All posts by steve lescure

BEAUTY SPOT – AUGUST 2023

The Country Hills Garden Club is pleased to award the August Beauty Spot of the Month to Hector and Karen Ponciano at 3512 Pinehurst, a first-time honor for them.  The Ponciano’s have been residents for over 15 years and have been working together to transform their landscape into a pollinator friendly haven.  They are proud that no pesticides or chemical fertilizers have been used and have thoughtfully included native plants to reduce the need for watering.

From the moment you approach the house, an inviting island bed captures your attention. Anchored by a majestic butterfly bush, the bed is adorned with a captivating array of brightly colored perennials that promise multi-seasonal delight. Phlox, Shasta daisies, yarrow, coreopsis, mums, gazania, and coleus unite to create a visual delight for the eyes and a sweet banquet for the numerous pollinators that grace the yard. Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterflies, adorned in bright yellow, contrast beautifully against the deep purple flowers, while a variety of busy bees visit the vibrant coral-pink tubular flowers of an assortment of agastache.

As you wander along the front of the house, meticulously curated flower beds offer a tapestry of continuous interest throughout the growing season.  Stokes aster, coneflowers, butterfly weed, and indigo plant add pops of color, while the velvety silver-gray leaves of the lamb’s ear provide a touch of delightful texture.  A non-traditional cardinal flower is covered in magenta colored flowers.  Autumn Joy sedum and Blackberry lily seed pods, await the arrival of late summer to reveal their colorful bounty.  As you approach the front door, an assortment of container plants greets you, with a love-lies-bleeding amaranthus providing an unusual focal point with its eye-catching deep purple panicles.  

Beyond the view from the street, the backyard contains multiple beds with an assortment of perennials and well-placed shrubs.  The theme of blackberry lilies continues along the back fence, harmonizing with black-eyed Susans, obedient plants, and cranesbill geraniums.  Adding to the backyard’s charm is a special lineage of peonies, a beloved heirloom from Karen’s Great Grandmother, which has traversed through generations, from Massachusetts to New Hampshire, before finding its home in our CCH neighborhood. 

A statue of St. Francis, still recovering from a recent party, is engulfed in a sea of rudbeckia flanked by calla lilies and ironweed.  An aromatic herb garden teeming with an assortment of chives, basil, rosemary, and lemon grass and a small patch of milkweed, donated by their neighbor Scott, flourishes in the sun.  Scott fosters Monarch butterfly caterpillars and hopes that these milkweeds will one day support the lifecycle of these beautiful insects. 

As visitors explore the Ponciano pollinator paradise, it becomes apparent that their efforts have cultivated a beautiful landscape and sanctuary and therefore deserving of this recognition from the Country Hills Garden Club.

Kirsten Youngren

Country Hills Garden Club

BEAUTY SPOT – JUNE 2023

The Country Hills Garden Club is thrilled to present the Benjamin family at 3507 Spring Lake Terrace with the June Beauty Spot.  Longtime residents of CCH, this recognition is a first-time achievement for Anand and Jamuna.

Upon approaching the Benjamin’s home, one cannot help but be captivated by the transformation that has taken place. Gone are the original shrubs that once lined the front, replaced now by a stunning array of perennials and shrubs that offer both texture and year-round visual interest. The front slope of the yard showcases a lush green lawn, inviting visitors to explore the meticulously manicured landscape that gracefully wraps around the sides of the house.

As one draws nearer to the front door, an appealing arrangement of Japanese aucuba, hostas, hellebores, and pink astilbe illuminate the shady bed. The variegated green foliage of these plants beautifully complements one another while providing a striking contrast against the backdrop of the red brick house.

In the left front corner of the landscape, a trio of hostas takes center stage, their light purple flowers just beginning to bloom. To further enhance the beauty of the front, a delightful dwarf blue spruce stands proudly alongside multiple Japanese andromeda bushes, ensuring a touch of evergreen interest throughout the seasons. To add a splash of vibrant color, rose bushes are interspersed throughout the landscape, their bold red blossoms punctuating the scene along with coreopsis and dark purple coral bells.  The front bed culminates with a solitary Wolf Eyes Kousa dogwood tree, its eye-catching wavy gray-green leaves accented with ivory margins adding a touch of elegance to the overall composition.

Wrapping around the right side of the house, the landscape bed showcases a continuation of the red rose theme sprinkled with bright green sedum and white boulders that seamlessly merge with a still blooming rhododendron and hydrangeas patiently biding their time, promising a display in the months ahead.

Through thoughtful plant selection and planning, the Benjamin’s have created a landscape that harmoniously blends colors, textures, and seasonal interest. The Country Hills Garden Club proudly recognizes the Benjamin family for their outstanding efforts in transforming their home into a breathtaking beauty spot, deserving of this month’s recognition.

Kirsten Youngren

Country Club Garden Club

Beauty Spot – May 2023

MAY BEAUTY SPOT 2023

Spring has sprung in the CCH, and with it, the return of blooming landscapes and the County Hills Garden Club Beauty Spot.  The vivacious colors of our neighborhood yards stand out against the rich green backdrop enhanced by recent rains, creating a feast for the eyes.  With so many colorful homes to choose from, it is always difficult to feature just one. 

We are delighted to award the May 2023 Beauty Spot of the Month to the Osborne family home at 3423 Andover Drive.  This first-time honor is well-deserved, as their home showcases the stunning vibrancy of azaleas that are so prominently displayed in our community at this time of year.

As you approach the home, you are greeted with symmetrically placed crimson barberry, crape myrtles, and azaleas in shades of pink and red. These shrubs and trees are accented by an assortment of hostas, variegated and green, Autumn Joy sedum, coral bells, and ornamental grasses, creating a lush landscape flanking the driveway to welcome you home.

The front of the house is adorned with a row of dense azaleas, bordered on both sides by panicle hydrangeas. A mature Japanese Aucuba anchors the front left corner of the house, while a just-starting-to-bloom rhododendron greets you at the front door. The colors of the flowers are perfectly coordinated, creating a symphony of similar shades that delight the senses.

The beauty of the Osborne family’s home is further highlighted by the attention to detail that has been paid in its design. The symmetric placement of shrubs and careful selection of flowers and plants have created a landscape that is not only beautiful, but also welcoming. Before the azaleas fade for the season, we hope everyone will take some time to appreciate the colorful landscape that is found at 3423 Andover Drive.

Kirsten Youngren

Country Club Garden Club

2022 Holiday Decorations Winners

Thank you to everyone for lighting up CCH for the Holidays. This year, once again, it is definitely a delightful display of holiday spirit. The CCH Garden Club judging committee traveled the streets Tuesday evening, December 20th, viewing the dozens of strong contestants. There were many amazing designs to pick from in our four categories.  Decisions were tough and we did our best to highlight those that had not won in recent years.  We greatly appreciate all the effort our homeowners put into decorating the neighborhood to illuminate our community.


Traditional

The Jones’ family at 3506 Spring Lake Terrace takes the nod this year for the traditional category.  Each window contains the warm glow of flickering candles and is adorned with greenery with pops of red bows.  An illuminated large wreath on the front of the house enhances the ambience and draws you in.  A nice addition is the lighted contrast of bright white containers containing a mix of greens, reds and whites against a sea of green pachysandra.


Inflatables

Enhancing their previous year’s display, our victor for inflatables is at 3401 Park Hill Place.  The Rodriguez family added several new characters and a colorful greeting that is visible as you pass the Commons. With so much square footage, it is difficult to light up this entire corner. Now with their well-spaced additions, they really “blew” it up this year. A final nice touch is a beautiful lighted tree in the window that really brings this winner to new heights.


Best Lighting

The home of Kevin and Leslie at 3403 Park Hill Place is the eye popper for 2022. Tucked in and shielded on the sides it can be hard to see what a spectacle of brilliantly matching lights this home provides. We really appreciated the effort they took in making sure that all illuminated areas contains matching tones of colored lights. They have always had a nice display, but this year with all of the bushes lit, the driveway lined lights, Christmas tree, and wreath they have seriously upgraded their game. Congratulations to the best lit home this year!


Judges Choice

Hands down, well more like star up! The judges really appreciated the effort and illumination from the home of Matt and Pam at 10001 Blackthorn court. Looking up from the bottom of the hill at the corner of Pinehurst and Brookwood, this attraction is quite a sight to behold. As recent new comers to the CCH, they have really stepped up their display this year. 

Of course, the Abominable snow man from the classic Rudolph movie is the big draw holding up the STAR to top the tree of our winter wonderland.


As a side note, we did notice quite a few homes put up lights after we did our tour, thank you! Your effort is not unnoticed. Please keep making our neighborhood the kind of place people want to visit.

Happy Holidays!

Joyce Skoglund, Susan Pepin, and Kirsten Youngren

Country Hills Garden Club