Garden clubs unite at Milldale home’s yard described as ‘heaven on earth’

The bi-annual “greening” party celebrating another period of successes by the “Beautification of Front Royal Committee (BFRC)” was, last weekend, held at a Warren County home with a garden described variously as “gob smacking,” “heaven on earth,” “stunning” and “overwhelming” by many who attended.

Some 35 guests at the Milldale Valley Court home of hosts Sheron and John Piazza on September 19, shared their delight at the garden surrounding their home from the curbside mailbox to the tiered koi ponds in back that feature some 4,000 plants – yes, 4,000! –  flowers, fruit and ornamental trees, bushes, and other horticultural wonders that left the celebrants and other guests gasping with their superlatives.

Above, colorful flower beds and greenery great the visitor at the house’s front door; below, what will we find behind the gate? Courtesy Photos – John & Sheron Piazza

The garden was designed by retired landscaper Sheron Piazza who described it as a “culmination of a lifetime of experience, hard work, starts and stops, planning, re-planning, love, blood and tears.” She thanked her husband “for all his encouragement and support.”

“We did it!” she exclaimed.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words …

But this might be the ‘heaven on earth’ shot …

But I don’t want to leave.

What is the BFRC? It is a composite of four Warren County garden clubs: the Garden Club of Front Royal, the South River Garden Club, the Valley Garden Club and the Garden Club of Warren County, which led by the latter, set out to beautify their town and county 18 years ago, raising and spending a quarter million dollars in the process.

Most obvious to county and town residents, and tourists alike, are the hanging baskets downtown and the flowers that go in them. The baskets led BFRC to an agreement with the Town of Front Royal for town employees to keep them consistently watered up to and through the fall.

Less obvious but still part of a large planting program are BFRC’s tree plantings, 800 of them, and the planting of numerous shrubs, flowers, and bulbs.

Downtown Front Royal’s characteristic hanging flower baskets and ‘Tree City USA’ trees – what’s not to LOVE, with a nod to the Beautification of Front Royal Committee.

According to Lorraine Hultquist, president, and Fred Andreae, vice president, in a listing of accomplishments through the years, the plantings help remove pollution from air and water, reduce runoff, and attract tourists by providing shade during the summer and “bring enjoyment to all who live and work here.”

“Economic opportunity is enhanced in well landscaped communities,” Hultquist and Andreae wrote in a recent report.

While most planting projects have concentrated on the main corridors through the town, trees have also been planted at the Peyton Street parking lot; Samuels Public Library; along Virginia Avenue, and in the South Town neighborhood and Burrell Brooks Park.

In past years, BFRC replaced all the pear trees along Main Street and provided park benches and planters in the Gazebo/Village Commons area.

In addition, over the past decade the committee has provided $24,500 in scholarships to graduating seniors from Warren County and Skyline High Schools, specifically for students wishing to pursue careers in landscape architecture, forestry and environmental studies.

Its Biennial party is one of several functions that help raise the funds necessary to continue the committee’s work. The BFRC’s plan for the upcoming year is to begin improving the landscape of Warren County’s elementary schools beginning with E. Wilson Morrison at its prominent downtown location off Crescent Street, as well as continuing various planting projects.