Love Your Yard! 2024

Devon Communities in Bloom is pleased to announce that Fraser and Allison Wronko’s yard at 1223 Oakland Drive has been selected for Love Your Yard!.

The following description of the yard was provided by Allison and Fraser:

We've proudly called our house home for the past 10 years, and the front yard has become a cherished space. One of our most meaningful features is the hydrangeas, planted from cuttings given to us as part of Allison’s wedding bouquet by a dear friend. This year, as we celebrate our 10th anniversary, these hydrangeas have grown taller and bloomed more beautifully than ever, a true symbol of our journey.

Our gardening efforts focus on maintaining the yard by weeding and mowing, though our long-term vision has been to replace the traditional lawn with garden beds and native grasses. We've gradually expanded our garden, especially along the sidewalk and around the house, where we’ve planted blueberry and haskap berry bushes. This year, we’re excited to be growing pumpkins as part of our commitment to sustainable, food-producing plants.

Looking ahead, we plan to remove the remaining grass and replace it with mulch, stepping stones, and more native plants. We’re committed to environmental stewardship by avoiding synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, instead using natural amendments like fermented stinging nettle juice.

Our garden is a labour of love and a testament to our dedication to creating a beautiful, sustainable environment.

Devon Communities in Bloom is pleased to announce that Mary and Jay Dettwiler’s yard at 126 Athabasca Drive has been selected by a previous recipient of a Love Your Yard! sign.

Enjoy the information provided by Mary and Jay about their yard:

“We are honoured to be the recent recipients of Love Your Yard! Here are the answers to a few of the questions on the Love Your Yard! information sheet.

1. How long have you lived in this yard?

We have lived here for 12 years.

2. What is your favourite feature in your yard?

Our favourite place in the yard is the front porch where we enjoy having a coffee and watching the birds and pollinators.

3. What are some of your favourite plants?

• Spring - Grape hyacinth

• Summer - Bee balm

• Fall - Tall sedum

4. What key changes have you made to the yard to date?

Over the years we’ve made various changes to both our front yard and backyard. In the front yard, we have expanded one of the flower beds and added a new one. We also added two flowering deciduous trees. In the backyard, we’ve added raised vegetable beds and a large perennial garden. Every year is different when it comes to annuals—we enjoy selecting different colour and flower combinations to plant in baskets and planters.

5. Do you practice environmental stewardship?

• We practice organic methods in the maintenance of both our gardens and lawn.

• As a way to help retain moisture and suppress weeds in the gardens, we have added mulch.

• We collect rainwater in multiple rain barrels to water pots, planters, hanging baskets and raised beds.

• As an alternative to traditional lawn, we have seeded micro clover in with the grass as a more drought tolerant and lower maintenance lawn mix. The honeybees love it too!

Thank you for all your efforts running this program in Devon.”

The yard at 1351 Oakland Crescent was selected to be recognized for the Love Your Yard! program. 

Heather and Jason Punko purchased their home in 2021 after selling their acreage west of Devon.  Both of them love to landscape and their daughter Kensi enjoys helping them with the gardening.

Each year since they moved in, they have worked on a new project.  In the first year, their efforts were focused on landscaping the front yard with wood borders, with lots of plants, shrubs and a slate stone walkway.  Family members and friends provided them with lots of plants so they were able to fill out a good portion of the front yard right away.

In their second year, they added another set of stairs to their back deck to allow for easier access to the side yard.  Last year they added several raised beds in the backyard for vegetables and strawberries.

Jason is handy with woodworking so he planned and created the raised beds and Heather chose and planted the perennials and vegetables.

Next year, they plan to remove all the grass from the front yard and replace it with more perennials and fruit yielding bushes.

They really enjoy the ornamental crabapple tree in the front which is gorgeous and alive with bees visiting the flowers in the spring.  Heather’s favourite flowers are the irises planted in remembrance of her brother.

The family makes use of two rain barrels to water the flowers in the front and the vegetable garden in the back yard. 

A fellow Devon resident selected 89 River Drive as the latest recipient to be recognized for the Love Your Yard! program. 

Jean and Kevin McLeod have lived in their River Drive home for 20 years where they have enjoyed tending to their yard and garden. Although they did not change the overall layout that was established when they moved in, they did replace and add trees. They have also added many perennials, especially hostas, hydrangeas and junipers which are low maintenance survivors.

Adding to the beauty, are the many birds that their yard attracts for which they provide a variety of seeds and a couple of bird baths.

The McLeods include environmental sustainability practices through the use of three rain barrels for watering their plants and the collection of household compost to enrich the soil.

Invasive plants have been a challenge in their back lane easement. They have had success with the newspaper, water and grass clipping method of removal, but it is still a work in progress, as gardening always is.

Rayona Hamilton is the latest recipient of the Love Your Yard! program of Devon Communities in Bloom. 

Rayona has lived in Devon for almost 30 years and about five years ago took over the home that her parents built at 69 Highwood Boulevard. Both the front and back yards are a testament to Rayona’s love of gardening and her taste in beautiful plants and flowers.

Her favourites include her mother Alma's red fern-leafed peony in the front yard which her mom planted about 28 years ago and continues to thrive. Rayona is also very fond of roses, black-eyed Susans, low-growing hydrangea, poppies, and tulips, to name just a few.

She wanted to spend less time trying to maintain the perfect lawn, so she had a contractor remove about 50% of it in both the front and back yards. She then hired a landscaping company to install a perimeter of river rocks in the front and side yards in 2023. She started planting in earnest this spring, so it is a work in progress with a lot more to do before it is complete. Her plan is to transition away from annuals to all shrubs and perennials that will come back every year, minimizing the work and the cost. 

Being environmentally conscious, Rayona plans to introduce some native Alberta plants to attract bees, butterflies and other pollinators. She would also like to grow her own food using shrubs that provide fruit and grow vegetables in raised cedar planters. 

A fellow Devon resident selected 85 River Drive as the latest recipient to be recognized for the Love Your Yard! program. 

The residents have lived at this location for the past 18 years over which time they have developed both the front and back yards into beautifully manicured gardens. They particularly love the front yard for the sun-loving flowers while the back yard is shadier and provides a beautiful private sanctuary.

Their favorite plants are hostas and black-eyed Susans which are so cheerful in the fall. The mock crabapple is stunning in the spring when it is brought to life with the humming of bees. 

The well-established perennial garden required little time devoted to its care. However, in the last year after major yard renovations, the time spent has recently averaged 12 hours per week. New additions include a very attractive and unique curving front walk to replace a concrete stepping stone walk which was impossible to keep cleared of snow! Another new feature that they created is a dry creek bed which was designed to divert water away from the house.

The residents are very committed to environmental stewardship. Some of the practices they have adopted include the use of mulch and compost and not clearing the leaves from the flowerbeds. They also try to use drought tolerant and native species and remove invasive plants. They plant bee, butterfly and hummingbird-friendly plants, use rain barrels and divert excess water into flower beds. They avoid using chemicals or toxic pest control methods and allow some flowering plants to spread through the lawn. 

Devon Communities in Bloom is pleased to announce that Lee and Wade Melnyk’s yard at 8 Pembina Street has been selected for Love Your Yard!.

The following description of the yard was provided by Lee:

We have been blessed to live in this yard on this beautiful street for 27 years!  When we purchased the house, it had been a rental for many years, and the yard was a complete disaster.  

We immediately started transforming it, and one of the first things we did was create a rock 'island' on the south side of the front yard.  We also planted a tree and a shrub, just to give the yard some character.  

We were pleasantly surprised in the spring of the following year when we realized there were two mature peony plants on each side of the front step.  We have kept those in place through the entire transformation.  

One thing that I always wanted to accomplish was to install a gravel border around the entire base of the house, which we were able to complete quite a few years ago.  I love digging sod (or at least I used to) and making new gravel beds with soft curves, then filling them with perennials and shrubs.  

The space we love the most in our yard is the incredible elm tree, with its huge canopy, and the branch that stretches out perfectly for our backyard swing.  Adults and kids alike are drawn to that swing as soon as they spot it!  

A more recent addition is my 'Gramma's House' sign in the front yard, with a little colored gravel path cutting through the corner of the garden.  Our grandson lives down the street and he painted the sign with me and uses that little path every time he comes to visit! 

The other space I personally like is the bistro table area in the front.  I'm a watercolor artist, and the intention was to have a place to sit and paint the pretty plants I can see from there. 

I enjoy growing perennials and besides the peonies, my favorites are my delphiniums, which were divided last fall, so aren't tall this year.  Those plants actually came from my Grandpa's garden at his cabin at Baptiste Lake, so they have a lot of sentimental value.  

I am always envisioning changes to the perennial garden and plan to work on the quality of the soil for better water retention when I get to it.  I also intend to turn the little annual garden in the front yard to a perennial garden eventually.  

Also, of note, everything that has been done in our yard has been done by ourselves, from digging sod, laying down weed barrier, to unloading trailers full of gravel.  Lots of sweat equity, but it really makes us appreciate it.

Devon Communities in Bloom is pleased to announce that Jerry and Elaine Topola’s yard at 18 Pembina Street has been selected for Love Your Yard!.

The following description of the yard was provided by Elaine:

We have lived in our home for the past 36 years and in that time our yard has changed according to our family’s needs.

The front yard was changed approximately 20 years ago to the low maintenance rock garden you see today. It used to be all grass with a steep slope in the front which was hard to cut with a push mower. The larger rocks were found buried when we dug up the grass and into the slope to add the retaining wall.  We decided to keep the rocks and reuse them. When we first put the gravel on our yard as landscaping everyone thought we were crazy—now it’s becoming more common as it’s both beautiful and low maintenance. Each year we add things here and there. Last year we replaced some of the older shrubs with new flowering ones. 

The backyard has been changed numerous times as we love to work and putz around there. Years ago when the kids were little, it was a playground zone and a large garden spot. When they grew older and no longer needed the playground, we decided to add a creek and remodel the whole yard. This creek is definitely my favourite part of the yard. Now, the garden has been reduced to just a few vegetable containers and herbs. The rest of the backyard is now as low maintenance as the front and serves as a retreat for just the two of us.

Although our yard is low maintenance, we still need to water and we do so using rainwater collected in a barrel in the backyard. 

The creek running through the back yard is an enjoyable focal point. It attracts all kinds of birds and the beautiful sound of trickling water helps mitigate street noise. We love our yard and enjoy its tranquility through the seasons. 

It is no surprise that Jamie and Jerrit Zimmer’s yard has been selected by a Devon resident for the second time for the Love Your Yard! program.

Jamie and Jerrit moved to Peace River Drive nine years ago. They made changes right away, including removing an old hedge that ran the length of both sides of the yard. They did some landscaping out front, adding new curbing, plants and recycled rubber mulch to the flower and shrub beds. The large rocks arranged near the front door were purchased at a local landscaping company. 

In the backyard, Jerrit used a plasma cutter to create decorative metal for the sides of a new raised vegetable bed and a privacy fence for the hot tub. 

Jerrit’s favourite aspect of the yard is the big willow tree behind their place and Jamie’s is the huge clematis vine when it is in full bloom. They are grateful to live on a town lot that allows them to feel like they’re on an acreage. 

Congratulations Jamie and Jerrit and thank you for adding to Devon’s beauty.

Devon Communities in Bloom is pleased to announce that Melodie and Brian Bowles at 16 Berland Crescent have been selected for the Love Your Yard! program. 

Melodie and Brian Bowles have lived at 16 Berland Crescent for 20 years. Developing their beautiful backyard has been a labour of love, especially for Melodie who enjoys giving tours to friends who are always struck by this work of art. The yard is like a mini botanic garden. When asked what her favourite features are, Melodie says the pond with the bridge and flower gardens. Her favourite plants are the peonies, hostas and hydrangeas. On average, she spends about 10 hours a week working on the gardens.  

Some of the key changes that they made, besides building the pond and bridge, include removing a gravel pad to develop a perennial bed, building a garden fence, and adding a hammock structure and a storage shed. In 2021, they planted flowering plum trees and removed a very large spruce tree to build a gazebo with a hot tub. A year later, they removed another large spruce tree and landscaped the front yard. Last year they remodeled the back yard perennial beds. Maintaining such a beautiful yard requires constant upkeep which will mean replacing the fence and the concrete pad in the near future. 

The Bowles place a high value on environmental stewardship. Some of the practices they have implemented include the use of five 50 gallon and two 200 gallon rain barrels and a composter. They also make it a practice to leave the lawn three inches high and they use mulch to preserve moisture. Melodie’s advice to new gardeners is to always have a well thought out plan before initiating any activities in your yard if you want to really love the end result.

Devon Communities in Bloom is pleased to announce that Simon Turner and Holly Belbin at 99 River Drive are the first homeowners to be recognized in 2024 for the Love Your Yard! program.

They were first recognized by the Love Your Yard! program in 2021 just as they started relandscaping their front yard.  Communities in Bloom wanted to recognize their recent efforts to beautify their yard incorporating environmentally friendly features.

The couple relandscaped the entire front by adding a deck, new lawn, new plants, a lot of mulch and new walkway steps.  Since their recent landscaping efforts started, they continue to make improvements. 

Their favourite feature is the front steps because they feel they are the most striking feature in the yard. They also like their low maintenance plants, particularly the tall grasses because they provide something to look at in the winter and look attractive when they sway in the wind.

Since the front yard is designed to be low maintenance, caring for the yard is usually not a great deal of work. They make use of their rain barrels and try to empty them before using town water and they try to use organic materials to amend the soil as much as possible. An advantage to their low maintenance yard is that the smaller lawn and the use of drought resistant plants require less water. 

Their advice to new gardeners is not to be afraid to take the low maintenance approach.

At this stage they have no major changes planned but may swap out some plants. They are looking forward to the plants maturing and filling in.