Harvey and Susie Carraway met while working for the telephone company in Houston and married in 1983. They both chose to take early retirement when it was offered and, eight years ago, decided to settle in Mineola, buying their home at 347 CR 2610 on a spacious wooded lot. Harvey laughs as he says they do a little grumbling when raking up leaves and acorns in the fall but still love their trees.

The couple have developed green thumbs over the years. Harvey once planted an enormous garden full of his favorite vegetables, but between pesky critters and hungry insects, his harvest was eaten before it could be picked. Susie grew lavender for three years, bagging it to sell at an antique store. They have since downsized their gardening but still enjoy planting and maintaining their current landscape.

The Carraways are cat lovers, sometimes volunteering or otherwise supporting animal shelters, so catnip is always in the assortment of perennials in their flowerbeds. Susie also likes to include lemongrass, mint, lavender and rosemary for their scent, but mainly as mosquito deterrents. She also uses a homemade mosquito spray as a supplement. She combines a 27-ounce bottle of blue mouthwash (an inexpensive brand), three cups of Epsom salts and three 12-ounce cans of stale beer. She mixes it well to dissolve the ingredients and sprays everywhere the pests are active.

Harvey says regular applications of plain grass fertilizer and adequate watering are responsible for their luxuriant deep green lawn. He sometimes uses fish emulsion or lime if needed and believes there is no need for weed-and-feed products if his grass is kept so thick and healthy that weeds are crowded out. Their yard certainly seems to agree.

They say they like to use plants in a combination of shades of green, accented liberally with those having purple leaves and flowers, such as ajuga, purple tradescantia, purple iris, loropetalum and black (purple) oxalis. Verdant asparagus ferns, dwarf yaupon, English ivy, lantana, azaleas and nandina give visual balance to flowerbeds edged with stones. A black iron cauldron hanging from its circular frame provides added curb appeal.
Susie says that the area’s sometimes extreme winter cold does not discourage her from enjoying tropical or semitropical plants. She puts them in pots sitting atop a plant caddy so when the temperature plunges, she can simply wheel them into the garage. Problem solved.

The Fannie Marchman Garden Club of Mineola has chosen the Carraway home as its May Yard of the Month.