Emporia Gardeners of America Beautification Awards
Phyllis Powers
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Mike and Jill Brown, 715 Whildin St., are the recipients of the August Beautification Award from the Emporia Gardeners of America.
The couple bought the house in 1989 and have been working and improving the grounds for 18 years. Their home was built in 1926 by Sam Perdaris, an architect and owner of the Topic Cafe in Emporia. He lived in the house until he was 99-years-old.
A unique feature is a cement rock wall with embedded white glass, which frames three sides of their home. The glass comes from former tables at Perdaris’ restaurant.
Rock borders surround flower beds around the porch, which have many annual plantings of geranium and impatiens. Jill Brown started the flowers from seed this year. She estimates she saved $400-$500 by planting seedlings this year in her greenhouse.
When one approaches the home, he will see two, rock-cement pillars that are graced with planters of verbena and spike. On the rock wall to the south is an Americana planter box with asparagus fern.
Under a large locust tree in the front yard is a display of impatiens. Hostas, ferns and a planting of begonias are placed on a rustic chair under the tree.
Over the years, the Browns have removed more than 20 overgrown trees on the property. The home has several locust and large oak trees that frame the house.
On the home’s south side is a new flower bed in process with Gloriosa daisies, dahlias, a few chrysanthemums and another flowering, pedestal planter box.
The back yard contains a flower-painted antique bathtub, which catches a person’s attention with its water lilies and a self-dumping bucket attached to an antique pitcher pump.
Potted plants also surround the bathtub. Another planter box, “Sam I Am,” closeby is filled with flowers. Also, a “Welcome Box” with impatiens is attached to a large locust tree close to the patio. Table and chairs are on the patio for relaxing and enjoying the property’s beauty.
North from the patio is a large garage constructed also of rock and draped with vines and wisteria. A nearby greenhouse is used for plantings, etc.
David and Kathleen Wernli of 4 Lakeshore Drive also are the recipients of the August Beautification Award from the Emporia Gardeners of America.
During the 16 years they have lived at Thorndale, many beautiful plantings of annuals, perennials, shrubbery and trees have been planted in eight flower beds. Their longrange plan was to have continual blooming during the growing season.
A focal point of the entrance to the driveway is a deep purple flowering Paraguay nightshade, a tropical tree planted in a large urn and brought inside during the fall and winter. It blooms continually with adequate light.
Black Jack sedum, pink vinca, creeping vinca, purple meadow sage, cushion mums and orange cosmos grace the entrance of the driveway along with a clump river birch. Trees have been highly valued in this environment so they replanted a dogwood tree and various others were replaced thanks to a beaver’s destruction.
From curbside, attention turns to the many colors and plantings along the retaining wall that runs the length of the home. Russian sage is now blooming and are quite visible.
Lisianthus with white, pink and blue blooms, verbena, coleus, petunias, gold lantana, nicotiana and pentas are among the many plantings. In early spring, tulips, daffodils, hyacinths and giant hyacinths give a lot of color to enjoy.
Seven large containers line the patio with coleus, and large wine barrels make a beautiful statement with heliotrope, portulaca and fuchsia hybrid.
Crape myrtle delights the eye at this late summer showing. A kidney-shaped flower bed near the water’s edge is the most recent creation of the Wernlis and there also is catnip, coneflowers, gaillardia and day lilies. Closeby is a martin house encircled by a large display of pink and red vinca.