| The abiding rule at the home of Steve and Vickie Gall is “gardens are supposed to be enjoyed and shouldn’t be a big burden.” The Gall philosophy is “we don’t baby our plants by covering them during a hard freeze or dragging them into the garage for the winter. If they can’t take the Texas weather, they don’t belong in my yard,” Steve proudly explains.
When Steve and wife Vickie moved into their vintage bungalow at 2004 Ashland Avenue in 2015, they started out with a few plants that are still part of their award-winning landscape. The old-fashioned iris were in the back yard, but Vickie moved them to the front. They were originally a mix of white, yellow and purple iris, but as time has gone by only the purple have survived. At the end of every season, the Galls thin out the iris and put the bulbs on their front curb, free for the taking. And there are always takers.
The Lamb’s Ears that hug the sidewalk are also holdovers from the previous owners, as are the towering red and yellow cannas and wood ferns. Some of the rose bushes are from the old regime and some are new purchases.
New additions include a variety of daisies and batches of Society Garlic, now in full bloom. The abelia hedges against the front porch were planted by the Galls. The amaryllis was liberated by Vickie several years ago from the yard of a nearby home that had been abandoned and was in serious disrepair. According to Steve, the place was so overrun with amaryllis, it didn’t even dent the crop.
Every spring, Vickie likes to add annuals for color, including marigolds and a few vinca. Pots of pansies, planted in the winter, are still miraculously hanging in there.
The Galls share gardening duties, except for a nearby young neighbor who mows the front lawn. Vickie is “in charge of the beauty in the front yard,” according to Steve. And the backyard is all Steve’s where he has a large vegetable garden, perennials and an 80 foot tall pecan tree. The Galls are sold on the drip irrigation they installed, pointing out there are no city restrictions that apply to drip, so you can water with drip any day you choose
Their front lawn is thick and lush St. Augustine. Steve took the advice of a seasoned landscaper to not over-mow St. Augustine, especially in summer. So he started setting his mower to the highest setting and cutting back on the mow schedule. Steve says the lawn in the backyard almost never gets mowed and the result is, “the grass has never looked better and the healthy St. Augustine chokes out all of the weeds.”
After retiring from the phone company, Vickie worked for the Careity Foundation. Steve is a retired airline pilot who has fully embraced a lifelong avocation of being an artist. He has had three recent exhibitions of his paintings at the Basement Lounge in Ridglea.
Congratulations to Steve and Vickie for being selected as AHNA’s June Yard of the Month. They received a $25 gift certificate to Archie’s Gardenland and a year’s membership in Arlington Heights Neighborhood Association, courtesy of AHNA.
If you see an award-worthy yard, even your own, please let us know by sending the address to president@arlingtonheightsna.com.
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