Parks & Recreation Department - Notable Yards 2007

HICKORY. Martha Webb. 704 Beckley Lane.

Martha Webb, a sixth-grade teacher at Hugo Owens Middle School, energetically tends her lush, interesting yard.  “I like for my yard to look good from a distance, but to have interesting details when you see it up close,” said Martha.  “I even keep a garden journal and take before and after photos.  I like color and variety.”  Knowing that she loves to garden, grateful parents have presented her with garden center gift certificates.  “I don’t mind moving plants if I think they will do better in another location.”

Curving planting beds make up much more of the landscape than the lawn—a practice that is promoted by gardening experts.  “I made sure that there is just enough room between the beds to drive my car so that it is easy to unload heavy mulch and gardening supplies at just the right spot,” said Martha.

Each planting bed has been created with a different theme in mind.  In the blue garden, the color blue is highlighted—a blue bench, blue gazing ball, blue accessories, and blue flowers (including hydrangea, star flower, adjuratum, and hearty plumbago).  Martha created a pyracantha espalier (a plant that is trained to grow in a particular shape against a wall) in a square shape on the fence behind the garden.

In the whimsical garden, colors abound—a multi-colored bench, whimsical statuary, colorful bird houses, and an old window that has been turned into a work of art, colorfully painted with butterflies and flowers and hung along the fence.  Colorful flowers have been planted, including butterfly bushes, black-eyed Susans, acuba, and daylilies.  The interesting color and shape of a Blue Atlas Cedar tree is just the right touch in this garden.

A constant theme of bunnies can be found throughout the entire yard—from flags to statuary.  “I love wildlife”, said Martha.  “We use a crab net to catch the bunnies and then release them in an area outside of the garden.”

Martha has used rocks and open pavers to conserve runoff water.  She creatively installed an attractive French drain near the curb to catch yard run-off.  When she extended the width of the driveway, she did so with open pavers that allowed rain water to run through them, rather than flow down the driveway and be lost into the street gutter.