Those who would like a look at June's Yard of the Month have two angles to view it from.
Contest judges from the Central Missouri Master Gardeners and Bittersweet Garden Club lauded the landscaping at 606 Ellis Blvd. - owned by Brenda Franken and cared for by Linda Lenox, who leases the home - for its apparent "two front yards."
Situated near the intersection of two busy streets, the yard faces both Ellis Boulevard and Tanner Bridge Road, and offers passersby on both sides a pleasant view.
"The home seems to have two front yards, which are maintained beautifully," noted one judge. Another added: "Though we arrived in the backyard, the first impression was as good as anyone's front yard!"
The front yard, which faces Ellis, greets visitors with neat, orderly rows of green-, purple- and yellow-leafed bushes lining the sidewalk and front brick wall - all in view of a pair of white, wicker rockers on the porch. A mature Rose of Sharon will add some blooming purple later in the season.
The more extensive landscaping faces Tanner Bridge in the backyard, which is a sea of color thanks to large, red-mulched flower beds that serve as blooming islands placed throughout well-groomed grass.
"We live out here. We don't stay inside hardly at all," said Lenox, who shares the home with her husband. The couple enjoys their backyard view from a dining table and chairs on a covered concrete patio.
From the curb, a row of yellow-blooming cacti greet people driving past. From there, the eye is drawn uphill to the largest of several perennial beds, filled with light-purple irises, yellow tickseed (a variety of coreopsis), purple salvea, yellow yarrow and pink knockout roses - all surrounding an imposing wooden eagle sculpture, one of several in the yard.
"The wood carvings were a nice complement to the flowers and shrubs, and certainly were original," one judge said.
The Lenoxes purchased each of the eagle carvings at the Missouri State Fair over several years. The largest includes twigs twisted into a nest at its base, adding a "cute touch of whimsy," according to one judge. It is lighted from behind at night.
Other eye-catchers in the yard include a small water feature near the back patio; three clematis plants in deep purple, light purple and rosy pink climbing the posts of the patio cover; and a stone circular patio built around exposed tree roots and leading up to a mature tree surrounded by orange day lilies about to bloom.
Lenox transplanted many of the backyard perennials - as well as the wood sculptures - from the family's former farm near Rolla, where they lived before relocating to Jefferson City about a year ago.
"I really think the yard was my savior when we moved up here," she said, noting the garden allows her to continue practicing her love for landscaping, which she had honed in years before at the farm.
Future plans for the yard include adding a white-vinyl privacy fence on one side of the Lenoxes' home, which will add more shade and allow for different plants to thrive, as well as replacing some border stones along a couple of beds. Future plans for Lenox also include using her planting prowess to help her daughter landscape at her new home.
To nominate a local homeowner for Yard of the Month, send an email to [email protected].