Garden Detective: Thanks for digging, Dad

When I was growing up, it was my dad, Anthony Pace, who tended the garden, and I don't mean he simply mowed the lawn. Sure, he did that, but he also grew roses and clipped a bouquet every weekend for my mom. He grew figs and planted grapevines in our Queens backyard. And every summer we had plenty of fresh tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, zucchini, basil, parsley and lettuce to feast upon.

I didn't appreciate any of it at the time, and growing fruits and vegetables was something I took for granted. But now I realize much of my love for the garden developed from my childhood experiences of eating grapes right off the vine, plucking tomatoes at dinnertime for a fresh salad and watching my father protect his precious fig trees for the winter. He lives in Florida now, where there's no need for such measures, but he still grows figs, vegetables and herbs, plus fruits like loquats, persimmons, oranges and grapefruits.

My dad isn't the only father who loves to grow things. I've heard from many children and wives of gardening men on Long Island who pass on their love of ornamentals and edibles to the next generation simply by digging in the earth. I'm hoping they -- and all the dads in the garden, have a happy and fruitful Father's Day.

Achille "Augie" Marcoccia, 71, of Mineola is "a natural in the garden," according to his wife, Joanne. The father of two and grandfather of four grows some tomatoes, cucumbers, basil and Italian mint, but most of his garden is composed of ornamentals.

"I have in my backyard giant lilies that grow 3 to 4 feet tall," Marcoccia said. "When they're blooming, they have a cascade of flowers that look absolutely stunning."

Marcoccia also grows roses and hydrangeas, which he propagates himself by rooting cuttings. But he doesn't only tend his own plants; he ensures his daughter's garden is abundant, too, visiting her Williston Park home in spring to plant tomatoes, cucumbers and impatiens there.

What does he love most about his garden? "I just like to watch things grow," he said. "Growing up in Italy on a farm, I always appreciate it when the springtime comes and new growth seems to rejuvenate life. That's how I look at it."

Grant Wu, 41, of Roslyn Heights moved into his home less than three years ago. "Prior to our move, I didn't know a thing about gardening," the father of preteens Jeffrey, 11, and Justin, 10, confessed, adding that the landscape there was mostly barren except for some mature trees. "I couldn't tell the difference between a tulip and a daffodil at the time. I had never paid attention, or even noticed, spring-blooming pear and cherry trees throughout Long Island."

But because he yearned for a beautiful landscape, Wu educated himself.

"I researched by reading your articles regularly," he told me. "I also read gardening books and made trips to nurseries." As a result, his property wasn't the only thing that blossomed: Wu developed a love of gardening.

"I find being out in the yard digging, pinching and pruning to be very relaxing and therapeutic," he said. Wu has amassed a nice array of plants, including asters, mums, black-eyed Susans, roses and coneflowers, as well as 300 of those once-mysterious tulips and daffodils. He enjoys training vines to climb trellises, pruning roses, planting seeds and even grafting branches from his dwarf Japanese maple.

"I like planning my plantings most; deciding what should go where," he said. "I visualize everything, do a lot of research on annuals and perennials, and then plant -- but only with my wife's OK."

Frank Nofi, 57, of Levittown, lives under the same roof as his biggest fan, his daughter Jessica. "My dad is the best gardener around," she writes. "He takes such pride in his garden. He has grown everything from lettuce, carrots and peanuts to tomatoes that have weighed 1 pound." In fact, Nofi grows enough tomatoes every summer to keep the family in sauce the whole year through.

Nofi has been gardening since he was a child, learning the ropes from his grandfather and father, who grew grapes and even made their own wine. "When my kids were little," he said, "we gave them all little plots and taught them to grow peanuts. Then we cooked them and ate them. It was a lot of fun."

Today, Nofi grows so many asparagus, figs, garlic, Brussels sprouts, tomatoes and herbs that he gives away care packages to friends and neighbors. Apparently, he even takes requests: This year he planted broccoli rabe for the first time because his neighbor likes it.

"We like to take summer vacations, but this year there will be too much ripening at one time, so it will be a winter vacation for us," he said. "I don't want to miss the harvest."