It is 7 a.m. on a Tuesday and while some people are waking up to begin their day, Debbie Canney and Debbie Murray have been watering the gardens in the Edward C. Henle Community Park in Leetsdale for an hour.
Canney, president of the Leetsdale Garden Club since 2024 and a member since 2020, oversees a committee of 10 volunteers who maintain the gardens in Henle Park, Lynn Kohlmeyer Community Park and Mary Kay’s Garden.
Mary Kay’s Garden is named after Mary Kay Dschuhan, who passed away in 2022 and was a member of the club that took care of the garden named after her.
Linda Sovich Vaccaro, the club’s secretary, said that the past couple of months have been busy as they received monetary gifts that were used to update the gardens and complete a new garden.
Lynn Kohlmeyer Community Park is a newly-established park in the Industrial Park area near the adjoining Washington Street. Vaccaro said many hours went into breaking ground, planting, mulching and the continued labor of watering at Kohlmeyer Park.
Edward C. Henle Community Park, the borough’s most recognizable park, has several areas that the Garden Club maintains. Every May, the club purchases plants for the upcoming season. This past year, their biggest task was the removal of mulch from the gardens and replacing it with river rock that will add beauty to the garden areas and make the gardens easier to maintain for years to come.
Leetsdale councilman Scott Zahner, chairperson of the Parks and Recreation Committee, is very appreciative of the club’s efforts. Zahner said that people can tell the Garden Club puts a lot of love and devotion into the Leetsdale gardens by how beautiful each garden looks within the community.
“It’s lovely to see how much effort everyone in the club puts into making Leetsdale look beautiful,” he said.
Mayor Sandra Ford said the Leetsdale Garden Club is “a dedicated hard-working group that really cares about making Leetsdale look beautiful. Leetsdale is grateful that they give so much to our community.”
Members who can volunteer to water and weed the gardens all summer take pride in their work and the feeling of self-worthiness as well as the sense of accomplishment when passing people stop and express their gratitude for how each garden looks.
Canney said they will be resuming the residential “Garden of the Month” recognition for the residents of Leetsdale. This recognition is to acknowledge a garden for the resident’s effort in beautifying their property. Per Canney, the property size is not taken into consideration, it is the effort shown to beautify the space. Members of the club will drive through the borough looking and evaluating residential gardens and awarding the best-looking garden with a small recognition sign. The first recognition will take place in August, with other recognition occurring in September and October. The Garden Club also hosts fundraising events such as fall festivals and Halloween festivities.
There is another garden that is maintained, not by the Leetsdale Garden Club, but by another Leetsdale resident, Janet Gilbert. She has been maintaining the Whimsical Garden since she planted the first seeds six and a half years ago. The Whimsical Garden is located across the street adjacent to Mary Kay’s Garden. Gilbert said she loves maintaining the Whimsical Garden as it gives her peace of mind and time to reflect on life.
Two other residents not in the Garden Club, Judy and Joseph McGurk, maintain the flowers near Village Drive in Leetsdale. The McGurks enjoy maintaining their little garden space to keep Leetsdale an attractive borough.