For May we selected the yard at 2019 Sea King for Yard of the Month owned by Jennifer and David Bowes. I was surprised when Jennifer told me that the landscapers just finished putting in the new landscaping the day before I showed up to select the yard of the month. David thought they were not quite ready to be selected since the new plantings will look better after they mature a bit. I agree with David that the yard will improve over the summer but it is great now and reflects the kind of landscaping that make our Lazybrook houses look great.
The Bowes’ selected Garden Jules, a landscape firm to design and install their new plants. All the plants that bloom will have white blooms and a few of them are already blooming. The front yard has a large maple tree and a pecan tree. Two other trees were lost or damaged badly by Hurricane Ike and they have been replaced with Laurel Oak trees. These trees are a little faster growing than Live Oaks and have a canopy which is not as full which the Bowes believe will avoid future hurricane damage.
An Almond Verbena (Aloysia virgata) is prominently planted at the corner of the front porch in a bed which extends even further from the foundation. This extension has very large beautiful moss rock around the outside perimeter of the bed. Near the garage on the Seaspray side of the house, Jennifer and David selected a Natchez Crepe Myrtle for the feature plant to go in an extension of the bed which also has large and beautiful moss rock around it. The Almond Verbena blooms are wonderfully fragrant and will provide a pleasant welcome to the Bowes’ front porch.
Five frost proof Gardenia plants and several Ducher roses (a china rose) are included in the front flower bed as well as an espaliered Little Gem Magnolia. A Wimbei Ligustrum is the feature plant at the end of the house opposite the porch. Clusters of Salvia which will produce white blooms and White Pentas are planted in the front bed. White blooming verbena is planted on each side of the sidewalk which leads to the front porch. A Starshooter (looks like a green grass with white flowers) is planted at the end of the front porch. Along the Seaspray side of the yard the bed has new Citrus Jasmine along the back of the bed and Serissa Kowloon which is a variegated plant near the front. More white Pentas are included in this bed.
One special environmentally friendly feature of the Bowe’s new landscape is their Pine Straw mulch. All the new beds are mulched with Pine Straw. After a rain or a few waterings the pine straw will appear very natural and when it decomposes it will provide nutrients for the bed. The landscaping company furnished the pine straw for the Bowes’ beds but Pine Straw is available free along the curb in nearby neighborhoods on the day before trash pickup.
Leave a Reply