The yard of Dale and Pam Hansen won the “Best Dressed Whole Town Yard” award this year as determined by the horticulture section judge of the Bentley Fair.
Judging of those who had entered their names, and indeed places, in the Best Dressed Town Yards competition with Martha Krause from Bluffton being toured to the sites.
After being notified, Dale and Pam were impressed their yard had won best whole yard even though they lost marks for not having a vegetable garden.
The spacious open yard on the double lot is conducive to play for children, and a swing and a sling in the trees offer just such an area. Hanging flowers and flower pots all around add color everywhere.
An old porcelain bathtub catches rainwater.
Old tree trunks have been made into flower pots.
Some of the original stone pillars at the corners of the front deck, originally built by Bob Woolgar, are still standing. Some pillars were taken down when the front steps had to be removed but the original stones were saved and pillars reconstructed from those very same stones by a local mason. The other stones have been saved and it is the plan to reuse them too.
Catching the judge’s eye was the gazebo with an old forge, cheese press, and the mandevilla plants clinging to and growing on the antique headboard acting as a back wall. Under the roof as well is a comfortable lounge for hot afternoons in the shade or relaxing evenings watching the sunset.
The judge commented how well the old and the new were integrated.
The Hansens have owned the property for about 15 years and speculate the area could be coming up to100 years old although it seems more likely the original house was built in the late 1920s to mid ‘30s but has been hard to document.
Dale has lots more he wants to do like replace windows and maybe re-expose the original stone chimney. “It is an ongoing project,” he says as he talks excitedly about stories he has heard about the house.
The Best Front Yard was won by Ed Spycher and Best Back Yard by Martin Schneider.