Like many of you, our staff here at Gullo’s Garden Center loves to garden! Gardening provides so much delight, and we each have our own reasons for why we enjoy it so much. While many of us are home, limiting the outbreak, with nowhere to go, the urge to get out and work on our yards is even greater. With our newly launched online store, contactless curbside pick-up, and contactless delivery, it is now possible to safely garden! We thought this would be a good time to speak with our staff members and ask them what they love about gardening and how it is personally beneficial to them.
Tony Gullo – 3D Landscape Designer
The first thing I think of when asked why I love gardening is definitely curb appeal. Having a well thought out, well maintained landscaped can make a beautiful home become an extraordinary home that will have the neighbors talking. From a nice lush lawn, to trees you select for your yard, they all play an important role. A special interest of mine is selecting trees that not only look nice, but are also beneficial for wildlife. Planting different things for this reason is always a good opportunity for my kids to help, as well as learn about what kinds of different animals will benefit from what we plant. It’s very satisfying seeing wildlife in and around our yard due to the different plantings we have done. I get a lot of gratification knowing my efforts help sustain nature and diminish the footprint we leave when we carve out our space, as well as my children learning and respecting nature through the process.
Phil Avino – Vice President
I think my love of gardening must have come from my grandmother. She always maintained a large vegetable garden in the back yard. There were wood planks laid between large raised beds filled with zucchinis, beans, tomatoes, peppers and lettuces. I still remember how sweet the raw corn on the cob would be, and how after a couple of tries I developed a taste for rhubarb. As a child I would run along the planks in between the islands of plants in all kinds of different make believe worlds until a yell from the house would echo “GET OUT OF THE GARDEN!” As my grandmother and I grew older, I would help her out in the garden; raking beds, planting seeds, and both of us on our hands and knees pulling weeds. Now, as I work on the gardens around my own home I find myself thinking of my grandmother’s. No matter how hard the work, I feel calm and forget about the stress and pressures of life. Gardening is a good way to escape, you always feel a sense of accomplishment and pride in any project you do on your own or with your family.
Allison Imiola – Head Cashier
Gardening can be helpful to students who may be feeling stressed with homework, studying, and online learning because it gives them a chance to get outside, get some fresh air, and take their minds off school work for a while. It can help create a more positive mood for the person because they are taking their mind off stressors. Gardening helps students with responsibility and organizing, remembering to check on it daily, water, etc.
Russell Gullo – Chief Operating Officer
I absolutely LOVE curb appeal. It adds so much to the look of a home, and I enjoy that “neat and proper” look from the street. I have a lot of plants such as spiral Spartan Juniper that require multiple prunings per year, and it’s just so satisfying to see how it looks when I’m done. My favorite aspect of gardening though is that it is a family activity. I have 3 children ages 5 and under, and they especially like helping in the vegetable garden. I relish the opportunity to teach them about the different vegetables, how to water, the role bees play in pollination, etc. Who “gets to water” is a hotly contested job in our garden. My 3-year-old daughter will often eat cherry tomatoes right off the plant when we’re out there. And the homemade sauce my live-in Italian mother-in-law makes from our San Marzano tomatoes we grow is better than anything you’ll ever buy at a store!
Diane Scherer – Greenhouse Manager
Gardening is such a relaxing activity for me. It feels so good to go out in my yard, get some exercise, and soak in some vitamin D. Gardening is one of the healthiest activities you can do around the house. It can be physically challenging, but you can also work at your own pace. One tip I’d like to share: if a project seems overwhelming, break it up into sections. Work on one thing at a time so as not to get overwhelmed. Once your project is completed, the feeling of satisfaction is incredible!
Seth Sim – Senior Landscape Foreman
In these trying times, focusing on what’s in our control is paramount. Gardening and landscaping offer agency over our reality. Every action is like climbing a ladder, tangible progress, step by step. When I’m landscaping the rest of the world evaporates and I’m locked into a state of flow. Similar to the effect of playing a musical instrument. And it’s a great physical workout too, something we could all use while the gyms are shut down. We may not be able to control anything in the news, but we can take solace and gain satisfaction in our yards and gardens this spring.