Harrison's 1st Garden Tour aims to connect residents

From metal fish to mosaic tiles to a Victorian doorknob, every bauble in Bill Godfrey’s garden was either a roadside find or dropped at his door by friends and strangers.

“It’s an artist’s garden,” said Godfrey, who has lived three decades at his Walnut Street home in the Natrona neighborhood of Harrison.

“I have a beautiful space. I like to share it with people.”

He’ll get the chance June 8 with the first-ever Garden Stroll, sponsored by the township recreation board.

The free event, from noon to 3 p.m., is meant to connect residents, spur community spirit and shine a light on some of the township’s hidden gems.

The recreation board hosts several activities a year to foster a sense of belonging in the township, member Joe Weltner said. They put on an Easter egg hunt, a touch-a-truck event and a Christmas parade, among other events.

This new initiative has gotten a lot of positive feedback in its early stages, organizers said.

“You don’t realize what’s in someone’s backyard,” said Weltner, who moved to McWilliams Drive in the Birdville neighborhood off Springhill Road seven years ago.

“My yard overlooks the Allegheny River. When we moved in, the landscape was naked. There was nothing.”

Since then, Weltner’s family has installed floating gardens, a fire pit and lush greenery spotted with colorful daylilies and hydrangea.

About 80% of it was taken from his former home in Freeport, Weltner said.

The gardens on tour don’t have to be planted by landscape architects — they just need to be an expression of the homeowner’s vision, he said.

Participants will get a scenic tour of the township with at least seven homes signed on so far. A guided map will take people from Walnut Street to Carlisle Street to McWilliams Drive and on to Oak Manor Drive near Harrison Hills.

Homeowners can choose to give a short presentation on what makes each garden unique, or they may take individual questions.

Gardens might range from floral to waterfalls to stone.

“We hope it gets people out to meet each other and gets people talking,” Weltner said.

For Godfrey, he’s eager to reminisce about where his garden items originated.

A mosaic patio, he said, was laid with bricks that came from many of the razed homes in his neighborhood. A wooden windmill and a ceramic sun both were roadside finds.

His garden, shrouded by pear and apple trees, and thick begonias, sedum and roses, isn’t visible from the street.

But the more Godfrey told people about his backyard efforts, materials found their way to him.

“I would find piles of granite in my yard,” Godfrey said. “I didn’t buy anything. I found it all.

“I consider my garden food for the soul, and I’m happy to share it.”