Brilliant blooms accent another Westlake summer
Sandy Strodtbeck's backyard on Horseshoe Boulevard was chosen as the top overall winner in this year's Westlake in Bloom competition. Photo by Jim Bedell
The streets and neighborhoods of Westlake are awash in color again this summer, as residents and businesses across the city competed in the annual Westlake in Bloom competition. The contest, which wrapped with an awards ceremony at La Centre on Aug. 8, honors the most talented and creative amateur landscapers with a gift certificate to one of Westlake’s nurseries – and more importantly, bragging rights.
Plaques are bestowed to the top three finishers in each of 17 different categories, from small window boxes to entire yards, apartment complexes, nursing homes, churches and businesses. Jim Bedell, the city’s planning director, visits each participating home and business, taking photos to share with a panel of 11 judges that includes avid gardeners, Westlake Garden Club members and master gardeners.
Tracy Mason, whose job includes watering the more than 200 flower boxes lining Hilliard Boulevard, judges that category. Gayle Hill from the Westlake service department is in charge of the Evergreen Cemetery fence gardens.
Entries are judged on the basis of color, balance, texture, quality of plant material, originality and maintenance.
This year’s ceremony featured two special awards. The first-ever lifetime achievement award was announced for Bonnie Heim, a service department employee who recently passed away after a brief illness. Heim was a Westlake in Bloom steering committee member and judge, and also tended the garden beds around city hall. Bedell was able to present a plaque to Heim before her passing; the plaque will hang in her memory at the Westlake service garage.
The other inaugural honor was a legacy award presented to George and Diane Woyansky, in recognition of their gardening supremacy. The couple has taken first place in six of the last 10 competitions in the Residential Landscaping – Entire Yard, Small category, including a Lu Walter “Best in Bloom” award as the top overall winner.
The “Best in Bloom” award this year went to Sandy Strodtbeck for her entry in the Residential Landcaping – Rear Yard category. The Strodtbeck property on Horseshoe Boulevard features a variety of landscaped beds throughout the expansive 100-foot-by-600-foot yard.
“The judges gave this yard high scores for its balance, focal points, texture and use of plant materials that are perfectly suited for this Westlake yard that has areas ranging from full sun to full shade,” Bedell said. “Maintenance, planting – she does it all. And it’s a big yard.”
Strodtbeck was stunned to receive the night’s top honor. “I’m totally shocked, I didn’t expect this,” she said after the ceremony. “I think I’m going to cry.”
Strodtbeck moved into the home – which her grandfather built by hand – in 2000, with husband, Tom, and their children Danny, Ashley and Tiffany. The backyard served as a sports field when the kids were younger, providing a grassy spot for playing baseball, golf and football. As they got older – they are now 23, 30 and 36 – Sandy started doing some landscaping.
It turned into a labor of love; she now spends up to six hours each day maintaining the beds. It sounds as though that workload may increase, as the “Bloom” win has spurred Sandy to reach even higher.
“I gotta really kick it up next year,” Sandy laughed. She plans to start sprucing up the front of the house with an eye toward entering the Entire Yard category.
See a list of all winners in the 2018 Westlake in Bloom competition.