By Linda Nunes
Fillmore Civic Pride Volunteers has selected the yard at 239 Sierra Vista, belonging to Patrick Beekman, for the March “Yard of the Month” Award. Patrick is the grandson of Marie Wren, former homeowner and the first Little Library showing the Historical Museum Depot, built by Jack Stethem, still stands proudly out front with a Red Yucca & Aeoniums at the base.
Patrick said his brother, Andrew Beekman, designed the drought tolerant, easy to manage yard while his grandmother was still living.
Patrick has lived there for 5 years & appreciates that the yard is environmentally friendly & welcoming to many Monarch Butterflies, that feed on the Milkweed plants along the side yard. Vines of Oregon Grape that have not leafed out yet, cover the wall between houses. In the Fall it will be beautiful with red & orange colors.
His neighbor, Robert Quezada, is his gardener & maintains the yard.
The large Foxtail Agaves anchor the yard with smaller Thread Agaves at their base & Mexican Bird of Paradise shrubs with yellow blooms show up behind. A large Manzanita, Arcto Staphylos, holds the right corner of the yard. The plants are planted in a gravel ground cover with stone pathways. Along the path are French Lavender, Aeonium haworthii- Pinwheel on the ground & almost black Aeonium Swarzkopf in large pots toward the entry.