"New and immature, but full of dream s a nd pos sibility," is how Cynthia and Howard H albgewach s describe their yard at 111 Ashley Avenue in Madill. It is also the reason their yard was selected for April's Yard of the Month by the Madill Rose Garden Club.
Cynthia grew up in South Georgia before moving to Nebraska where she was a Mast er Gardener for more than 20 years before moving to Oklahoma. She said she feels that she is starting at ground level to learn about gardening and growing plants in Oklahoma that sh e couldn't grow in Nebraska.
With the help of a local landscaping business and after a lot of fill dirt, topsoil, and compost, the "new" yard got a "jump start" with the planting of Little Lime Hydrangeas, Annabelle Hydrangeas, Incre diba ll Hydra n geas, Encore Azaleas, Drift Roses, various grasses and hedges, day lilies, coneflowers, salvia, lantana, Blue Point Juniper , Spartan Juniper, Haywire Juniper, a Chinese Pistache, Crape Myrtle, Desert Willow, and an old-fashioned magnolia.
The landscaping businesses design ed a terrace with stairs leading down through the retaining wall in the backyard to a fire pit area that includes a water feature. Two raised beds for vegetable gardening were placed near the back of the home.
Cynthia's imagination was aroused by a dry creek bed on the south side of the property where she has already plan ted a butterfly garden and a rain garden nearby. The new home was situated in an attemptto save a large existing pecan tree, but upon pruning, the tree was discovered to be hollow and did not survive the stress of the construction.
The cutting and carrying a way ofthe pecan tree resulted in special family memories as sons, son-in-law, and grandsons worked together to remove the tree. Cynthia said that "part of the joy of gardening is sharing," and she welcomes visitors to visit anytime. She is often outside and would love to talk with any neighbor through h er very beautiful "full of dreams and possibilities" garden.