Mistletoe Heights Yard of the Month
October 2011: 1200 Buck St.
The Mistletoe Heights Association recognizes Lorelei St. James of 1200 Buck St. as winner of October’s Yard of the Month
Lorelei’s front and side yards on the southwest corner of Buck and Mistletoe Boulevard are full of color even after the relentless heat and drought that has lasted well into September.
The front walk begins at the corner of the lot and gracefully curves across the front lawn to the porch. Two red knockout roses are the first plants to greet guests as they stroll along the walkway.
The roses are followed by an array of colorful and hardy blooming perennials and annuals. These tough-as-nails plants include salvias, such as the black and blue variety, autumn sage (Salvia greggii) in shades of red and purple, Mexican bush sage, rock rose mallow (Pavonia lasiopetala) and lantana.
An annual purple sparkler cleome is tucked in near the porch. This dwarf variety, growing about a half to two-thirds the size of traditional garden cleome, serves as a focal point near the house. Clumps of Mexican feather grass add texture and subtle movement.
Along the street on the north and west sides of her home, Lorelei has replaced old and ailing mulberry trees with Dallas red crape myrtles. As they grow, these multi-trunked trees will certainly become show-stoppers with their long-lasting blooms in summer followed by outstanding fall foliage.
As a bonus to the beautiful blooms, all of the plants in Lorelei’s garden are attractive to butterflies, bees and hummingbirds. Pay particular attention as you walk past her house, especially in October, and you may catch a glimpse of monarch butterflies stopping by on their annual flight across Texas.
Thanks, Lorelei, for your gardening efforts and for helping make Mistletoe Heights a great place to live! Thanks, too, to Calloway’s Nursery for the generous donation of a $50 gift certificate to each Yard of the Month recipient.