Meet the neighbors behind the blooms!
Irondequoit Garden Walks celebrates the people who open their yards, share their stories, and help our community flourish—one garden at a time. Each garden is a reflection of its caretaker’s passion, creativity, and care. We invite you to get to know a few of this year’s hosts, and when you visit, be sure to say hello and thank them for adding a little extra beauty to our town.
Watch David’s Video
David Weiss
(Garden Host, #44)
67 Eastwood Trail, Irondequoit, NY 14622
Forty-five years ago, a friend at Kodak gave David Weiss an orchid. Now, he estimates he has close to 400, and it takes three hours just to water them all.
"I try to grow everything," said the chemist-turned-gardener. "Even the ones I kill, I try again to grow them."
He is drawn to orchids because he likes the variety. Since they grow all over the world, they often have different needs — which is why he has four microclimates in his basement.
"Orchids are fun to grow," he said, surrounded by blooms and fragrance. "They require different conditions, but orchid growing is a fantastic hobby."
In the summer, many of the orchids are moved outside to the back deck of his home, and this July, the public will have the chance to see them as part of the Irondequoit Garden Walks.
Watch Anne’s Video
The Vineyard Community Garden
Anne Rowley &
The Irondequoit Community Cupboard Garden
(Garden Host, #35)
2150 Portland Ave., Irondequoit, NY 14622
Anne Rowley has been giving back since childhood—starting with sorting donations at local food cupboards. Today, she leads a team of volunteers tending 32 raised garden beds that help feed neighbors in need.
Last year alone, their efforts produced nearly 1,500 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables, all donated to the Irondequoit Community Cupboard. With food insecurity on the rise—up 37% this year—the garden’s impact is more vital than ever.
Anne and her team will open the garden during Irondequoit Garden Walks on July 20, welcoming visitors to tour the space and bring nonperishable items to support the food cupboard.
Her advice to new gardeners?
“Don't give up! Keep trying.”
Come see this inspiring space in action—and maybe even find your own way to dig in and help.
Watch Marion’s Video
Marion Oyer
(Garden Host, #45)
189 Brandon Road, Irondequoit, NY 14622
When Marion Oyer started gardening 30 years ago, there was no YouTube. No Google.
“There wasn’t even much information on the plant tags — just the name of the plant,” she said. “I learned by trial and error.”
And she’s still learning that way today.
“More people should allow themselves to try,” she said, as she overlooked her pond and flowers of every size and color. “Don’t be intimidated. Don’t be afraid to jump in.”
But do know that gardening comes with continuous work.
“Everything grows, but everything also dies. You have to clean up and cut back,” said Marion, who often spends an hour to an hour and a half in her garden after work. “You have to like the work or the garden doesn’t become what you want it to be.”
The garden Marion wants is one that welcomes pollinators and birds and is filled with blooms and plenty of native plants.
“Flowers make me happy, and we need more happy in today’s world.”
If you’d like to see Marion’s flowers, and maybe add a little happiness to your day, visit her garden on July 20 as part of the Irondequoit Garden Walks.
Watch Shea’s Video
Shea Ricci
(Garden Host, #20)
242 Belmeade Road, Irondequoit, NY 14617
For Shea Ricci, gardening isn’t about perfection, it’s about intention. Still, her gardens turned out pretty perfectly.
The front garden is a party for pollinators. It’s full of bright colors and flowers that make the neighborhood smile.
The back garden?
It’s a sanctuary, complete with a Japanese waiting bench, a moon gate, and a pool that mimics the shape of a koi pond.
“This is a place of peace,” she said. “This is a place of serenity. This is where you let go, and you immerse in nature.”
Her father served in the Korean War, and Shea grew up hearing him talk about the beauty of Japanese gardens. When she began researching, she met two experts online who turned out to be master Japanese gardeners and helpful mentors.
She studied niwaki (the art of pruning and shaping trees), moved in stones to represent hills and mountains, and built her own screens for a viewing pavilion.
Now, eight years after starting, everywhere you sit in the 90-by-60-foot backyard offers a calming view — and the message that the garden unfolds as it is meant to be.
“You have to let go of the outcome,” she said, remembering how a branch fell and instead of seeing it as a tragedy, she saw it as an opportunity for firewood and a chance to prune and see the tree differently. “I’m not so hung up on the minutiae.”
That tranquility shows in the garden.
As within so without.
“You can tell so much about a person by seeing their garden,” she said. “A person who puts roots in the ground tells you who they are.”
If you’d like to learn more about Shea and her gardens, visit her on July 20 as part of the Irondequoit Garden Walks.
Watch Richard’s Video
Richard Episcopo
(Garden Host, #24)
29 Seville Drive, Irondequoit, NY 14617
Richard Episcopo begins each day with a cup of coffee in the garden and a focus on a particular flower bed or garden “room.”
The practice doesn’t completely keep him from getting distracted, but it does help with a garden his size, said Richard, who has 35 years of gardening experience and a front and back yard he completely transformed.
Only two yews remain from the previous owners. The rest — from the dahlias in the parking strip to the dogwood in the back — were added by Richard.
“There is a vision,” he said, standing among flower beds that are full and layered and touching. To achieve his vision he:
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Uses textures, repetition, and shades of green
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Incorporates fragrance
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Builds meandering pathways
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Creates vignettes and tucks away statues and other art to be discovered
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Always includes white, whether he’s making a bouquet, designing a planter for a client, or selecting plants for his garden
Those techniques have helped create a sanctuary for Richard, a garden where he is immersed in beauty.
“We all need that quiet place,” and our own permission to create it, he added.
If you’d like to hear more about Richard’s garden design, you can visit with him on July 20 as part of the Irondequoit Garden Walks.
These Garden Host Spotlight articles were thoughtfully created by Marketta Bakke