It’s surprising how often one small effort can result in a grand outcome. Mike and Sandi Whisenant planted a handful of bluebonnets near the street fronting their house, but were disappointed when a truck swerved over them, leaving only one survivor. Sandi didn’t hold out much hope for future bluebonnets, but that sole bloom reappeared the next spring along with a few friends, and the group kept multiplying.  Today, they are an impressive and vivid display, carpeting a wide swath along the street.

Mike and Sandi designed and built their lovely home on a wooded lot at 172 CR 2321, in the Greystone subdivision in Mineola, eight years ago. At the time, the lot was overgrown with weeds and vines, including poison ivy. After clearing the ground for planting, they placed pink azaleas and a variety of perennials along the foundation.  Pots of brilliant red geraniums brighten each side of the broad front porch steps.

A tree to the left of the driveway is surrounded by jasmine groundcover. On the other side, they created a large flowerbed under the shade trees in the front. More azaleas and an oakleaf hydrangea anchor the bed, full of flowering plants and shrubs.  Elsewhere, Gerbera daisies, daffodils, forsythia, daylilies, wood ferns, a pink peony, zinnias, a Bloodgood Japanese maple and pink poppies put on a show along the front and side yard.

The side yard is also home to a sizeable bed with a gorgeous display of roses in many colors and a stylized metal sculpture of roses sitting among the blooms. Sandi loves spending time here.

Since his retirement, Mike has been certified as a Master Gardener, and volunteers at the Wood County Arboretum in Quitman. In addition, he continues to create his and Sandi’s vision for their backyard. An attractive array of plantings, including rusty blackhaw viburnum, vitex, flowering quince, woodland anise, sedum, a black gum tree, a rising sun redbud, elderberry and a mountain laurel border a winding, natural walking path of woodchips. They say they’d like to add a dogwood next.

Using native plants to attract butterflies, bees and birds is a priority for the Whisenants. They also depend on their three bluebird houses to attract the songbirds.

The couple found and repurposed a weathered, old white iron bed as a flowerbed frame and the “Bed Bed” may soon be filled with pink poppies or zinnias. Mike also constructed an arbor out of cedar limbs as support for the prolific blooms of a native honeysuckle. They hope to install a drip irrigation system soon to help with some of the watering.

They’re well acquainted with finicky plants that stubbornly refuse to grow or flower in their original location but often flourish when transplanted in another spot. They’re also enthusiastic about cotton burr compost, saying their plants thrive with it.

The Fannie Marchman Garden Club of Mineola has chosen the Whisenant home as their April Yard of the Month.