It would be easy to think that Dana and Steve Datz have formally trained green thumbs, but they’ll be the first to admit that’s not the case. The couple has never taken a gardening class in their lives, yet they have found themselves becoming experts just from their pure love of the hobby.
The couple makes a great pair when it comes to gardening. Steve loves working with plants in the shade while Dana prefers the sun. Their garden started out as a border of red begonias along their sidewalk and has manifested itself into an amazing creation. “I tease Steve that my goal is to never have him mow again,” Dana says. “I may be closer than I think. So many wonderful plants and so little space.”
The origins of their garden began when their children grew up and moved out. Suddenly they were left with a yard that was waiting for new life. They began filling space with plants they would discover over time and have never stopped since.
Steve now has 50 different types of hostas as well as beautiful flowers like bleeding heart and astilbe. A wonderful collection of birdhouses that he built fills one panel of their privacy fence and attracts many types of birds.
A fountain in the middle of the back yard is home to a toad, frog and chipmunk.
Dana’s favorite part of the whole year comes down to one moment. “My favorite part of gardening is on that early spring day when my lady shovel breaks the earth for the first time,” she says. “The smell is magic.”