When driving by an unassuming home on David Street recently , the committee members for the Garden Club of Kewanee almost missed the treasure hidden behind it.
In fact, the women had already driven past the house once, but on the way back, Pat Sauer noticed the beautiful flowers and plants surrounding the mailbox out front. So the women pulled over and stopped.
Sauer and Joline Oswald, members of the “Yard of the Month” committee, made their way through the garage and not only located one of the property owners working on a pergola, but they stumbled upon their first “Yard of the Month” winner.
Milroy and his wife, Jill, bought the house on David Street about 28 years ago, but transforming their backyard into a hidden oasis and sanctuary has taken time, said Shane.
The backyard not only has a living room area, but also an outdoor kitchen area, a seating area and a koi pond that the couple brought with them when they moved from Toulon to Kewanee. Many of the plants and flowers that dot the couple’s well-manicured lawn came from family members and were inherited, said Jill.
When the couple first moved into their home, the landscaping was sparse, Shane said. There was a small 10 by 10’ foot deck and a rock border. Jill recalls all of the bushes that were planted everywhere. Moving them took work.
The end product of years of labor is a backyard sanctuary perfect for friends and family to gather. Of course, Jill said she’s not quite done with the transformation and said she has future plans for the back bed of the property. The only problem is she hasn’t told her husband yet.
“I present the idea and give him a month or two,” she said. She plots out most of her spring projects over the winter.
As June “Yard of the Month” winners, Jill and Shane received a lawn sign, an official certificate and a gift certificate for Sunnyfield Greenhouse. They also agreed to answer five questions for The Kewanee Voice:
What motivates or inspires you in gardening/yard work?
Jill said Shane’s dad had a huge garden in Wyoming. Her own grandmother, Harriet Nowlan, also was a gardener and the two come from long lines of gardeners.
Did your parents garden?
The couple answered that question in their first answer, but Jill adds that she was raised on a farm. Her mother still has a beautiful garden.
How many hours do you spend gardening or doing yard work each week?
Jill said she doesn’t consider it work. “We spend the whole weekend out here,” she said. Shane estimates that between the both of them, especially with all the watering, they spend about 20 hours a week gardening and performing yard work.
What advice would you give to other gardeners or people interested in sprucing up their yards?
“I don’t think there’s any rules, “ said Jill. “The plants have to work for the space,” she said. But above all, “just have fun with it.”
How does it feel to have your yard recognized as “Yard of the Month?”
“Well it’s quite an honor,” said Jill. “I enjoy what I do. I think it’s not that difficult. I get a lot of joy from it.”
Shane said he is appreciative of the Garden Club of Kewanee for recognizing all of his wife’s hard work. “She spends a lot of time on it. It didn’t happen overnight,” he said.
