Julie Davis
jdavis@cherryroad.com

The Tree City Garden Club has selected the yard of Wayne and Patty Ried at 1745 N. 10th St. as the June Yard of the Month.

In making the selection, Rosie Pfeiffer of the Tree City Garden Club said she noticed a lot of color in the Ried’s back yard while driving through the neighborhood recently.

She also appreciated the simple layout of the backyard.

“Making it simple makes it beautiful,” she said.

The Rieds have owned the property for about a year. After Wayne was unable to find a suitable spot to till a garden this year, he decided to experiment with growing his Big Boy tomato plants in 5-gallon buckets this year. The plants are beginning to set fruit. Wayne is also growing cucumbers in 5-gallon buckets this year as a trial.

Many of the Ried’s colorful backyard plants are in pots on and around their deck. The backyard also features a screened-in porch, which Patty Ried said her family, including son Brian and granddaughters Berklee and Kaia, really enjoys.

Potted plants include hibiscus, geraniums, and petunias, and the yard also features plantings of irises with variegated leaves.

The Rieds are fortunate to have the treeline of the Riverview Marina bordering their backyard, but Patty said deer coming up from the river have helped themselves to some of her flowers and plants, especially her sweet potato vines.