Catonsville Garden Featured in Sun's Contest

A Catonsville couple's garden was selected as the runner-up for a medium-sized garden in the 2012 garden contest by the Baltimore Sun.

Gatzke, a real estate agent for and one the leaders of the We Love Catonsville group, said that she has had the garden for six years. The couple has lived in their home on Hilton Avenue for seven years. Gatzke grew up in Catonsville.

Here is the description Gatzke sent to the Sun:

"Our Catonsville garden consists of salvaged materials, plants, whimsical finds, and family items. Some of the bushes are generations old raised by our families from cuttings. Our garden provides a calm and soothing atmosphere and also really makes us smile. The birds who take advantage of several feeders, houses, and water features seem to appreciate it as much as we do.

Our salvaged items include rocks, old rusted pieces, concrete figures, mostly grabbed in dumpster dives and  'curb alerts.'  The cobblestones bordering the paths are from Baltimore streets when they were repaved. Meandering paths flow into the lawn area of our property dotted with old oaks. Our garden is ever-evolving and this year we've created several stone walls that provide a nice backdrop to our 1923 bungalow. The herb garden used for cooking, is made from old concrete chunks from our former garage. Plants include azaleas, rhododendrons, ferns, iris, crape myrtle, clematis, butterfly bush, camellia.

We've made this oasis for our enjoyment and for the pleasure of those who visit, but it is really in honor of our moms, and in memory of our dads and grandparents, who we think of often when we spend time in our garden."

Photos of the garden are available in the photo gallery of contest winners, which you can view here. The couple is featured starting at photo No. 61 in the gallery.