Inspiration, joy and a whole lot of color

Lynch and his wife, Judith, raised their family in Glenville, N.Y., where he was general manager of the CBS affiliate television station in Albany. Their three children—Christine, Theresa and Brandon—all settled down within an hour of Cape Cod, influencing the couple’s own move over the bridge. An early retirement at age 60 granted Lynch the time to create the garden he always dreamed of.

Feedback from admirers spurred him on. Casual compliments from strollers on the sidewalk next to the house quickly turned into sponsored tours through the yard. Increasing public recognition led to awards from the Falmouth Garden Club, which presented Lynch  with the Garden Achievement Award—an honor that a gardener can receive only once every five years—in 2003 and 2010. Pondscapes Garden Center in Cataumet also gave him two “Best Garden” awards, in 2004 and 2006.

“That’s what got me really serious about gardening, when I started to win these awards,” Lynch says. “I thought, ‘Gee, maybe I’m doing something right.’ Once you receive recognition, you begin to spend a little more time and energy with it. It makes me feel good about what I’m doing when people want to see my garden.”