Ramblewood Garden Club May yard of the month

Submitted by Nancy Bahn Ramblewood Garden Club has awarded the May Yard of the Month to Brian and Deb Tracy, who live in the Historic Neighborhood of Cape Girardeau. Their natural-style gardens are filled with many perennially blooming hostas, azaleas, variegated vinca and Soloman’s seal (Polygonatum) plantings. The front garden contains spring blooming azaleas of the pink small-blossomed Coral Bells, purple Herbert, orangey-red Hino Crimson and Delaware Valley White varieties, with white-edged Patriot hostas lining their base. All these azaleas varieties grow well in this planting zone and provide an explosion of color early in April. Interspersed among the azaleas are Lee’s Dark Purple rhododendron and English boxwood (Buxus), with variegated Liriope lining the entry walkway. Potted coleus and Rex begonias decorate the porch area. White dogwood (Cornus florida), oakleaf hydrangea (Quercifolia), red-leafed Japanese maple (Acer palmatum), and a pink-blossomed Camilla Winter’s Joy add to this colorful display. Brian related that he would take a picture each spring of their garden and send it to his father, who passed away this last year. Another bed is filled with plantings of spiderwort (Tradescantia), Hellebore, (Helleborus, commonly known as Lenten rose), monkey grass (Liriope muscari), lily of the valley (Convallarie majalis), variegated Vinca major (Periwinkle), orange and pink lilies (Lilium), Frances Williams and Halcyon hostas (Plantain lily), and azalea varieties, with ajuga or bugleweed serving as ground cover. The highlight of the backyard lawn area is a round garden bed containing a French lilac (Syringa vulgaris), purple iris and yellow flag iris (Iris pseudacorus). A circle drive is landscaped with perfectly round shaped English boxwood. Congratulations to Brian and Deb Tracy for making our town a more beautiful place to live.