Gerald Leube, an avid horticulturalist and deep-rooted resident of Abington Township, has quietly cultivated a massive, award-winning oasis on Tyson Avenue over the past 50+ years.

Surrounding Leube’s house on all sides are multiple levels of greenery, each one different from the next. The property showcases 150-200 species of plants, trees, and flowers, and a summer walkthrough gives off the impression of entering a rainforest, full of sensory cues and surprises along the way.

Among those surprises are a functioning greenhouse, a fish and frog pond, roller skates hanging in the breeze, running water, a 45-foot pergola, statuettes, sculptures, and handmade birdhouses with their own gutter systems.

“My son built the wooden birdhouses that hang from the trees all over the place, and he built a little pool for the dog and flower boxes around the garage,” Leube said.

Pergolas, one large and one small, form a plant canopy made up of wooden slats.

“I started working on the property right away. There was nothing here when I moved in,” he said. “I love gardening, I love plants, and my grandparents were farmers in the Carolinas. As a child, people gave me seeds, and so I started when I was about seven years old. I studied horticulture at Temple Ambler, I’ve done a lot of reading. I’m really into it.”

“It’s my Zen garden,” Leube said. “One of my trees was named about Benjamin Franklin.”

Leube’s project has gained the attention of the Philadelphia Horticulture Society.

“I entered their annual contest, and they came out to see it,” he said. “They judged my garden, and I received a blue ribbon five or six times for outstanding plant culture, care of the garden, maintenance, all of the above.”

Each of the property’s installations are a product of Leube’s solo efforts. He’s worked mostly alone in terms of maintenance as well, with occasional assistance from his son, grandkids, neighbors and members of the community.

“People have helped with weeding, pruning, and trimming. As the years go by, it’s gotten more difficult to get out there and do everything,” Leube, now 80 years old, said.

The layout in the front of the house has changed shape over the past decade after significant flooding in the residents’ basements prompted Abington Township to regrade Tyson Avenue.

“There was a lot of flooding in houses and basements, and they were trying to get rid of the stormwater, so they regraded the street,” Leube said. “It’s now four feet lower than it was. The trolley used to run along the road, and there was a gully down the middle where the tracks used to be. They also put in sidewalks, and my property has a slope in the front. Over the last three years I’ve gardened that whole front plot. On the side of the house, I had arborvitae trees, mostly for privacy. Those were taken down for curbing.”

The front of the property from Tyson Avenue

“Tyson Avenue is owned by the state because of the trolley,” he said. “It took them 10-12 years of planning just to get the ok to do it. It’s still a main thoroughfare.”

The following photos of Leube’s property are courtesy of Melissa Hassey, neighbor and professional photographer:

For the full gallery by Melissa Hassey Photography, you can click here.

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Feature photo courtesy of Melissa Hassey