Page 119 - February Sun Rays

around sun city

POKER FACES
The Poker Club held a Texas Hold’em
No Limit tournament on December 13
with 40 members participating in the
event. Congratulations to Jack Emery
for winning the tournament with Bill
Slevin placing second, Hal Needleman
placing third, Suzanne Miller placing
fourth and Peter Garner placing fifth.
Tournament winners, front row: Bill
Slevin, Jack Emery, Hal Needleman.
Back row: Suzanne Miller.

FEBRUARY YARD OF THE MONTH a few plants to flower. A potted hibiscus PHOTO BY DEVON NUNEMANN
DARLA AND GUSTAV BALIKO near the front door and some potted
109 CREPE MYRTLE LANE (N7) roses in the backyard flower intermit- variety of flowering plants. These little
tently. Against the back of the house spots of color are charming, and not
Welcome to the Baliko’s woodland cot- a lantana finds just enough sun and a too much to break the spell cast by this
tage nestled on Crepe Myrtle Lane. A sunny spot in a back corner contains a enchanting woodland garden.
dancing metalwork girl – a woodland ~Carol Parsonage
nymph? – beckons you to enter this en-
chanted yard. Shaded for much of the FEBRUARY 2017 SUNRAYS | 117
year by oaks and cedar elms Darla and
Gustav Baliko’s landscape is predomi-
nately green. In the front yard, ever-
green plants, including dwarf yaupon,
cast iron plant, Asiatic jasmine and liri-
ope, provide year-round color. During
all but the coldest months, asparagus
fern fills large pots along the walk and
spills from baskets hanging between
the porch columns. The Baliko’s use
rock quite effectively to brighten this
scene. Beds are mulched with river rock
and massed boulders edge the trees.
A prominent and striking feature is the
dry-laid limestone wall that follows the
line of the front porch as the land slopes
steeply away from the house. The
woodland vibe continues in the back
yard where the grass serves as paths
between large beds of greenery edged
with more boulders. A small pond and
lawn furniture located among the trees
invites wandering. Throughout the
shaded yard the Baliko’s have coaxed

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