Judy Tanner pictured on Friday, Sept. 20, at her and her husband Ken’s 705 Tilford Street home in Dysart. Judy’s flowers were designated ‘Blue Ribbon Flowers of the Month’ for September by the Dysart Garden Club. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

DYSART – The bees and the butterflies seem to agree, Judy Tanner’s yard is blue ribbon worthy.

Earlier this month, the Dysart Garden Club named Judy and her husband Ken’s yard located at 705 Tilford Street as the final ‘Blue Ribbon Flowers of the Month’ for 2024 – a designation highlighting the importance of including blooming plants on the landscape as the calendar transitions from summer to fall.

“The trumpet shape of the petunias attracts both hummingbirds and the hummingbird moth – they come by in the evening,” Judy said while standing just outside her front door last Friday afternoon near a massive hanging basket of pink petunias. As she spoke, not only were there bees buzzing around everywhere, countless butterflies including several species of skippers were visiting her flowers.

The Tanners have lived in Dysart for six years now, having moved from southern Minnesota following retirement to be near their daughter and son-in-law – Tiffany and Pastor Daniel Hartwig – and grandchildren. Since then, their two daughters have also relocated to Iowa.

“We’re working to improve [the yard],” Judy said. “We’ve had to dig out a lot of old shrubs. A lot of this stuff is just getting started.”

A skipper butterfly species alights on Judy Tanner's flowers on Friday, Sept. 20, in Dysart. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

While the Tanners are not from Iowa, Judy, a retired schoolteacher, said she and her husband “love it here,” citing among the reasons both the slightly longer growing season and of course her grandchildren which she called her greatest blessing.

A quick sweep around Dysart last Friday afternoon made clear why the Dysart Garden Club ladies chose the Tanners for their September pick – while most people’s flowers have begun to fade, Judy’s petunia plantings, both in front of the attached garage and in the front bed, look as spectacular as ever.

“I buy the little plants [of petunias] and they just take off,” Judy said. “They’ve performed every year like this. I like the pink [variety]. It’s called bubblegum pink.”

Judy said she does give her petunias a shot of Miracle-Gro twice a week. She also makes sure to water almost every day in times of drought. Another trick she uses, she doesn’t fill the entire pot – which looks quite large – with soil.

“It’s not full of soil [so] it’s lighter than it looks. I crunched up old flower pots and water bottles to hold the space at the bottom.”

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

She then stores the soil inside in the winter and reuses it in the spring, adding some “good fertilizers” in the process.

Besides the gorgeous petunias, Judy’s front yard features several blooming asters which the bees and butterflies were also flocking to in large numbers on Friday. She also has moss roses, an extended-bloom lilac cultivar called Miss Kim, hydrangeas, black-eyed Susans, delphiniums, geraniums, and several round boxwood shrubs which Ken hand-trims.

“Next year he’s going to put in window boxes for me. I think it will be a cute cottage look.”

As the calendar turned last Sunday from summer to fall – marking the fall equinox when the nights begin to last longer than the days -the Tanners’ yard continued to bloom, serving as a magnet for pollinators.

It’s an important reminder, while the days may be shorter, flower blooms – and the meal they provide – should never be underestimated.

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

Asters reach for the sun in Judy Tanner's Tilford Street yard in Dysart on Friday, Sept. 20. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

An orb weaver spider pictured on its web on Friday, Sept. 20, in Judy Tanner's front flower bed. According to the Wildlife Heritage Foundation, orb weavers "are not dangerous to people & pets, and are actually quite beneficial because they will catch and eat a lot of pest-type insects." PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER