February Yard of the Month
Winter on the Prairie Need Not Be Bleak!
Ellen Sullivan
Gardeners in North Texas frequently complain about the lack of inspiration for a pretty yard in the winter months. This area alternates between winter, spring, rain, and dry—sometimes in the span of a week! This does not allow for much in the way of colorful gardening.
However, Martha Dever at 11600 Drinkwater has developed her front yard to be a colorful eyecatcher. Her use of pansies in slightly raised beds, along with bright blue planters and matching garden chairs, is unique. Martha arrived at Robson Ranch a few years ago from Andrews, Texas. Andrews is deep in the heart of West Texas, so Martha learned a lot about making a beige landscape pop with careful planning. She had a friend with a greenhouse there who inspired Martha to use pansies in the cooler weather. Her best advice for keeping pansies blooming throughout this time of year is fertilizing with blood meal when she plants them and again if the blooms start to lessen. She also recommends deeply watering them before a pending freeze. If rabbits become a nuisance, she suggests planting pansies in taller pots or using commercial rabbit repellent in the soil.
Robson Ranch Garden Club meets on the third Monday of each month, September through May. The next meeting is on Feb. 16 at 10:30 a.m. in the Lonestar Room at the clubhouse.
John and Pam Vollmer, January Yard of the Month
Rocks! and Shade! and Grass! … Oh, My!
Ellen Sullivan
Robson Garden Club’s first Yard of the Month for 2026 belongs to John and Pam Vollmer. They have been in their house at 11711 Lynnbrook for 16 years. Out of necessity, they have created a front yard that is easy to maintain, but it was a long process. In the first few years, the obstacle was so many rocks just below the surface. These made planting and maintaining a lawn difficult, and mowing was a nightmare. Then, as their trees grew, the shade became a problem. Too much shade meant the grass did not get enough light. Their solution over the years has been to create a front yard with succulents, a rock border, and decorative rock in the middle. This easy-to-maintain method shows how lovely a yard can be with the right attitude! It would be impossible to completely remove all the rock and replace the topsoil to a depth that would remove all the rock. The Vollmers tackled the problem while also realistically embracing the inherent situation.
Robson Ranch Garden Club meets on the third Monday of each month, September through May. The next meeting is on Feb. 16 at 10:30 a.m. in the Lonestar Room at the clubhouse.