hibiscus was transplanted from her dad’s house. Her father used to cut a flower to bring to her mother with coffee every morning during the last year of her life when she was sick. The yard includes an herb garden with oregano, chives, rosemary, parsley, bitter ornamental lettuce, and even collards that she cooked with black-eyed peas. There is a fig tree, a medium-sized loquat tree and a cherry tree. Nearby is a big white spirea bush. I have read that Native Americans used it as aspirin.
breaking pieces off of the roots (corms) to plant. Wild salvia, blue flag irises, and animal loving vines like the muscadine grape vine were left natural. She loves how grape vines turn gold in the fall, almost like a Christmas garland strung through the trees at the back of the lot. The leaves can be used to make pickles and the grapes make great jelly. Animals love them and my family eats them straight from the vine on our neighborhood walks! Kathy also feels that vines and thickets at the edge of their yard and in the bridle path provide important bird habitat. Kathy and Rick’s yard is not only wildlife friendly, it is neighbor friendly. They have created a large rain garden that slows down the substantial amounts of storm water runoff coming off the hill above their home. If they had only a large grass lawn the neighbors downhill from them would have a severe erosion problem and our lake would have even more silt pollution. Fittingly, Rick’s company, Hall Planning & Engineering, also works to make communities better through the designing of walkable neighborhoods. As winners, the Halls will be presented a special yard sign, a $100 gift certificate from a local nursery and a photo of recognition in the October issue of the “Lakes View” Magazine. I will make this presentation on Tuesday, August 28, 2012 at the Quarterly Open Members Meeting. Congratulations, Rick and Kathy Hall!
On our familiy’s daily neighborhood walk, one yard seems to always be in bloom Rick and Kathy really like their camellias, a plant Rick’s parents also loved. Rick especially loves his half dozen tall southern long leaf pines. The yard also includes several colors and varieties of azaleas such as the Formosa, George Taber, Mont Blanc, and Princess Margaret. But my favorite was the yellow feathery-flowered native Florida Azaleas growing in the shade. There was a great smelling tea olive, several white flowering dogwoods, a hickory tree, oaks, and magnolia trees. Kathy planted a variety of pansies that grow well in the winter when the leaves are off the trees. Kathy said she leaves some “weeds” in her lawn, like the pretty white violets. There were wild purple shamrocks and larger white nursery shamrocks, which she spreads by
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