LETA Award for Yard of the Month

Joan and I were so honored and pleased to win the yard of the month in Lawton, Oklahoma.  This was the article:

Jim and Joan Roberts show off their yard at 1607 NW 36th, which was named this month’s LETA Yard of the Month. A combination of hard work in weeding and mowing helps keep the yard looking nice year round.

For Jim and Joan Roberts, winners of this month’s Lawton Enhancement Trust Authority’s Yard of the Month, the key to an awardwinning yard is teamwork.

“Jim does the mowing and I do the weeding,” Joan Roberts said.

The couple’s home at 1607 NW 36th doesn’t feature as large of a yard as many homes in Lawton, but the Roberts use the space they have in front of their home well. A well-mulched flowerbed lines the entire front of the home — flanking the sidewalk approach from the curb. When the couple first purchased the home, the bed was filled with a continuous hedge of shrubs. Jim Roberts said he always preferred individual bushes, so he spent considerable time trimming them down to their current design.

“I think I nearly ruined a hedge trimmer in the process, but we like how they look now,” he said.

The bed also features aureola grass in increments and a pair of holly trees on each side of the porch. The grass is finely cut and a vibrant green — even during the warm weeks of summer. There’s nary a weed to be spotted in either the yard or the flower bed, as Joan Roberts said she spends ample time on her hands and knees plucking any weed that dare show its head. Her husband then spends ample time mowing the grass.

“I try to mow around twice a week,” Jim Roberts said. “I have this shammy I soak with water and wear on my head under a hat when I’m out there with that on, the heat doesn’t seem to bother me.”

He said he learned his dedication to mowing from his father as a child.

“My dad always had me out there mowing the yard and I guess I got to where I loved mowing the yard whenever I could,” Jim Roberts said.

When the Roberts were notified of their award, they were taken aback and surprised. Their previous home had a much larger yard that featured more plants and landscaping. Joan Roberts wasn’t convinced, at first, but enjoyed being able to spend the $100 giftcard that came along with the LETA sign. The couple is proud of their work and that someone recognized it.

“I was like, are you sure you have the right address?” she said. “When we got that giftcard, we went down and bought a whole bunch of mulch for the flower bed. We were needing mulch, so it worked out just great for us.”