The Cheshire Garden Club has awarded the September Beauty Spot of the Month to long-time residents Rob and Vera Roche, pictured above with their Terrier Mix Sadie, at 269 Redwood Lane —right next door to former Beauty Spot award-winner Dell Kasinskas.
Several barrels with brightly-colored annuals adorn both sides of the driveway for a cheerful welcome. Since their colonial house is facing away from the street, most of the extraordinary plantings can only be appreciated from the sidewalk.
A huge, brightly-colored red Knockout rosebush adorns one of the corners of the house, with a number of evergreen shrubs and small ornamental trees along the entire house front providing year-round interest. Intermingled among them are diverse deciduous shrubs coming into their own during the growing season.
Several decorative planters and bird houses are spaced throughout the yard, including a sun-like yard sculpture crafted from sea glass, ocean stones and iron. However, the main attraction on their front property is a circular flowerbed with a huge ornamental cherry tree rising amidst an assortment of perennials, annuals, small animal statuaries and a wind spinner, all set off by neatly-placed gray bricks.
From early spring all through the summer and the fall season, a succession of perennials and flowering shrubs bloom in the full range of the color palette. Among them are coral-colored Angelonia angustifolia, blue Hydrangeas, yellow Helianthus and Heliopsis, orange Lilies, purple Asters, and lavender Russian Sage, and among the annuals there are red Begonias, pink Impatiens, purple Verbenas, and red and yellow Zinnias.
The Cheshire Garden Club recognizes the challenge that Rob and Vera faced during the dry months of July and August and applaud them for having been able to keep their plantings alive and in good condition.