said. "The root just sat in this clay, so it became almost like a pot." The solution was to create the mounded bed that is now home to Barbara Ann's beloved butterfly garden. She relies on an abundance of containers to defeat the clay soil, but also has some in-ground plantings.

Overall, the gardens were inspired by Cape May and Florida's Sanibel Island. And while Barbara Ann notes that many of Cape May's homes are larger Victorians, she decided to try to make her ranch home similar. "The porch and the gardens do that."  Beach-theme objects also help. "I stick a lot of mermaids in." There are also sea horses and sea gulls that help recall her favorite getaways. 

"It's so relaxing, she says of her daily half hour among the plants. "It's just to tidy it up, deadhead and pull a few weeds. I would rather go in and weed than have a beer at the end of the day."

And the garden is truly a dream come true.  "When I was a little a little girl, I always wanted two things: one was a big garden and the other was a porch" she says.  Growing up in Jersery City meant there wasn't much room for plants, and over the years there have been a lot of gardens she longed to explore. "Now I want to walk in my own place."

Garden tips from Barbara Ann Timko

Incorporate found objects:  "When you go and try to find rusty items, they can be more than $400 dollars," she says. "We look for stuff on the curb." One example is a wine rack used in her cutting garden.  "I stuck a pot in where you would put a bottle.  It's a 4-inch narrow pot that's almost tipped on its side with an asparagus fern trailing out of it. It's decorative and it's useful."

 Keep accents fresh: "I'll group them differently, or I'll paint them different colors.  Things will change, or I'll repurpose them."

Recommended for beginners: "Shasta daisies. They are so foolproof you'd have to take an axe to them to murder them. And hostas. I love them."

When plants die: "Don't get discouraged, pull the plant out and do an autopsy. If the roots look healthy, maybe you've over-watered. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. You have time and a few bucks; buy another plant and try something else."

Experiment to learn: "I've made plenty of mistakes, and I'm still making them. That's how you learn. You learn every day."

Research first: "Look things up on the internet. I will Google a plant. Instead of being hasty, learn everything you can about the plant.  Read your (plant) spikes. You may love it, but is it going to serve you well in the garden the whole year, the whole blossoming season? Your soil, your sun and your area also dictate how fast it will bloom or how slow it will bloom. You have to go according to the plant."

Favorite plant source: "The Great Swamp Greenhouses. Most of my plants come from there."