Valley View Terrace residents win Garden of the Month

Serene and peaceful

The backyard patio at Jerry and Jeanne Sill's home on Valley View Terrace backs up to woods, making for a peaceful and serene place to set and enjoy the colorful plants and added features.
The backyard patio at Jerry and Jeanne Sill's home on Valley View Terrace backs up to woods, making for a peaceful and serene place to set and enjoy the colorful plants and added features.

Beneath the rich, warm sounds of chimes hanging from a 30-year-old oak tree is a cool, shaded patio in front of Jerry and Jeanne Sill's home on Valley View Terrace.

The flagstone extension to their front sidewalk is ringed with two tiers of perennial beds, which continue to flow around to the side of the house arriving at a second, shaded patio.

But it is the third patio in the backyard, with an iron arbor and fence, visitors are drawn to, as it is nestled into woods that share a property line with Missouri Department of Conservation naturalized land.

The Sills' nearly 1-acre lot has been named the July Garden of the Month by the Central Missouri Master Gardeners and the Bittersweet Garden Club.

"This garden definitely had a serene and peaceful feel," a judge said.

The Sills have lived in the cul-de-sac neighborhood, one of few with sidewalks, for 31 years. They enjoy the front patio, accented by a group of oakleaf hydrangea, to wave at neighbors and others while sipping wine.

The back pergola is shaded by a 30-year-old tulip tree, which began as a twig sent home from school with their son.

Landscaping evolved in 2007 when a basement leak disturbed most of the backyard, Jerry said. The subsequent winter, the couple devised the plan that nearly a decade later is in full bloom.

Although Longfellow's Garden Center helped select initial plantings and installed the hardscape, Jerry is the one who spends at least an hour a day maintaining the beds and plantings.

In particular, he enjoys the back corner, which had flower beds built up with railroad ties when they bought the house. A few years ago, he removed the ties and expanded the bed.

There, each year he tries different combinations of perennials, annuals and vegetables, as he battles deer that like to eat the blooms.

"I like to keep things going," Jerry said. "It's fun."

The corner bed features a turquoise-colored bench, a gift from his family upon retiring from the Missouri Hospital Association. Throughout the backyard, several metal antiques, which belonged to Jeanne's mother, have been painted the same cheerful color.

"The consistent punch of color adds interest and appeal to their garden," another judge said.

2016 Garden of the Month winners:

June: Darrell and Rhonda Maples, Iven Road

May: Peggy Salmons, Boonville Road