Flower Mound

Wildlife Delight

3701 Sarah Springs Trail, Flower Mound

(from FM1171, south on Shiloh Rd., right on Raintree Dr.; left on Sarah Springs Trail)

This two-acre property in Flower Mound has both sun and shade gardens, a pond with water plants, rain gardens that resolve drainage issues, composting and shelter for the many garden fairies who live there. The rear portion of the property backs up to a creek, and the owner has left that part of the lot in its natural state.  The garden is constantly evolving, and she plans to add a new bed to the shady front yard before the tour.

A western exposure at the front of this Flower Mound property provides more sun and heat than many plants can survive.  Through trial and error the owner has developed a landscape that is attractive and thrives in the strong sunlight.  The real surprise to our visitors will be when they enter the gate to the backyard, which is an environment for relaxing and enjoying life.  The main feature is a large pond with numerous water plants.  A fisherman is sitting on a rock dipping his line into the water.  The façade of a fishing shack attached to the wood fence at the back of the property provides both an interesting focal point as well as storage for garden equipment. 

No Work, Will Travel

2336 Covington Drive, Flower Mound

(from FM1171, south on 2499; left on Forest Vista Drive; right on Amhearst Ln., left on Covington Dr.)

This garden is designed for the enjoyment of a busy family on the go. The garden design provides a good variety of plant material including many unusual trees and is intended to be low maintenance.  Numerous patios and walkways in the rear portion of the property provide an ideal location for entertaining.  The front garden with its patio and fountain offers great curb appeal. Her garden is both beautiful and functional and demonstrates that a home can have a lovely garden that includes a variety of plants without constant maintenance.

 

Artist's Retreat 2101 Woodbrook, Denton (from  FM1830, right on Hobson, right on Teasley, left on Pennsylvania Dr., left on Woodbrook St.) This garden was on the tour a few years ago.  The owner has since added new features to her landscape and has made modifications as sun and shade areas in the garden have changed.  Key features in this garden include a pond and various art features.  The owner is an artist and has created many of the structures in her landscape including numerous mosaic pieces.  Her back garden provides several seating areas and is a lovely oasis for relaxing and enjoying the many birds that visit her garden daily.    Slippery Slope Solution 3012 Pennsylvania Court, Denton (from Hobson Ln., right (east) on Teasley, right on Pennsylvania Dr., left on Southmont, right on Pennsylvania Ct.)   This home is four years old.  As the first owner, this Master Gardener started from scratch to create a landscape that includes many native and adapted plants.  Her lot is on a steep slope and she has created terraces in the landscape to address issues with the heavily sloped property.  She has selected plant material with the goal of having blooming plants most times of the year.  Vegetables and herbs are part of the overall landscape as are the many plants that attract butterflies.      New Beginnings 3400 Carmel Street, Denton (from Hobson Ln., right (south) on Carmel) This Master Gardener moved to a 40 year-old home in Denton a couple of years ago and immediately began addressing issues with a landscape that had not been modified or updated in 40 years.  She has a corner lot with many trees, and the overall effect is a calm, cool oasis.  She modified the design by adding structures including arbors and wood fencing to define the gardens and create rooms in the landscape.  She also removed plants that no longer work in the outdated landscape and added new plantings that support an updated design.  Highlighting pleasing views and disguising or hiding less pleasing views has been a goal in her overall design.  Her approach will provide good information to the gardener who wants to replace the out-of-date with current landscape designs and plant material.        Beauty on a Shoestring Fairoaks Retirement Center 1950 Lattimore Street, Denton (from downtown Denton, east on E. McKinney; left on Woodrow/Audra, left on Lattimore)   Bonus Garden: One of our Master Gardeners initiated a project in her Intern year to bring beauty and pleasure to residents of the Fair Oaks and Fairhaven Retirement Centers in Denton.  With little money, lots of determination and dedicated volunteers she has converted these lower-income properties that had little or no landscaping to lovely garden spots that enhance the lives of the people who live there.  Fair Oaks is the bonus garden for the 2009 Tour.  The Project Leader and her team worked to build gardens both in the shared spaces for the community as well as gardens for individual residents.  They worked to improve the soil and provide plantings that met the requests of the residents.  This labor of love highlights how Master Gardeners give back to their communities and make their part of the world a little bit better.