By Mark Abromaitis
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

The spring planting season is still a few months away, but Ann’s Choice, an Erickson community just north of Philadelphia, is ready. They always are.

In 2007, the Ann’s Choice landscaping staff planted more than 7,500 annuals and 500 perennials. Through careful planning and the use of specific winter-interest plants, the grounds department provides the community with continuous color throughout the year. They give their residents a good reason to stroll the grounds.

In honor of their hard work, Ann’s Choice has been presented with the Bucks Beautiful First Place Professional Flower and First Place Water Gardens awards. It is the third consecutive year the community has won.

Bucks Beautiful is a horticultural organization which works to promote and extend the development of gardens in communities, towns, businesses, private homes, and along roads throughout Bucks County, Pa., complimenting the county with a parade of lush, distinctive gardens.

A good judge of character
The Bucks Beautiful competition is judged by a panel of volunteers who bring extensive experience as gardeners and professional horticulturalists to the region.

Peggy Burke, one of the Bucks Beautiful judges, praised Ann’s Choice in both the Flower and Water Gardens award categories. “The gardens are well maintained and the colors are beautiful,” noted Burke. “The Water Garden is very restful and has an interesting use of plants with a very natural design,” she added.

The competition includes visits by teams of judges to each garden site, where the panel members grade the gardens on both numerical criteria and written evaluations that also include suggestions of ways to improve the garden’s appearance.

The gardens are evaluated on design and total visual effect, maintenance,  variety and suitability of plants, use of space, horticultural practice, imaginative ideas, and artistic impression. In many of the evaluated areas, Ann’s Choice gardens received perfect scores in the competition.