By GRAHAM BROOKS / Staff Writer

HELENA – The Helena Beautification Board has announced the winning residence for the June Helena Beautification Award.

Larry and Vickie Bozeman were given the recognition after years of hard work to create a beautiful landscape at their home. The Bozeman’s moved to 100 Chestnut Forest Circle eight years ago after Larry promised his grandson they’d move closer to them after he retired.

“I originally found Helena while helping my daughter and her family find a home in the Birmingham area,” Larry said. “They moved up on South Shades Crest and when I retired and my grandson reminded me of my promise, I knew Helena was the place for us.”

Once settled in, the couple began building a beautiful landscape with a lush lawn, trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals and even installed a pond. With a mix of sun and shade, they planted the right plant in the right place for maximum impact.

From the street, one will notice a lovely mailbox planting that draws the eye up to the front entry where planters are tiered on the porch and filled with colorful annuals that create a warm welcome. The side yard boasts a shade garden with plantings of azaleas, crepe myrtles, oak leaf hydrangeas, irises, autumn fern and obedience.

Further up the hill, one will notice the perennial garden. Planted with a Japanese maple, plantings of sage, bee balm, asters, foxtail ferns and many other plants all of which provide three seasons of color and interest to the garden.

“It’s a labor of love, I love digging in this garden,” Vickie said.

“We are the first house at the entrance to the neighborhood. That comes with some additional responsibility,” Larry said. “The first house sets the tone for all others. It’s the first thing you see when you pull in. Out back, you’ll find a custom-built pond. We moved 12,000 pounds of north Alabama stone to this garden to create this pond. We surrounded it with water loving plants and filled it with water lilies. We’ve also found some room to grow a few tomatoes.”

All in all, this entire landscape comes together to create harmony and balance, not only for the Bozemans, but for the entire neighborhood.

The beautification award for July will be accepting nominations until the 25th with the winner being selected and notified at the first of the month.

The winner will be able to proudly display a yard sign for the month, have their picture and house published on the Helena Beautification website, Helena Beautiful Facebook page and in the Helena Reporter.

To nominate a home to receive the Helena Beautification Award on July 1, go to Helenabeautiful.com/award.html and submit the address.

The Helena Beautification Board is an appointed board of the Helena City Council. The board believes that people and places are profoundly connected and thriving communities are rooted in individual responsibility and action. They host a variety of opportunities for the community to come together and serve each year. Events are posted on the Helena Beautiful Facebook page and announced via Twitter at @TweetHomeHelena.

For more pictures and a full list of the plants planted at the home, visit Helenabeautiful.com/award.html.