Beth Webb’s garden features a robust variety of colors, from orange and yellow zinnias to pink tree lilies. (Josh Imhof/Gazette)

By Josh Imhof, Indiana Gazette

If you were to give Beth Webb an advent calendar, the days would not count down to Christmas. They would count down to May 15.

Every year since she was a kid, this has been the date she has gone out to buy new flowers for her garden.

“It’s the best time, even better than Christmas,” Webb said.

This year, the Indiana Garden Club joined her in the pseudo-holiday spirit by awarding her the July Garden of the Month award.

Webb’s love for gardening stems from her mom, Beve Sanders, who started the annual May 15 tradition.

This love carried into adulthood and fully blossomed 15 years ago when she first moved into her home off of Sixth Street.

The garden features a robust variety of colors, from orange and yellow zinnias to pink tree lilies. These flowers create an eye-catching tapestry that surrounds her home, which Webb carefully tends to in the evenings.

Behind the flowers in her backyard is a nursery of young Green Giant trees. Some stand shyly, while others have grown over 20 feet since they were first planted six years ago.

Along the edge of her property, wooden birdhouses line a wildflower walk that has become a sanctuary for a family of bluebirds.

“I really didn’t expect it to get as big as it is,” Webb said.

Originally, the yard lay mostly barren, a far cry from the sprawling wildflowers and towering day lilies of today.

This meant Webb had to start from scratch.

She and her boyfriend, Brian Mock, spent long hours after work shaping the garden’s foundation. Mock used a rototiller, a piece of equipment that uproots grass and breaks up soil, to clear space for the original beds that still sit in her front yard today.

Once they both retired, it became easier to tend to the garden; however, there are still challenges.

Sometimes, their flowers’ vibrant petals attract unwanted guests, such as deer and rabbits.

Unpredictable weather also poses an issue, with the recent heat wave killing two of Webb’s hanging flower plants.

Despite this, Webb said it is worth it.

Whether it’s the troves of zucchini bread she makes with her freshly picked produce, or the calm evenings she spends watching hummingbirds from her porch, there is always something to appreciate.

For people who want to start a garden of their own, Webb offered some simple advice.

“Start small and then grow.”

The Indiana Garden Club encourages community members to nominate local gardens.

You can do so by emailing igcinformation@gmail.com or by calling (724) 541-4318.

Josh Imhof is a student at Duquesne University and one of 10 Pittsburgh Media Partnership summer interns.