Val & Vince Green
9944 Deercreek Club Rd E
Anyone who drives into Deercreek has most likely noticed the row of large homes along Deercreek Club Road as you near the Clubhouse. This month’s View features one of those homes, where Val and Vince Green have lived since 2020. The Greens recently listed their home for sale and quickly received a contract, so the couple can move to Chicago to be closer to their family.
Val and Vince moved from Atlanta after retiring from careers with Merck and Allstate respectively. Shortly after moving to Jacksonville, Val participated in the process to become a Master Gardener. The Duval County Master Gardener volunteer program is supported by the Duval County Extension Office and the University of Florida. She also joined the Deercreek Home and Garden Club, sharing her expertise in gardening with the club. She has really upped the club’s standards for arranging floral centerpieces, being part of a talented group of ladies who take this on for special events, such as the Spring Fashion Show.
Val is the gardener in her family, saying they have a landscaper for the yard, however “I am in the yard planting flowers, herbs, and vegetables.” It clearly shows, since their home is always neatly kept with a wide variety of plants and flowers. The entrance is especially inviting with a brick paver driveway, confederate jasmine and annual flowers welcoming you to the front doors. The backyard pool is surrounded with flowering plants such as birds of paradise, rosemary & mint herbs. It even includes a discreet planting of tomatoes, peppers and celery. Plants were carefully placed to enjoy the scents of herbs and colors of flowers year around.
While their landscaping was mature when they moved into their home, they gradually changed their landscaping to include more flowering plants and added the small garden in the backyard. Val loves experimenting with different shrubs and flowers to see what grows best and survives the deer. She loves planting annuals and perennials to provide a range of color. A few of her favorites include the large mounds of colorful loropetalum in the front driveway, the ligustrums that frame the front walkway, and the blue daze.
When asked, is there anything else you would like us to know, Val replied “ I love fluffy shrubs and trees! Not everything in our yard needs to be trimmed to a razor edge. Many of our trees and shrubs now move in the breeze and bloom during the appropriate season because they are not being over trimmed.”
Val told us that over the years Vince has helped in the yard as needed, but “gardening is my happy place – not necessarily his!” When they moved to Deercreek, Vince was committed to improving his golf game, taking a lot of lessons and putting in a lot of hours. He loves vintage cars and joined a car club in Jacksonville. Vince proudly displays his ‘72 Cutlass convertible every chance he gets. He also loves sports and especially Gator sports, The Greens are a real Gator family. Vince and Val met at the University of Florida, and both their children, Ian and Olivia, are also alumni.
Vince & Val, you will be missed. You have set the bar high for all of us! We wish you the best and much happiness in your new journey.
