Perched towards the dead end of Hill Street in Newberry is one home whose yard shouts out beauty.
Harriett Wells-Kegler takes pride in her yard and has been maintaining it for about six and half years, she estimates.
Although Wells-Kegler was born and raised in Newberry, she spent some time in New York.
After moving back in 1998, she knew she wanted a yard with plenty of space and plants. Now she could since she was back to the small town life with plenty of land.
While her front yard is small, but still kept, her backyard is where she has her self-described desert oasis.
It’s her favorite spot in her entire yard, she says and explains how this oasis all began.
“When we first moved (back) here, (the yard) was all grown,” says Wells-Kegler , “I thought we should develop it.”
So she began by removing all the sand and dirt and built around some large boulders that were already in the yard.
Instead of the huge rocks being a hassle, she decided to use them to her advantage for her desert oasis.
In addition to the boulders and more rocks that she brought in, she also planted plenty of desert plants to complement the hard rocks.
She has cacti and palms to really bring the desert feeling alive. Wells-Kegler also likes hibiscuses, lilies and other perennials planted around the rock garden as well as on her front porch.
Wells-Kegler says she likes perennials because they do keep coming back.
As for plants she enjoys going all over the county and even outside the county for plants. She does enjoy visiting Judy Wicker’s nursery as names that as a favorite.
When winter comes, she’ll bring in her porch plants and calls that her winter project. So, in the winter time, her house is green on the inside and out.
While Wells-Kegler has not always been into gardening, she enjoys keeping up with it and letting others see the beauty she has created.
When it comes to offering tips to others, she encourages people to start developing a small area and then enlarge it as they need to.
She also recommends knowing what kind of soil homeowners have and really getting to know what will work best for the individual’s yard.
That is what she did and now she has a desert oasis to call her own and enjoy her flourishing gardens.
Note: Do you know of a yard that should be featured for its beauty? Please call or email Natalie Netzel with a suggestion at 276-0625 or nnetzel@heartlandpublications.com.
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