The Fannie Marchman Garden Club has selected the home of Ronny and Cathy Smith as its October Yard of the Month.

The Smiths relocated to Mineola from the Metroplex three years ago, settling into a home on a large corner lot at 278 CR 2321 in the Greystone addition. T

he sparsely landscaped yard soon benefited from Ronny and Cathy’s gardening experience. Ronny planted 28 pallets of Bermuda sod across the property.

The Smiths soon discovered they needed to water more frequently because of the sandy soil. A well helps with watering, while weeds in the lawn are pulled by hand.

Cathy and Ronny have planted a variety of colorful perennials in their flower beds, including drift roses, pink Turk’s cap, Texas star hibiscus, rock rose and yellow rose of Texas.

Holes for new plants are dug with a hand auger and backfilled with soil, potting soil and fertilizer.

The Smiths also reto provide additional located a tulip tree that had been planted too close to the house, moving it to the middle of the front yard to give it more room to mature.

The backyard features Cathy’s potted plants and flower beds. Several bird and hummingbird feeders are placed near a well house built by Ronny. A wind chime given to Cathy in memory of her mother hangs nearby.

The Smiths planted a white oak tree and transplanted two mulberry trees that began as volunteer seedlings shade in the backyard. Another focal point of the property is a large Texas-shaped cactus and succulent bed in the side yard.

Cathy suggested the Texas design, and Ronny created a scaled drawing to lay out the dimensions. The bed is outlined with rounded edging and filled with rocks and pots containing barrel cactus, sedum, aloe vera, prickly pear, banana yucca, agave and cholla.

Tender plants are moved into a temporary greenhouse during the winter months. Periwinkles throughout the lower portion of the bed add color. Two eagles carved from tree stumps left on the property provide another landscaping feature.

The wooden carvings are surrounded by multicolored lantana. Cathy, a quilter, and Ronny, a craftsman, have combined their creativity and interest in gardening to transform their property during their three years in Mineola.