Vision 2020 Civic Pride Committee have chosen Glen & Kathy Pace’s yard at 616 Island View for the April “Yard of the Month” award because of its visual beauty & welcoming appearance in the neighborhood. The award includes a $25 gift certificate donated by Otto & Sons Nursery.

The Pace family which includes 4 children, moved in three years ago, inheriting a front yard with two trees, a crape myrtle & a silk tree(Albizzia) and a lot of weeds. Kathy said their daughter, Rachel, inspired them to work hard to create a pretty and interesting, water conserving front yard with minimal upkeep. They wanted something blooming the year around & chose drought tolerant plants with varying foliage colors & textures as well as more trees(crape myrtles &a Chinese Flame tree).

A rock wall was built to create a terrace, stone- lined paths of decomposed granite added & a drip system to individual plants installed to prevent water runoff in the sloped yard.

The yard is filled with blooming lavenders, salvias in different colors, blanket flower(Gaillardia), butterfly milkweed, flax, daisies, freesias, iris, roses and fragrant Sweet Alyssum & Santa Barbara Daisy are used for a groundcover.

At the top of the yard, on the north side is a small shade garden with fuchsia, tropical ginger, violets, baby tears & an extravagant, lush maidenhair fern.

After reading about the Victory gardens of the past, Kathy said they added some vegetables to the front yard & some have reseeded.

No insecticides are used in this garden, so it is kept lush with an organic fertilizer that has soil microbes, Gro-Power Plus.