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Walden Lake garden is eye-popping

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By CASSANDRA BANNING

Special to the Tribune

Published: November 4, 2009

PLANT CITY - The August Garden of the Month goes to Judy and Herb Roberts, who live on Concord Way in Walden Lake.

Color and harmony is what draws your eye to their beautiful gardens. The use of colorful flowers and the repetition of plants help to accomplish this harmonic landscape.

As you approach their home you will find beautiful caladiums and scheffleras along the right side with three whimsical frogs sitting on a frog-sized bench tucked between the plants. Crotons and blooming ground orchids add to the color. Along the left side pentas, marigolds and jewels of opar attract butterflies and sit nestled around a wooden wheelbarrow filled with dwarf pentas and purple salvia. Ornamental pepper plants catch your eye under the crepe myrtle.

Down the side yard red ti plants with stromantha provide lots of color with caladiums and impatiens surrounding the oak trees and softening the red in the ti plants and stromantha. Amaryllis, agapanthus and liriope add texture and color when in bloom.

The back yard has a beautiful purple crepe myrtle set off by impatiens and caladiums. This beautiful sight is in full view of the back porch where it is easy to sit a spell and enjoy also the red and white crepe myrtles protecting the red and white pentas, caladiums and blue salvia from the summer sun.

The dominant feature of the backyard is the beautiful wooden swing surrounded by colorful impatiens and loropetalum. Even after 14 years of enjoying the gardens of their home, the Roberts always look for new ideas and items such as the wrought-iron roosters they found at a recent garage sale along with a beautiful antique swing. A row of hibiscus sits in front of the side yard fence along with bromeliads and a special red crepe myrtle called Dynamite that the Roberts brought back from South Carolina.

As members of the Garden Club were setting up to present the award, neighbors came by and congratulated the Robertses and were almost as proud of their beautiful gardens as the Robertses are.
Herb Roberts is quick to point out that Graham Landscaping gives them assistance and advice, but it is obvious Herb and Judy are dedicated to working in their garden.

Cassandra Banning is a member of the Plant City Garden Club.

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