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August 2011 Yard of the Month

Submitted by WNA Officer, Jennifer Voss

Meet our August 2011 Westcreek Yard of the Month Winners… Karen and John Sperry. The Sperrys have lived here since the early 80s when Westcreek was first developed. They consider Westcreek as one of the best places you could live in Austin and they have done so much to maintain and beautifully update their home over the years. The gorgeous yard you see pictured is a result of carefully planned and well managed research and work that took 2½ years to finish. The Sperrys completed the hardscaping prior to finishing out the landscaping and irrigation portions. This welcoming yard is full of many drought tolerant native and adapted plants such as Imperial Blue Plumbago, Purslane, Silver Castle Artemesia, Double Knock Out Roses, red/orange Lantana, Liriope, Sego Palms, Agave, Blue Daze, Spring Bouquet Viburnum, Pride of Barbados, Pink Skullcap, Crape Myrtles, Coral Bean, native grasses, and delightful surprises such as a Meyer Lemon tree, a Big Tooth Maple, and potato vines.
As you approach the Sperry’s front walkway, you’ll be drawn to their bright front beds and led towards their front door as you follow a natural, winding path of rich stained concrete sidewalks. The lush green grass all around you is Zorro Zoysia – a drought tolerant grass that shows off an emerald green hue (be sure to plant it where it gets a little shade). But wait…you must see the rock and granite path that leads to the back yard. A dry creek garden area leads to a path with a few subtle curves and takes you back through an intriguing iron gate. Once you walk through, you realize the true beauty of Westcreeks’ greenbelt

The Sperry’s back yard is a mix of the soft Zoysia grass and beds of unique and native plants, including a cozy seating area further down the lawn.

There is an inviting back porch that overlooks the deep yard as it flows into the greenbelt and creek. This beautiful and spacious back porch is truly an additional living space – I started to imagine relaxing there with a glass of iced tea in the hotter days or a cup of cocoa when it is chilly. The Sperrys have seen plenty of wildlife in their backyard – a 3-toed box turtle, deer, woodpeckers, raccoons, and possums. The bird watching is fantastic and by providing water sources and bird feeders, the Sperrys have given these feathered friends plenty of reasons to hang around. By the way, while I was there, I met the Sperry’s cat and felt envious of how she spends her days.


The Sperrys were presented with a $50 Emerald Gardens gift certificate and a $25 Mandola Italian Market certificate to recognize their efforts in keeping Westcreek looking great. Stay tuned for next month’s winner.

 

This entry was posted on Monday, September 5th, 2011, 10:07 pm and is filed under Yard of the Month. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.