The courtship of Helen and Jerry Unruh was long-distance.
He had a florist deliver a rose to me every day, Helen recalls.
After two years, a bloom arrived with a card reading, Will you marry me?
Credit:HELEN NORMAN
That was in 1975.
They are such gorgeous things in the springtime, says Helen.
It makes you happy youre alive.
Helen recalls saying when she arrived, Oh, I love them!
Can we have more?
So he kept on planting.
But did they ever think theyd reach 1,700?
Not really, admits Jerry with a laugh.
Once they started, though, they couldnt stop.
At some point, there were just enough bushes to make the empty spots stand out.
Jerry remembers thinking, Its kind of bare and scraggly looking, so wed better add some more.
He previously owned a well-drilling company in Middletown.
Credit:HELEN NORMAN
If he had seen a nursery nearby, hed pop over to investigate their stock.
Often, he came home to Helen with azaleas in tow.
I bought a lot of them for $5 or $10 a piece, he says.
Credit:HELEN NORMAN
He remembers acquiring one specimen this way that was head high and a good 6 feet across.
Every time he returned with azaleas, Helen was delighted.
Hes partial to the red ones, but Helen cant play favorites.
Credit:HELEN NORMAN
I couldnt name one I love best because I love them all, she says.
How to Visit
The garden is famous in its neck of the woods.
They ask if they can walk around.
We never deny anybody, says Jerry.
He only regrets not providing a book for people to sign when they come through.
Some of the same ones return year after year, he notes.
“Don’t be shy about how bug a root ball you want,” he says.
Jerry is now 97, and Helen is 86.
Although the garden still keeps them busy, theres less to do with every passing week.
This is because only younger azaleas require constant attention.
As they grow, they can take care of themselves, Jerry explains.
In fact, they say their lifes work tending to the azaleas is more or less complete.
The bushes take care of us now, says Helen.
Thats what I live for: having all the blossoms come out in spring.
