Story by Jonathan Wander
Photography by Richard Kelly

We're crazy. When these are among the first words from a man giving a tour of his beloved country club, you know he's passionate about what he's going to show you. Mark Vernallis is a member and dedicated volunteer at the Longue Vue Club in Penn Hills, and the particular subject of his passion is not the play on the venerable club's golf course or even its historic stone clubhouse. The subject is roses . . and magnolias and azaleas . .

Why does Vernallis say he and his committed colleagues are crazy? Because they devote hundreds of hours throughout the year planning, planting and caring for gardens that, frankly, some of the club's golf-focused members barely notice.

Many from around the nation notice, however, because Longue Vue has a reputation for being one of–if not THE–only club in the nation with such an outstanding horticultural display. Each year, in fact, the club receives calls from gardening mavens around the world who ask to stop by for a tour.

Vernallis and his team strive not only for beauty, but also push the envelope for rarity. "We want our gardens to be beautiful, but we also want them to be unique, truly special," Vernallis says. For that reason, Longue Vue features many plants not found at the typical local garden center. "We want people to see things they won't see in their yards, to see configurations of plants they wouldn't normally see," Vernallis explains. "Many landscape architects choose plants that they know will work and are hardy. But we don't want to be conservative; we want to push things to the edge."

Clearly, Vernallis' pride matches his passion, and his pride extends to those he works with. Lisa Wood is the club's head gardener and her husband, Mike, is the course superintendent, who, along with assistant Steve Poprocky, keeps the course and its environs in shape for perfect play and stunning display.

The fact that Longue Vue has a master gardener on staff is a rarity at golf courses. "We have five professional disciplines: turf-grass management, golf-course architecture, landscape architecture, arborist and master gardener," Vernallis says. "At a lot of golf courses, these disciplines would be in conflict with each other. We look at those five areas and make them work together."

An example of this is how the planning of each garden area is considered from several vantage points, not just from a frontal view typical of most gardens. Staff ask questions such as, "How does it look from a few yards away at the nearby tee? What about from a few hundred yards when standing on the green?" As a result, the club's colorful gardens look great from any angle and nearly any distance, with some beds 80 to 100 feet long.

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