Inside Nancy Knipp's Jefferson City home at 819 Eastern Air, each holiday season fills the tables and shelves with decoration.
Outside is no different, except it's the blooming season and the decorations are flowers and landscaping.
Knipp has lived in the modest home for nearly 30 years, adding trees, shrubs, features and plantings along the way.
Most recently, she extended a flower bed along the edge of a newly-poured driveway. An arbor holds two gigantic ferns, while impatiens and hostas meander around other features, including a metal bench, currently home to a harvest scarecrow.
A new tool shed was added at the same time. Knipp made sure to have window box accents under each window flanking the entry.
Next, she hopes to add an irrigation system to help cut down on the watering time she spends throughout the summer, Knipp said. And she has plans for another flower bed in the back.
"Part of living is to keep wanting for something; it keeps your mind occupied," she said.
From her wide, shaded deck, Knipp enjoys mild days watching either television or the resident tree frogs.
Her late husband Ralph was meticulous about the lawn, even preferring scissors to a weed eater for trimming the edges, she said. She continues that effort, including laying a 30-foot-square patch of sod by herself.
Although most of her plantings these days are perennials, she is still fond of the color impatiens bring to her shady backyard.
Elsewhere, she keeps an eye out for "something different," such as the hibiscus tree planted at the road next to her mailbox or the potted gardenias at her backyard entrance.
"People that have pretty yards either have someone do it for them or they work at it; it takes time," Knipp said.
Tips from Nancy Knipp's garden:
Fertilizing is key
Choose plants that fit your sun exposure
Trim shrubs at the recommended time annually
Continue to want something new