A wooded wonderland awaits visitors who trek out to 362 Cannondale to see the May Yard of the Month.
In six years, Mary Callahan has built seven flower beds full of vibrant colors, soothing textures and repurposed antiques.
She's working on number eight, and number nine is already planned in her head.
"After that, I'm sure I still won't be done," Callahan said.
The touring judges from the Central Missouri Master Gardeners and the Bittersweet Garden Club selected the garden for its personality, bright colors and design.
"The front porch of the house was very much a part of the garden - very inviting to come and rest a while with a glass of wine or morning coffee," one judge said.
The use of pottery and clever garden art throughout the garden also was a frequent praise in the judges' comments.
"Her eye for selection and placement of plants in colors and textures that complement each other and the surroundings is genius," another judge said.
When Callahan first moved to the home, the woods were right up to the house, she said.
Her first project was to create a front yard and an island shade garden inside a circle drive, to create some curb appeal, she said.
"It's great to have open space," she said. "Now, I have so much done, I can sit on my porch with my coffee and enjoy it."
But most of her work cannot be seen from the street. Through the tree canopy drive, visitors are often surprised to find the manicured lawn, colors and ordered beds around the bend.
"I enjoy a challenge; it was fun," Callahan said.
Now, she's working on a big project in the backyard, along the woods' edge, with mostly shrubs and grasses with some shasta daisies and Russian sage. And she has built her first raised vegetable garden.
Most of her plantings are perennials, but this year she has added more annuals, especially zinnias, because of more sunny spots, she said. She also enjoys spirea for its variety of sizes and colors.
One of Callahan's favorites are coral bells - she has more than 70 plants.
"They bring bright colors into the shade, they're easy to take care of, and they're versatile," she said.
As a retired florist, Callahan brings an understanding of sizes and textures to create a pleasing design.
Birdhouses are a theme, both antiques for planters and decoration and also functional ones filled with seed.
Another recurrent feature of Callahan's rugged paradise are walking paths flowing throughout several gardens and back into the woods, which the grandchildren love, she said.
And she pleasingly has incorporated two large, homing pigeon houses into the landscape with her unique use of antiques and second-hand pieces. A couple of wall sconces hang on a metal fence as planters, and a wooden clock mounted to a tree makes it "always 5 o'clock in the garden."
She visits flea markets, antique stores and second-hand stores often enough that the clerks have started asking to see photos of her garden, Callahan said.
"I love accessorizing the garden," she said.