Garden of the Month: Taking back the front yard

No one can accuse Sweet Virginia of being high maintenance.

The home so dubbed by its co-owner has a yard built around the idea of minimal upkeep, which helped garner it Garden of the Month honors for September from the Modesto Garden Club.

Kathleen Ennis and Russell Irwin live at the 118 Virginia Ave. bungalow, built in 1927. The yard had a traditional entry sidewalk with a front lawn and some basic plants before Ennis – the one who named the home Sweet Virginia – removed the hardscape and landscape in 2010, according to a garden club press release. Her goal was to create a water-wise garden with privacy for expanded outdoor space.

She built “a minimal-maintenance, bird-and-butterfly-attracting, wash-and-wear yard that was inspired by memories of Grandma’s yard in Escalon where she spent many happy hours as a child,” the press release said.

With a small budget, Ennis started “with small plants that thrive on neglect.” That meant plenty of patience as she waited for the foliage to mature.

Lantana, lavender, rosemary, crape myrtle and star jasmine frame a front yard patio that’s enclosed by a short fence. While the fence height meets code requirements by the city of Modesto, it has been enhanced with planter boxes filled with upright plants that help add to the patio’s privacy, according to the release.

The boxes – custom made to provide drainage that still preserves the wood – have exteriors that look like copper, made from material designed to re-create old-fashioned tin ceiling panels. The copper color helps set off the gray-green of the lavender planted inside.

This story was originally published September 1, 2015 at 12:21 PM with the headline "Garden of the Month: Taking back the front yard."