Pineridge Garden Club is pleased to announce the winners of the 2025 Garden Awards. The club presents several awards annually to local gardens that beautify our community. This year’s awards were presented to local gardeners Cristina and David Quast (Award 1) and Connie and Stan Suchta (Award 2).
Cristina and David Quast of Cottage Grove have a home with a cottage garden feel. In the front yard, a white picket fence as well as the arbor over the front porch is draped with red, white, and blue buntings. The fence is backed by large white hydrangeas, daylilies, brunnera, clematis, spirea, and tiger eye sumac. A huge window basket of colorful impatiens is suspended under the front window. A wide variety of perennials rim the driveway as well as fill various beds in front—false sunflowers, beebalm, lilies, roses, sedum, phlox, echinacea, daisies, hostas, astilbe, bleeding heart; a birdbath planted with colorful violas stands out in one of the beds. A flower-lined walkway leading to the backyard is flanked by lilies of the valley, hosta, and ligularia. The backyard is magical with a wisteria-covered arbor filled with party lights, hanging candles, a large dining table, a cozy seating area, a bar, and pots of annual flowers. There is a vegetable garden as well as an apple tree and raspberries. Flower beds border the entire backyard, a waterfall tumbles into a small pond, hammocks swing from trees, and a firepit beckons. Several seating areas are stationed in various places including on two raised decks with inviting views of the beds, colorful potted plants, and gazing balls.
Connie and Stan Suchta of Cottage Grove have a lovely home on a large double lot on a quiet cul-de-sac. Guests are greeted by large mature trees and shrubs in the front yard. A curved walk lined with hydrangeas, brown-eyed susans, veronica, rudebekia, and petunias leads to the house. The front porch is welcoming with seating, a beautiful large fern and statuary. A walkway with ferns and impatiens leads to the huge backyard. The middle is a wide expanse of beautiful grass with a 4-season porch and brick patio off the back of the house. Covering the patio is a host of comfortable seating and pots filled with beautiful annual flowers. The walkway is bordered by large beds filled with a wide variety of perennials and annuals—lilacs, hydrangeas, salvia, petunias, marigolds, phlox, zinnia, daisies and bee balms. Slender arborvitae serve as a spaced fence between the neighbor’s yard. Red mandevilla climb several trellises and 3 large blue umbrellas add additional structure and décor. Old-fashioned lamp posts dot the path which encircles the backyard under a canopy of huge mature evergreen and hardwood trees. The canopy covers a long shade garden of gigantic hostas, daylilies, ligularia, bleeding hearts, ferns, and begonias. Benches with cozy pillows and other seating areas are provided at intervals along the path. Seating areas are decorated with chandeliers, bird cages and lanterns filled with ferns or candles and wind chimes. There is also a fun firepit area. After you emerge from the tree canopy path, there is another arbor and seating area with trellises and bird houses in front of a huge tree.
Gardens which have been nominated are voted on by a committee in late June/early July. The entire club tours the award-winning gardens the third Wednesday in July. The Pineridge Garden Club wishes to thank all local gardeners who work hard to add color and beauty to our local environment! For more information, view the club’s website at www.pineridgegardenclub.org or the Pineridge Garden Club in Cottage Grove Facebook page .