Quick Peek Behind the Scenes at Our Upcoming Yard of the Week

A playhouse with a landscape worthy of honor is part of the splendor at our current Yard of the Week.  

Dave and Linda Carter Awarded Yard of the Week

Oftentimes when it comes to a yard’s splendor, the back is where it’s at.  As is this is case with our current Yard of the Week, the home and handiwork of Dave and Linda Carter and family.

The Carter home sits a one-block-walk away from the Payson Aquatic Center. The nearby community pool serves as a summer coolspot for Dave and Linda’s grandchildren. As does the couple’s backyard.

Though the front yard is quite lovely, what hides behind is an impressive scene.  A cozy playhouse awaits the youthful play of the Carters’ grandchildren. Built by the Carters’ three sons, Matt, Jake, and Clay Ludlow, this tiny home comes with a landscape of its own that would qualify it for a yard of the week award, albeit on a smaller scale.

Parakeets tweet from a roomy coop to its north. It was built by the Carters’ youngest son, Clay, and is suitable for year-round use.

The birds’ sweet voices add to the outdoor aesthetics in sound.  They are the choir that sings to the trickling music humming from several fountains framed in flowers, rock, and eclectic art.

One such fountain, on the yard’s northeast side, gathers water into a pond layered with lily pads to shelter a family of goldfish that call it home.

The scene can be seen and fully admired from a seat on the charming patio, located a step away from the couple’s back door.  Potted flowers dot this gathering spot, enticing senses with scent and color.  “The brighter the better,” says Linda, stating a quality she looks for in blooms.

This quality is especially apparent in the front yard, where a Dexter twin washtub, passed down to Linda by her grandmother, has been converted into a spacious planter, lavished with dark and vibrant purple petunias, scarlet geraniums, and attractive greenery.  The display is the work of florists at Olson’s Garden Shoppe. Linda has relied on their expertise to fill the tubs with blooms for the past five years, and much to the Carters’ delight.

More flowers sprout from smaller pots and beds and frame the frontside for the enjoyment of those passing through their quiet Payson neighborhood.  A large spinning copper sculpture, given to Linda by the couple’s only daughter, Shannon, bolts from one such bed, casting hints of the treasures that hide out back.