Sitting in her painted metal chair shaded by the deck and obscured by the outdoor stairway, Patty Bax enjoys her version of a secret garden.
An ornamental peach tree accents the perennial beds surrounding the shady patio. And tucked away among the blooming greenery are tiny fairies.
This fantastical, rural Holts Summit backyard was selected as the September Yard of the Month.
Judges were impressed by the variety and prolific use of shrubs, particularly a fast-spreading mint allowed to grow as a hedge.