The Grogan's Mill Village Association would like to show its appreciation to those homeowners who love and take care of their homes. In the past GMVA board members have tried to drive around the community to determine which the most deserving homes were.

Now we would like residents in the community to tell us whom they think has the most beautiful yards. You can suggest a neighbor's home or your own. It would help if you can include some digital photos of the home and yard along with information on the address.

Please note that only front and side yards visible from the street can be eligible. A committee of the GMVA Board will look at nominated homes and select the winners. Each month's winner will get a $25 gift certificate to a store of their choice in the Grogan's Mill Shopping Center.

To nominate a yard, please include this information:

Home owner(s)
Home address and neighborhood
Your phone number
Brief description of landscaping (reason for nomination)
Pictures (digital) to support the nomination

E-mail nominations or questions about Yard of the Month to: webmaster@grogansmillvillage.com

The GMVA has selected the home of Valerie Silva who lives on Laughing Brook Court as the May 2008 Yard Of The Month. Here, Ms. Silva receives a gift certificate to the Grogan's Mill Shopping Center from Jim Upham (left) and Franklin Palmer (right).

She writes about her yard: I have lived in the High Oaks neighborhood for sixteen years. When landscaping I made sure I picked plants and ground covers which could take the extreme Texas heat and droughts.The large bushes in the front are red tip photinia and provide not only shade from the heat of the evening sun, but privacy as well. The extensive creeping jasmine ground cover keeps the soil from eroding and retains moisture for the beds surrounding the house. I have extended the mulch beds over the years. This makes the yard not only easier to maintain, but also cuts down on watering.I have used rocks from the Hill Country to further enhance the landscaping and river stone to help with drainage. I have beautiful orange lilies and purple Mexican heather that provide color several times a year.

I take great pride in my yard and love working in it. Whenever I am out in the yard I always have someone stop and comment about how nice it looks, so all the sore muscles and hard work over the years has all been worth it. This is a very big honor for me.

Grogan’s Mill Village Association congratulates homeowners Lee and Debbie Stoerner on having the Village’s April 2008 “Yard of the Month”. Lee and Debbie Stoerner have lived in the same home on Brookflower Road in The Woodlands since 1987. Their front yard faces west so they have full sun all day. They have tried various types of plants and hedges to see what would do the best. Their large green plants are Split Leaf Philodendrons started from small cuttings in 1997.

They have found so far that in their large rounded flower bed Schefflera and Hibiscus plants do well. They try to keep small seasonal plants close to the scalloped edging for color. Along the front and side against the house Red Photinias do very well. The more sun the better they do. They also keep regular hedges trimmed to about two feet in front of the front Photinias for more green color. The grass has been their biggest problem. They have had bare spots, brown patch and various other hindrances including strange weather conditions from drought to constant rain. They just treat, maintain and replace sod as needed.

They enjoy working in their yard as weather and physical conditions allow.

Grogan’s Mill Village Association congratulates homeowners Chris and Jennifer Laughman on having the Village’s September 2007 “Yard of the Month”. Chris and Jennifer Laughman and their 6 year old daughter, Madelynn, have lived at on Deerfoot Circle in The Woodlands for the past 8 1/2 years. In 2006 they re-landscaped their front lawn. They installed St. Augustine grass and planted tropical hibiscus, crepe myrtle and desert rose plants. They have found that these plants do very well in the Texas heat and humidity. They are also fairly drought tolerable. The lawn is a blaze of color in the Spring. In the future, they plan to plant additional tropical hibiscus.

The September 2007 "Yard of the Month" home. Jim Upham, Chris Laughman,
Jennifer Laughman, Madelynn Laughman, Franklin Palmer

Grogan’s Mill Village Association congratulates homeowners Shirley and Red LeSarge on having the Village’s June 2007 “Yard of the Month”. Shirley and Red LeSage have lived in their home on Acorn Oak for 32 years, which they built when The Woodlands was a dream, they were on a dirt road and there were only five houses on the street. Shirley does her own yard work and has planted an English garden where she once had an oak tree that she lost due to disease. Red is an active member of his church and involved in many community activities. They chose a GMVA gift certificate from Chef Chan’s. Congratulations!

The runner ups were:
Alan and Janet Higgins on Berryfrost. The Higgins have achieved a forest-like feel to their yard with varying shades of green. Congratulations neighbor, thanks for keeping the community green.

Daniel Hallock on East Red Cedar Circle. Dan has taken a simplistic approach to landscaping and had done it well. His clean cut lawn is accented by giant elephant ears, airplane plants, native lantanas, and crepe myrtles. Dan does all of his own upkeep. Thanks Dan.

Grogan’s Mill Village Association congratulates homeowner Violet Hargrove on having the Village’s May 2007 “Yard of the Month”. Her home is located on North Red Cedar Circle and is an inspiration to us all. While handling her job as an accountant and watching over her grandson, Violet does her own planning and planting, with the exception of mowing & edging. She has lived in this Grogan's Mill location for nine years and has built her landscaping as she has time.

Among raised beds surrounded by red sandstone, you will find begonias, roses, lily of the nile, various shrubs, scheffelera and numerous other healthy, beautiful plants. We can all find motivation & inspiration in Ms. Hargroves' efforts. Congratulations Violet!

The May 2007 "Yard of the Month" home.

Grogan’s Mill Village Association congratulates homeowners Charles and Paula Patronella of E Wildwind on having the Village’s April 2007 “Yard of the Month”. They do all the work themselves, and in fact Charles was trimming when Sally Johnson, GMVA Board member, arrived to deliver the award.

The Patronellas received a gift certificate to Randalls. Other homes nominated will get a letter from the GMVA thanking them for taking cares of their yards and for having beautiful homes.

The April 2007 "Yard of the Month" home.

Grogan’s Mill Village Association congratulates homeowners Jim & Debbie Tawse of Timberjack Place on having the Village’s July 2006 “Yard of the Month”. The Tawse family has been residents of Grogan’s Mill since 1988 and have spent many years cultivating the perfect landscaping for their home. Begonias and pansies are the current flowering plants, but Debbie said they try to keep the yard updated with seasonal flowers throughout the year. In addition to the sign from GMVA proclaiming their home the “Yard of the Month”, the Tawses also received a gift certificate from the retailer or restaurant of their choice in the Grogan’s Mill Village Center.

The July 2006 "Yard of the Month" home.