Many homeowners immediately think of foundation plantings when dreaming of landscaping their property. Having a neat bed of shrubs and flowers along the front of their home looks and feels just right with an average sized lot.

But for those with an acre or more, focusing on just one area of their yard seems off balance. Jenny and Mike Roberts solved that problem with “islands” of plantings scattered over their property.

When Jenny bought the house at 136 English Street in 1981, much of the large lot was overgrown with scrub brush and weeds. Her dad came to the rescue, using a tractor and brush hog to clear the area for planting grass. The corner lot was then ready for the creation seen today.

Two years later, Jenny and Mike became a couple and raised two daughters there. It wasn’t until around 2000 that they began thinking of adding to the meager plantings around the home.

Jenny spent five months working in the yard, with encouragement and suggestions from her mom and sister, both enthusiastic gardeners. She was so pleased with the results of her work that she began adding trees and flower beds in earnest until the Roberts’ vision was complete (almost) several years ago.

Jenny admits she can’t resist adding a new specimen now and then. 

Mike was raised on a farm with a huge vegetable garden, so he’s no stranger to edging, watering and fertilizing. He also added a covered porch to the rear of the house some time back, then installed a flagstone “floor” and walkway. This area is not only surrounded by lovely flower beds but also features pots with a variety of flowers and creeping jenny spilling over.

Jenny loves roses, and a favorite is the white Lady Banksia rose climbing along their back fence and blanketing an arched metal arbor. It’s a descendant of the Tombstone Arizona rose, brought to the States in 1885 from Scotland. 

They spend many Saturdays on this porch with their girls and grandchildren, having coffee and enjoying the peace and beauty around them. A lavender clematis twines on a nearby trellis, and dozens of varieties of flowering plants jostle for room in the colorful beds. Gardenias perfume the air, birds twitter as they visit the birdhouses, and butterflies hover over the bright yellow lantana. It’s a little slice of heaven that makes the Roberts family justifiably proud.

The Fannie Marchman Garden Club of Mineola has chosen the Roberts home for their May Yard of the Month.