JUNE YARD OF THE MONTH
Birds, bees and all kinds of wildlife are drawn to the profusion of flowers at 4112 Pershing Avenue.
You might know Wendy Rosales as the balloon lady at Central Market where she works three days a week. On Pershing Avenue she’s the lady with the white picket fence and a yard overflowing with colorful plantings. It was a no brainer for her to be the recipient of the June Yard of the Month award.
Wendy and her husband Freddie moved to Arlington Heights from the Los Angeles area three years ago. They loved the neighborhood’s historic homes and the heavily traveled sidewalks. There wasn’t much in the yard of their new home, except for some oleanders, yuccas, sage and a large tree towering over the west side of the house. Having spent part of her youth living in England and Scotland, Wendy likes the overgrown look of English gardens with lots of things mixed together. Wendy’s vintage Tudor home at 4112 Pershing Avenue provided the perfect backdrop for her to go to town.
Relying on her favorite daily British television show Gardeners’ World for ideas, she shops Archie’s Gardenland and Calloway’s for her supplies. On the front porch are hanging baskets of mandevillas, begonias and bougainvilleas, with a variety of potted succulents and house plants arranged along the stair steps. At the bottom of the stairs is an overflowing pot of plumbago intertwined with morning glory vines.
The Rosales’ planted a Texas live oak tree, adding pink periwinkles and orange marigolds at its base. A large vitex provides privacy for porch sitting and also attracts bees. Two small magnolia trees are blooming for the first time. A generous pot of purple African daisies is set between a pair of Adirondack chairs. The white picket fence, a dream come true for Wendy, is planted with a variety of pink and yellow roses, sunflowers, rose of Sharon, lantana, jasmine, rosemary, pink hydrangea, Jackmanii clematis, Saucer and Jane magnolias, and morning glories.
Two large wood planters between the sidewalk and the street are filled with basil, mint, lavender and rosemary. “It starts conversations with people who walk by,” says Wendy. “I love to share with my neighbors.”
Wendy’s garden is dedicated to her son who she lost to Covid in 2021. “This is my therapy. It’s helped me come through a terrible time,” Wendy explains. “Whenever I get upset, I go out and start digging. My garden is a place of peace, I can find peace there.”
Wendy received a $25 gift certificate to Archie’s Gardenland, courtesy of AHNA, and a free year’s membership in AHNA.
If you see a yard you’d like to nominate, even your own, please send the address to president@arlingtonheightsna.com.
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