Garden tour beats the rain; Residents brave the elements to check out colorful yards
Published 11:15 am Monday, July 14, 2014
Ellen Lauer, right, and LuAnn Becker look at flowers on the deck of the home of David Stahl and Sara Shaw Saturday afternoon during the annual Spruce Up Austin Yard and Garden Tour. — Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
There have undoubtedly been better days to see the colorful, manicured yards of the people involved in the Spruce Up Austin Yard and Garden Tour, but it didn’t stop people from coming Saturday.
With umbrellas up to ward off the afternoon rain, people walked through the self-guided, five-home tour, taking in the fantastic yards.
In just about a half hour after starting, 29 people saw the home of David Stahl and Sara Shaw.
Sara Shaw, right, greeted visitors to her and husband, David Stahl’s, home Saturday afternoon during the Spruce Up Austin’s annual Yard and Garden Tour.
“I’m surprised,” Shaw said, commenting on the number of people they had seen come through their yard. “But it’s a warm [rain]. It’s making me happy that all our hard work is paying off.”
The couple’s yard was full of plants and flowers of all kinds and a canopy, complete with a string of yellowish lights, hung over a walkway to the garage where Shaw and Stahl and visitors stood out of the rain.
Shaw said there was no initial plan when they had designed their yard.
Water drips off a plant at the home of Sara Shaw and David Stahl as rain falls Saturday afternoon.
“I just tried to plant to see if I could keep things going,” she said, smiling.
Shaw said they’ve always had problems with patches of their lawn not producing the grass they would like, so plants of various kinds were planted in those areas. In other places they just kept trying.
“We finally got grass to go,” Shaw said.
