Set against a backdrop of quiet woods, perennials of all colors and descriptions create a cheerful array at the home of Deb and Shane Monthei on W. Russell St, the Jefferson Garden Club’s Yard of the Month for August 2024.
Tall purple liatris, bright yellow coreopsis and rudbeckia, pink hibiscus and foxglove, daylilies of several colors, Asiatic lilies and even large blooming yucca plants fill the front beds which are bathed in ample sunlight. Spring blooming peonies create a front border to the lawn. A unique Tiger Eyes Sumac tree on the west provides year-round color from bright chartreuse green to yellow to vibrant scarlet in the fall.
Another more shaded bed in front of the home features several colors of balsam impatiens, more upright, almost tropical looking plants. Among the flowers are whimsical frog and hummingbird figures, Deb’s favorite garden ornaments.
It was in her high school horticulture class in Jefferson where she first found her interest in flower gardening. She has continued to practice those skills for years, trying many types of plants in various locations.
On the east side of their home, the Montheis have built an ornamental pond encircled with garden stones and a variety of hosta and other shade plants. A deck surrounding the home leads to an above ground pool with more landscaping. Deb freely experiments with plants until she finds just the right spot for them. Some seeds and plants have come from family in New York and elsewhere to her delight and a benefit to their colorful landscape.
The mission of the Jefferson Garden Club is to highlight and promote beauty in the community. The Yard of the Month recognition is a feature of this mission.
