Tony Tye, Post-Gazette Jack Needham sprinkles marigolds among his many perennials. Brunnera 'Jack Frost' brightens a shady corner. Pink cosmos bloom for much of the summer and early fall. Click photo for larger image. Great Garden Contest Winners: 2005 2005 Great Garden Contest Photo Journal

Jack Needham bought a house, inherited a garden and in seven short years managed to become a gardener to be reckoned with.

His small urban space .in Brighton Heights -- jammed full with interesting plants, glowing color and cheeky personality -- won first place in this year's Great Gardens Contest, urban category.

Needham downloaded his ballot from the Post-Gazette Web site, unaware of the fierce competition he faced. When he became a finalist, and eight judges descended on his small garden, it still wasn't sinking in. He asked curiously what the prizes were and looked surprised when he learned it included gift certificates to Chapon's Nursery in Baldwin Borough and tickets to the Horticultural Society's garden tour next year.

And then his garden won. He remains bemused by his success, unsure what the fuss is about. But any gardener can see why Needham's plot wowed the judges. He's managed to utilize almost every inch of his limited space, both horizontally and vertically, with trellises, arbors, containers and raised beds. And there are still places to sit within the plant tapestry that he's created.

Making it all the more amazing is the fact that Needham's closest scrape with gardening, while growing up in Ben Avon, was mowing the lawn. After that, he lived in an apartment in Bellevue -- no gardening involved.

When friend Lorna Secrest decided to sell her Craftsman-style home in Brighton Heights, Needham bought it.

"The groundwork had already been laid when I moved in," Needham wrote in his entry letter.

He moved in May, just as things were beginning to pop up. His interest grew along with the emerging buds.

"I didn't know the difference between a perennial and an annual" at that point, he says.

But Secrest offered to help. She drew him a quick sketch of the plot and labeled what was planted where. He was amazed by her memory then but, looking back, realizes now that she knew what was in the garden because she had planted it.

Needham began watching television gardening shows, reading books and, more importantly, "just doing it."

The large trellis that Secrest built on the right side of the back yard is now lushly covered by massive wisteria vines accented with a large climbing hydrangea (H. petiolaris). Three large and extremely lovely English oaks (Quercus robus 'Fastigiata') that line the perimeter of the plot are also hand-me-downs. Needham planted the twining clematis and climbing hydrangea that now crawl through their branches. He uses the same trick in several other places to gain more planting space.

Needham has added lots of texture and color to the plot. Several types of Japanese maples, hostas, grasses, ferns, heuchera and evergreens are part of the mix. So are bulbs, annuals he grows from seed and some huge houseplants that summer in the back yard.

He is modest about his accomplishments, saying he takes credit for only about two-thirds of what is in the garden today. Of course, Secrest's original planning was the beginning, but it's clear that Needham's own ability with texture and color has added to and defined the garden, making it his personal space.

He's a talented woodworker who builds custom acoustic guitars for a living, and his artistic abilities spill into the garden. He made a unique bird bath out of a simple bowl and copper tubing that hangs over the bowl like a faucet and drips. The birds flock to it, and the spillover keeps a prized Japanese maple planted below it lush all year, even during dry spells.

Needham also has a good eye for color and has chosen a brilliant cobalt blue to paint steps and accents in the garden. Though the color looks outstanding against the lush green of the plants, he confesses he chose it mainly to give some winter color to an otherwise brown landscape.

Because his yard is on a steep slope, the garden has several levels. A small patio at the top is home to containers of vegetables and herbs. One, for tomatoes, is a modernistic container built out of two curved aluminum window-wells he bought at the hardware store.

The lower garden hosts a small dining table in a square mulched space. Needham took the brick that originally paved the patio and used it to build walks. He's also reworked several areas and has become more aware of ecological concerns in the process. He composts and brews his own "organic tea" for fertilizer.

"I've become about 95 percent organic in the last few years, which means having to live with some bugs and critter damage, just another life-lesson a garden provides," he said.

Tammy, his wife of 1¹/₂ years, enjoys the garden but leaves most of the work to her husband.

Though he puts many hours in during the spring, the summer chores are fairly easy, except for keeping the monster wisteria trimmed and out of the neighbors' yard.

It's not just Needham's plants that have spread. Look several doors down the hill and you'll see that same cobalt blue painted on a garage wall. He has given plants to several neighbors and helped create a small garden for one. He tends it when the owner is away. He's also busy brightening up the shared alley with plant divisions from his patch.

Needham's plot is clearly inspiring gardens throughout the neighborhood. And that may be the best award, or reward, of all.