Parks & Recreation Department - Notable Yards 2008

OSCAR SMITH. Michael and Sally Poyner. 3031 William Clarke Court.

What a beautiful, interesting yard . . . and story.  When Sally Poyner moved into her home seven years ago, she was confined to a wheelchair.  Her home was built by Habitat for Humanity.

Since that time, Sally, unexpectedly, has been able to walk again.  She also married Michael, who is definitely a handy man around the house.  After they married, Michael joined Sally in her home.  He promptly began to transform her yard into a beautiful area that neighborhood children have called the secret garden.

They have added beautiful, decorative trim to the front of the house and a bright sunroom on the back of the house.  Michael built an impressive pergola in the center of their yard that serves as an outdoor room, with plenty of space for eating and grilling, electricity, overhead fan, and shelves for colorful decorative bottles and other items.  “We had the fabric roof made at a tent company out of the material that they use for tennis courts,” said Michael.  “It keeps the pergola shady and cool.”

The pergola is bordered by a beautiful pond filled with fish.  Michael designed a bridge over the pond that incorporates octagonal decorative inserts that mirror ones on the pergola.  He designed an ingenious system for keeping the water fresh.  “We have installed an automatic timer that refreshes the water in the pond twice a day,” said Michael.  “We installed a toilet tank float under the bridge to make sure that the pond doesn’t overflow.  The downspouts on our home are connected to the same drain that drains water from the pond.  We’ve also installed drains throughout our landscape to help with water runoff.”

Walkways meander through the yard past curving gardens planted with weeping bald cypress, Japanese maples, roses, flowering quince, crape myrtles, hydrangea, and more.

Michael installed a mirror that looks like a window on the shed.  Not only is it decorative on the shed, but it serves as a security system because it allows them to see their side yard from a window in the house.

He even designed a way to stop his solar pathway lights from being broken by weed-whackers and their dogs.  He installed in their shafts the same types of springs that are found on hobby horses.  That way they spring back up if knocked over.