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Nothing celebrates community like the annual Westlake in Bloom competition that takes place each summer.
Mayor Dennis Clough presented the honors as the Westlake in Bloom 2013 winners were awarded Aug. 7 at LaCentre.
“I am so proud of everyone here,” said Mayor Clough as the community once again excelled at perfecting nature’s creations in ways as individualized as each participant.
Top honor – the Lu Walter Award – went to Greg Kolarik of 3655 Dover Center Road.
The Villager visited Greg’s yard a few days after the Westlake in Bloom awards were presented and discovered a masterpiece of landscape artistry.
“I’d like to have my Number One helper in the picture,” said Greg as he introduced his 6-year old daughter Brooke.
Brooke is in charge of picking up branches and running the family dog, Bridgette, around the lavishly manicured environs. Since Greg bought the place 20 years ago, he has transformed a heavily wooded tree lot into a wonderland. “The tree cover was so thick, you could walk back here when it rained and never get wet,” he said.
Today, trails of manicured lawn trace an intricately interwoven tapestry of flower and garden beds.
“I did this so I wouldn’t have so much grass to cut. Now I have to spread 30 yards of mulch each spring,” laughs Greg.
A highlight is his pond, complete with Koi and a waterfall. He has erected an electrified fence around it to keep the raccoons and deer out. “Even herons come in here to try and feed off the fish,” said Kolarik. “The fish wouldn’t last too long without it.”
A vegetable garden boasts ripening tomatoes and other veggies. A arbor walkway is lined with apple trees heavy with a bumper crop. A stepping-stone fountain has red, white and blue lights to color the nights next to his outdoor firepit. A swimming pool is landscaped with a rock and cactus garden, and a boulder he brought back from Alaska is a focal point.
A foreman by day at a Cleveland-area manufacturing company, Kolarik spends most of his off-duty time in the yard. “I come in the front door after work and go right out the back door,” he says of this labor-of-love.
Lu Walter, namesake of the Westlake in Bloom top award, would no doubt approve of Greg Kolarek as this year’s winner. Lu was one of the founding members and first judges of the Westlake in Bloom program. She passed away two years ago, but her legacy endures thanks to gardeners like Greg: His yard is a tribute to all who honor nature by glorifying creation and community through a program called Westlake in Bloom, made especially memorable this year because a Brooke runs through it!
Westlake in Bloom winners 2013
Apartment or Condominium Complex
First Place: Bay Landing Condominiums
Second Place: Remington Apartments
Third Place: Barrington Place Apartments
Honorable Mention: Lenox Greens
Honorable Mention: Compton Court – King James
Honorable Mention: Wyndgate Club
Honorable Mention: Sturbridge Square Apartments
Honorable Mention: Hunter’s Chase
Honorable Mention: Crossings Village
Business
First Place: Applied Home Healthcare/Superflash
Second Place: The Ironwood Cafe
Church
Second Place: Westlake United Methodist Church
Honorable Mention: Church of the Redeemer
Honorable Mention: St. Ladislas Church
Evergreen Cemetery Fence Gardens
Best Focal Point: The Eberling Family
Best Use of Color/Texture/
Materials In Memory of Stanley and Dixie Dean
Most Creative: In Memory of Norma and Bill Jonas
Greatest Visual Impact: The Coe, Barry, Ward and Hall Families
Garden with Pond or Water Feature
First Place: 1421 East Melrose Drive, Gary and Lynn Eckert
First Place: 1970 Dover Center Road, Ted and Dawn Spence
Second Place: 30849 Falkirk Drive, David and Pam Stepnick
Third Place: 30976 Pebble Beach Oval, Kris and Barbara Brown
Hilliard Boulevard Flower Box
Best of the Boxes: Kingsville/Westlake Sister Cities
Best Focal Point: The Witouski Family
Best Use of Color/Texture/
Materials: Constructability, Inc.
Most Creative: No winner
Greatest Visual Impact: The Madden Family
Honorable Mention: Westlake Garden Club
Honorable Mention: The Kraus Family
Honorable Mention: The Aylward Family
Hotel/Motel
No Entries
Nursing Home, Assisted/Independent Living
First Place: Rae-Ann Suburban
Second Place: The Belvedere of Westlake
Third Place: Rae-Ann Westlake
Patio Garden ~ Multi-family
First Place: 3063 Bay Landing Drive, Sharon Huelsman
Second Place: 1496 Westford Circle #106, Mary Beth Cappell-Bovee
Third Place: 1568 Cedarwood “A”, Marianne Petro
Honorable Mention: 2917 North Bay Dr., M-12, Carol J. Kreiger
Honorable Mention: 29872 Center Ridge Road, Joyce Ware
Honorable Mention: 2454 Crimson Drive, Janet Eckert
Patio Garden ~ Single family
Second Place: 1991 Clarendon Court , Dan and Salena Zanotti
Third Place: 29129 King Arthur Court, Nazima Khan
Third Place: 3341 Bradley Road, Holly Kaye Tomkalski
Rain Garden
No winners
Shade Garden
First Place: 3045 Oakwood Lane, Laurie and Ken Krauss
Second Place: 23356 Westwood Road, Cindy Mulligan
Third Place: 30047 Persimmon Drive, Dr. Wolfgang and Ina Mueller
Vegetable Garden
First Place: 1999 Dover Center Road, Michael and Lynne Hannibal
First Place: 25375 Hilliard Blvd., Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Roth
Second Place: 25442 Hall Drive, Evy and Greg Tidwell
Third Place: 1683 Bradley Road, Inge, Mike and Mykey Moorman
Honorable Mention: 2750 Canterbury Road, Judy Beveridge
Honorable Mention: 2105 Bassett Road, Brian J. Anstead
Honorable Mention: 27633 Bassett Road, Cadette Girl Scout Troop 71047
Honorable Mention: 29501 Schwartz Road, Rebecca Spilak Salamon
Window Boxes
First Place: 24989 Hall Drive, Rita Briggs
Second Place: 2571 Glenmore Drive, Scott and Kathy Schmidt
Third Place: 1230 Queen Anne’s Gate, Todd and Brandy Dawson
Residential Landscaping ~ Small – Entire Yard
First Place: 30913 Walden Drive, #37, John and Gerry Palamar
Second Place: 3757 Camden Court, Dave Clements/Jerry Devis
Third Place: 25749 Chaucer Drive, Al and Jean Sabo
Honorable Mention: 23549 Concord Drive, Raymond and Gail Salco
Residential Landscaping – Small – Front Yard Only
First Place: 1874 Settlers Reserve Way, The Bedell Family
Honorable Mention: 31058 Durham Drive, Mary Kim Elkins
Residential Landscaping ~ Medium – Entire Yard
First Place: 1803 Donna Drive, George and Diane Woyansky
Second Place: 1820 Kathryn Drive, Roger and Ruth Williams
Third Place: 3640 Parson’s Pond, JoDee and Denny Dreher
Honorable Mention: 30189 Adams Lane, Claudia Milano
Honorable Mention: 1400 Prince Charles Avenue, The Presley Family
Honorable Mention: 27347 Georgetown Drive, Vincent Marquard
Honorable Mention: 29903 Center Ridge Road, Bob and Tracey Cox
Honorable Mention: 1811 Coe’s Post Run, Susan Mulhern
Honorable Mention: 2250 Elmwood Drive, Mary Kay and Marty Kelly
Residential Landscaping – Medium – Front Yard Only
First Place: 30952 Prestwick Crossing, Dorothy Beyer
Second Place: 2391 Carousel Court, Sandra Freedman
Honorable Mention: 1725 Sperry’s Forge Trail, Dan and Colleen Leitch
Residential Landscaping – Medium – Rear Yard Only
First Place: 2219 Silveridge Trail, Sofia Souris
Second Place: 26945 Sleepy Hollow Drive, Lan Le and Binh V. To
Third Place: 2401 Chapparal South, Rod and Jeanne Hill
Honorable Mention: 1880 Hunters Point Lane, Laurie and Keith Masters
Honorable Mention: 2771 Southwood Drive, Kevin and Deb Dougherty
Honorable Mention: 3685 Dover Center Road, Gail Salco
Honorable Mention: 4462 Prestwick Crossing, Steve and Mari-beth Famiano
Residential Landscaping ~ Large – Entire Yard
First Place: 24502 Westwood Road, E. Donald and Janice Bain
First Place: 3566 Dover Center Road, Greg Kolarik/Thomas Coletto
Second Place: 2004 Dover Center Road, Al and Sally Strauss
Honorable Mention: 2363 Columbia Road, Dale and Kathy Gyor
Residential Landscaping – Large – Front Yard Only
First Place: 1903 Clague Road, Michael and Jeanette Boukzam
Second Place: 3961 Bradley Road, Leslie Dus/Deborah Riggs
Third Place: 2318 Bassett Road, Hans and Mariya Bloom
Residential Landscaping – Large – Rear Yard Only
Second Place: 1665 Bradley Road, Francine and Harry Hoover
Awards of Distinction
2012 Award of Distinction for Community Involvement
Kiwanis Club of Westlake
2012 Award of Distinction for Landscaped Areas
Woods of Westlake
2012 Award of Distinction for Urban Forestry
Hyland Software, Bldg. 2
Lu Walter “Best in Bloom” Award : Greg Kolarik, 3566 Dover Center Road
