On a quiet and winding street on Kingfisher’s west side, beautiful homes with well-manicured lawns and ornamental landscaping abound.

But only one boasts the Silver Spade award for the month of May.

On West Fay Avenue, Judy Wood’s residence deservingly displays the Silver Spade award among an array of multi-colored ornamental plants and shrubs in the front flowerbed.

The Silver Spade is an honor presented by the Kingfisher Lions Club during the summer months to homes with extraordinary landscaping and beauty.

Wood and her late husband, Sam, purchased the home in 1986 when they moved to Kingfisher from Sayre.

They were educators for more than 15 years in the Sayre school district and continued their careers in education when they moved to Kingfisher.

Sam was the principal at Gilmour Elementary School for 12 years and Judy taught business classes at KHS for 10 years and served as grant coordinator for another four years securing funds for technology upgrades in Kingfisher’s school district.

Both Judy and Sam were inducted into the KHS Hall of Fame in 2015.

Before Sam passed away, he was the driving force that kept everything looking great outside, Judy said. He also had a large vegetable garden in the back, she said.

“He really was the gardener,” Judy said. “It was his love.”

Although the amount of work required to maintain the landscaping isn’t she said, she loves being her favorite thing to do, able to be outdoors and enjoy the beauty of nature.

A towering bradford pear tree shades the lush green grass of the front old. lawn and is over 30 years

Bordering the walkway to the front door, a generous fl owerbed hosts a magnolia tree with creamy white blossoms beginning to emerge. Surrounding the magnolia are purple-leaf shamrocks, daisies, lantana, hydrangea and varied other ornamental plants.

Also very prominently displayed among the plants is a red gazing ball front flowerbed. adding a pop of color to the

“I gave that to my mother as a gift and when she passed away I brought it to my garden,” she said.

Another sentimental addition to her outdoor decor is a wooden box planter filled with brightly colored flowers. A Mother’s Day gift from her son, Jay, the planter overflows with red geraniums, pink periwinkles, orange million bells flowers offset by green foliage of varying hues.

On the west side of her house, an English boxwood and mock orange shrub show off their green foliage.

“The mock orange shrub was gift from my sister-in-law and the spring blossoms smell like oranges,” Judy said.

The large backyard boasts dark green fescue throughout and a huge maple tree the Woods planted as a seedling over 30 years ago.

Crepe myrtles are spaced within the flowerbeds bordering the house in the backyard along with red cannas and pink and purple gladiolas.

“The crepe myrtles were recently transplanted there to receive more sun and they have really taken off,” Judy said.

In the far southeast corner of the back yard is a raised bed filled with red lilies, pink and orange impatiens, lantana, red sage, roses and a flowering peach tree in the center.

“This flower bed takes on a new look every year,” Judy commented.

The dark red lilies were a gift from her daughter, Jamie, she said.

Evenly spaced holly bushes reside along the east side of the house where deep purple leaf shamrock with dainty pink flowers spread low to the ground among them. Judy said she plans to introduce hostas to the flowerbed in the future.

Another treasured Mother’s Day gift is displayed in a flowerbed near her front porch. A group of stepping stones, engraved with her three grandchildren’s names and larger stone with the inscription “Grandma - Love Grows Here” are nestled behind yellow day lilies.

Her grandchildren, Abby, Emma and Samuel live across the street with their parents, Jay and Libby.

They moved to Kingfisher about five years ago when Jay took the position of KHS girls basketball coach. He is now the athletic director and assistant high school principal.

Judy’s daughter and husband, Brett, live in Oklahoma City.

When asked if she had any advice on how to be a successful gardener, Judy replied, “marry one.”

“Sam loved to garden and he worked so hard at it,” she said.

“He would be proud to have received the Silver Spade award.”