KAYSVILLE — Ron Zollinger has a talent for making the world around him a more beautiful place, and he hopes to share this gift with the residents of Kaysville.
When he was a boy, Zollinger spent many hours helping his grandmother nurture her immaculate garden of roses and begonias. She planted in him the seed for a lifelong love of gardening.
Decades of cultivating that seed through hard work and study have made Zollinger, 66, somewhat of an expert in all things horticultural.
His half-acre yard now blossoms into a floral haven every summer.
“I found a nurturing love for beautifying yards,” he said. “My yard became a manifestation of who I am.”
Zollinger no longer wants to keep that hard-earned knowledge and love to himself. He wants to cultivate that same love of gardening in the hearts of Kaysville residents.
“We’ve got great yards in Kaysville,” he said. “People want better yards, but just don’t know how to do it or what type of plants to use.”
Zollinger recently approached City Councilman Jared Taylor with the idea of a Kaysville Yard and Garden Committee. The result was a new group that hopes to promote community pride and enhance the “spirit of place” within the city.
Zollinger said that he wants the Yard and Garden Committee to be more than just an awards program. He wants to provide homeowners with the resources and knowledge to create beautiful yards and gardens.
“This is a committee I’m really excited about,” Taylor said. “We are looking to bring a lot of attention to beautifying the town and showing off our citizen’s yards. We want people to take a tour and participate. We want people to learn things like how to prune a tree, and what type of flowers work and don’t work in Kaysville.”
Throughout the years Zollinger has compiled a data base of more than 350 plant varieties that he has tried in his yard. He has also worked as a consultant for Tri-City Nursery in Kaysville, giving homeowners landscape design ideas.
If you want to know if it will grow in Utah, Zollinger is the man to ask.
The Kaysville Yard and Garden Committee plans to conduct property tours for residents who want to display their handiwork. They are encouraging involvement from those with expert knowledge of trees, plants and landscaping.
“We will pass out awards (recognizing) beautiful yards and gardens, or awards to recognize someone who has changed a blighted property to something beautiful,” said Mike Lewis, a member of the Yard and Garden Committee. “We are hoping it becomes contagious in making a difference in citywide beautification.”
Lewis recently owned a fruit orchard, and hopes to share his knowledge about developing productive fruit trees. He is also in the process of becoming a master gardener through a program offered by Utah State University.
In addition, the committee plans to partner with local nurseries, businesses, government agencies, Utah State University Extension and the Utah State Botanical Gardens. These organizations will help provide educational, plant, and identification resources for homeowners.
The committee already involves several individuals and organizations, but is still looking for more volunteers who have a passion for gardening and want to share their knowledge.
“There’s a connection to the land when you go out and you garden,” Zollinger said. “You plant life when you plant a seed, and you see that evolution of life. I love the yearly life cycle, the longevity and the trees. It’s a connection to living things that helps one appreciate what being alive is all about.”
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