A Passion For Gardening
Kanas' yard reveals perfection in every sense of the word
By QUALA MATOCHA lifestyle@leader-news.com

L-N Photos by Quala Matocha Picture Perfect Gene and Bernadette Kana take great pride in a well-groomed and maintained yard. The couple's home was chosen by the El Campo Garden Club for 'Yard of the Month' honors.

When it comes to gardening, Bernadette and Gene Kana rely on their own expertise as well as that of their friends.

"It's good to have a pal like Barbara Milder who is a master gardener," said Bernadette. "She has a passion for gardening, and by her gift she encouraged me to pursue this hobby. Every time I visit her I tour her garden. Her hubby Frank has a really neat veggie garden as well."

The couple, who reside at 1401 Michael Street, were chosen as "Yard of the Month" recipients by El Campo Garden Club members Lynn Reed and Kay Sikes.

Upon learning of the selection, Bernadette says there are plenty of other yards deserving of such an honor.

"With so many gardeners in El Campo who take pride in maintaining their yards, I feel privileged to be chosen," she said. "I believe that a wellkept yard is good for our city."

The Kanas have incorporated several changes over the years. One of those additions is a large pergola in the backyard.

"Since we had a 14x14 concrete slab in the backyard, we had a pergola built over it," she said. "I found a blueprint in the Better Homes and Gardens magazine of it and fell I love with it, and had it built in 19-degree weather."

With the assistance of Dee Golden and Armando Bautista, the couple had the front picket fence area land- scaped.

"We were their first clients in El Campo," she said. "They added an extra dimension to our front yard by adding various stones, a welcoming atmosphere. They also added special touches to areas in the backyard."

With the removal of four large Japanese yews in the front yard, the couple had Maurice Dluhos build a white wrought iron gate for the entry to the terrace.

Another noticeable alteration was an overlay to cover the concrete terrace floor by Nichols Enterprises Inc. Nichols also installed a white vinyl fence along with driveway.

Future plans are to "transplant knock-out roses in front of the vinyl fence along the drive and complete a brick sidewalk to the backyard," she said.

When it comes to maintenance, Bernadette offers several tips.

"For ferns, I use a tablespoon of ammonia per 1 gallon of water once a month. You'll notice the fronds' leaflets will be a richer green color."

She uses well-aged compost or manure mulch because "it releases nutrients every time plants are watered. I add or bury biodegradable veggie peelings to my compost pile."

The addition of coffee grounds is another tip for providing rich nutrients to the soil. "Azaleas love the grinds," she said.

While nutrients are good for the soil, so is water. She suggests, "When having a sprinkling system installed take photos of all the trenches to know where pipes pipes are located when digging in the ground."

She also prefers using a drip irrigation system for flower beds as opposed to the sprinkling systems.

In addition to the existing landscape, seasonal flowers are added. These include larkspur, snapdragons, petunias, pansies, impatiens, begonias, periwinkle, hollyhocks, violas and alyssum.

An interesting feature to the backyard are climbing fig plants that cover an entire tree.

"I trimmed them as far as I could reach," she said. "As I left off trimming, the leaves got larger and produced figs." These figs, which are not edible, dropped to the ground. "These vines have climbed at least 20 feet."With such a large variety of flower beds and landscaping, the couple were once able to keep up with the work until about six years ago when they decided to hire Wayland Harton to help out. Now they get assistance from Raul Flores, because "there is lots of edging to do here," she said.

Bernadette believes the front yard's welcoming atmosphere with the picket fence, stones and plants were one of the reasons the Garden Club chose the couple's yard.

Many of her plants have sentimental value. Some come from her mother's and Barbara Milder's yards. Even a rose bush from Rosemary Foltyn's mom has fond memories, because she was a good friend of Bernadette's mother.

When it comes to favorite areas of the yard, the couple enjoy two places.

"In the front yard we feel the atmosphere there is welcoming to our guests. Also the driveway, because our grandchildren love to ride their bikes. Just watching them play there, whether it's throwing the football, baseball or whatever, is enjoyable."