Ron Barrett had been living in Colorado, savoring all the hunting and fishing it had to offer. On a trip back to East Texas, he saw a Realtor’s ad for lakefront property, and his eye was drawn to the photo of an attractive woman puckering up to a rather large fish.  The caption read “I’m the only agent on the lake that will kiss your bass.” Intrigued, he kept the paper, tossing it into his luggage before returning home.

A year went by before Ron decided to begin a search for just the right place on an East Texas lake. He called the number on the ad he’d kept and was successful, gaining not only a property, but also a wife. He and his agent, Dana, married in 2010.

Ron and Dana had discovered that their birthdays were two days apart and that they both had a love for the flora and fauna of the outdoors. Ron began exploring nature at age seven, and Dana says she’s always enjoyed planting things and watching them grow. They prefer landscapes that are natural and a little wild, rather than manicured perfection. This natural look seems to draw birds, bees, butterflies, geckos, tree frogs and a host of other creatures.

They are passionate about the preservation of the Texas horned toad’s habitat and are philosophical about occasional visits from skunks and armadillos. Gophers are not quite as welcome.

In 2018, they found their present home at 1412 CR 2270 in the Lake Holbrook community. The new listing was comfortable and charming, with the added attraction of a stupendous view of the lake. They wasted no time in making an offer before the stampede of potential buyers could begin.

Though the St. Augustine lawn was in good condition, some diseased red tip photinias and a few stunted burford hollies needed to be removed. After the front bed was cleared, Ron constructed a raised bed with galvanized steel which they filled with a volunteer elephant’s ear, an airplane plant and other perennials with a tropical feel.  Dana mixes coffee grounds and crushed egg shells into their compost and everything appears to thrive on that diet.

A hanging basket of succulents and water trough full of pumpkins joins a hay bale to bring seasonal interest near the entry. Pots spilling over with zinnias, foxtail fern, mums, Christmas cactus and blue salvia draped with creeping jenny adorn the porch area.

Dana is a talented artist, who paints but also designs imaginative yard art. Her dragonfly with concrete wings set with colored glass and body of smooth stones graces one of the beds near the driveway.

They’ve used variety in color, size and shape to create an eye catching diversity.  Mexican petunias, salvias, tradescantia, rosemary, mint, bridal wreath spirea, trumpet vine, canna lilies, honeysuckle, flowering quince, pink muhly, golden privet, roses, coreopsis, Indian hawthorne, crape myrtle, nandina and decorative grasses are combined in inspired pairings throughout the property. Dana placed a blue ceramic birdbath in one bed and has incorporated other pieces of yard art to best advantage in other sites.

The couple share their yard maintenance chores and are rightfully proud of what they’ve accomplished in just a few years. Like all gardeners, they have issues to address. They plan to move some under-performers to shadier or sunnier spots, work on drainage solutions and continue the ongoing Battle of the Fireants.

The Fannie Marchman Garden Club of Mineola presents the Barrett home as the November Yard of the Month.