Marcie and Don Roberts
Erminja Maganja, Garden Club Publicity Chair
For August, Letha Straub, Garden Club “Yard of the Month” chair, selected the beautiful yard of Don and Marcie Roberts at 9805 Cypress Street to receive this honorary award.
Garden Club members likely recall that the Roberts’ gorgeous yard was on display for the Garden Tour in May. The Roberts are native Texans! Don hails from Kermit, and Marcie from Lubbock. They moved to Robson nearly three years ago. They felt their yard had “good bones,” and they work as a team to improve and maintain it. They were not immune to the brutal Winter of 2021, losing many shrubs. They took notice of the plants that did survive, did more research, and re-planted with hardy evergreen shrubs that could withstand the harsh elements of North Texas—the cold, the excessive and prolonged heat, and the wind—while also providing color and enjoyment throughout winter months. Shrubs that made their cut include sunshine ligustrum, waxleaf ligustrum, dwarf nandina, dwarf Burford holly, and dwarf yaupon holly. Trees include Bradford pear, Japanese maple, and magnolia, which thrive with a two- to three-inch layer of mulch to help the roots remain cooler in summer and protected in winter.
To add color and variety to the landscape, they planted perennials, including summer phlox, society garlic, calla lily, hardy hibiscus, salvia, and hydrangea. For another blast of color and texture, they interspersed annuals such as Penta, periwinkle, portulaca, Angelonia, and wax leaf begonia. The result is a beautiful, lush landscape, pleasing to the eye and soothing to the soul.
The Roberts’ lawn is to be admired! Don shared his strategy for keeping a lush, green carpet: Keep the grass as short as possible so that it spreads and stays thick. Scalp it to one-inch in the spring and keep it at that height until the heat of summer, and then mow it to two inches. Of course, that means he’s mowing at least twice per week to keep it low and looking great—and it shows!
Please stop by to see Don and Marcie’s artistry and congratulate them on earning Yard of the Month!
If you have questions or suggestions for Yard of the Month, please contact Letha Straub at 580-490-1500 or [email protected].
For other questions or information about the Garden Club, contact Erminja at [email protected] or 916-804-5551.