Nancy Finley
The Garden Club presents Dianne and Tim Battle, 10521 Countryside Drive, as the June Yard of the Month. They have lived at Robson Ranch for 13 years. They moved here from Fort Worth where Dianne was a financial advisor and Tim was self-employed.
The front courtyard includes a soothing water feature and a green Japanese maple that adds height to the space. Colorful coleuses live under the maple. The colors balance out nicely, with three tall pots filled with green, red, and white. Dianne gets her zinnias from the Flower Ranch in Southlake. Look for them, adding color all over her beds. Sit on the bench to enjoy the sounds of babbling water. The west side yard has two very large trees. Since grass had no chance in the shade, they added small rocks and stepping stones to access the railway “long house” on this side.
Tim is the garden railroad enthusiast, and Dianne is the environmentalist. This is his fifth garden railroad. They attend national meetings and view garden railroads nationwide. The garden railroad with “G” track with passenger and log trains was renovated this year. The original shrubs had overgrown, impeding train tracks and derailing the trains. The pond was replaced with a vertical water feature. It looks amazing. When viewed by the Garden Club on May 19, club members were very excited and loved the area. Next time, they would love to see the train in motion, but our timing did not allow for that.
The patio displayed potted pink mandevilla and ferns, which were lush and beautiful. Dianne takes them in the garage for winter, so they are blooming beautifully now. The backyard has several fully planted landscape beds, and when this article goes to press, the crepe myrtles will be blooming vibrant pink, pink velour, and white. Their house is visible from the walking path off Murray S Johnson Street, east of Robson Ranch Road.
Congratulations, Dianne and Tim. What a unique yard to honor!