Kathleen Hamilton stands on her Jefferson Street front porch in Dysart behind her Blue Ribbon Flowers of the Month sign on Sunday, Aug. 17. Her yard, which features an abundance of impatiens, was given the designation by the Dysart Garden Club. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

DYSART – There’s a secret to Kathleen Hamilton’s impatiens success and she’s got no qualms sharing it as Dysart Garden Club’s August pick for the Blue Ribbon Flowers of the Month.

“The secret is Shake ‘n Feed Miracle-Gro,” Hamilton said on Sunday, Aug. 17, as she stood on the front walk beside a long brick planter box under her ranch home’s picture window that was impressively overflowing with colorful impatiens.

“These get the morning sun which is good,” she continued. “Last year they got up to the bottom of the windows. Just depends on the weather.”

The front of Hamilton’s home at 403 Jefferson Street faces east which means during the most intense heat of the day, the shade-loving annuals can thrive. Add Iowa’s humidity to the mix and the flowers are living their best life this summer.

Hamilton, who grew up on the West Coast, has lived in her home for three years now, she said, having moved from Dysart to Waterloo to be near her children. Every year she’s planted impatiens in the home’s permanent planter box – and every year she’s made sure to fertilize.

Colorful impatiens overflow from a brick planter box on Aug. 17 at Kathleen Hamilton’s 403 Jefferson Street home in Dysart. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

“You only have to do it once [with Shake n’ Feed]. Just go up the row and down,” she explained, miming a shaking motion over her flowers which were at least 24 inches tall.

On the day the newspaper visited, Hamilton, who works part-time as a cashier at Wal-Mart in Waterloo, was sporting a t-shirt featuring an image of Northern Cardinals. Cardinals were also featured on a large flag hanging from her house. Throughout the rock bed which wraps around the home’s facade before ending at the front walk, several large pots of impatiens were positioned, many featuring a whimsical butterfly stake peeking out from the bushy blooms. The yard’s design was clearly curated by someone who loves pollinators – a fact which Hamilton confirmed before adding, “I like hummingbirds, too.”

As the calendar turns and the weather invariably trends cooler, Hamilton acknowledged her stunning impatiens will slowly lose their luster, which meant she planned to enjoy them as much as possible this month.

“They grow beautiful every year,” she said.

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER