Beautiful, yet low-maintenance.

That’s the type of landscaping Chad and Lisa Shaver wanted when they moved into their home on Cobblestone Lane over five years ago.

Recognizing the beautiful landscaping surrounding their home, the Kingfisher Lions Club recently presented the Shavers with the August Silver Spade award.

The honor is presented each month of the summer season by the local civic club to a home exhibiting extraordinary landscaping.

On a cul-de-sac in the Stonebrook addition, the multi-hued rock and brick home is surrounded by a neatly manicured lawn and generous flowerbeds overflowing with a variety of trees, shrubs and other thriving vegetation.

With the local climate in mind, Lisa said they wanted to incorporate native elements and other vegetation which would grow well in Oklahoma and require little maintenance.

After consulting with the professionals on the best plants and layout for their landscaping, the Shavers did most of the work themselves.

“We seeded most of the grass with only a small portion being put in as sod and planted all the flowers and shrubs,” Lisa said.

Strategically positioned in the front flowerbeds are large Arizona blue ice cypress trees with their lacy, silvery-blue foliage surrounded by pink, purple and white petunias, golden Stella d’Oro daylilies, purple salvia, a weigela bush with its seasonal bright pink flowers and flourishing neon-green sweet potato vine.

“The Arizona cypress grows amazingly here,” Lisa said. “It tolerates the heat well, but they did suffer this winter and lost a lot of their needles with the extended extreme cold temperatures we had, as did many of our plants.”

A lot of the plants were set back by the cold and others such as their nandina shrubs and yaupon holly died during the winter, she said.

“We planted a lot of sweet potato vine to fill in until we can see what is going to come back,” Lisa added. “It’s a wait and see game.”

As the flowerbeds wind around the home, also interspersed are an assortment other thriving shrubs, Indian hawthorn with its dark green foliage and spring light pink flowers, summer yellow blossoms of lavender cotton, evergreen arborvitaes, dwarf bunny grass, junipers as well as an abundance of vibrant red, pink and white begonias throughout.

The begonias add a pop of color against the varied shrubbery and its different hues of green.

“My mom (Sylvia Gilmour) passed away in 2017 and she always loved begonias,” Lisa said. “So, I always plant begonias for her.”

Sweeping lush green grass along the back of the home leads to a serene shoreline of the backyard pond.

Providing shade and tranquilty in both the front and back yard are a variety of trees including loblolly pines, lacebark and Princeton elms, shumard oak and many redbuds.

“I just love the redbuds,” Lisa said. “They’re my favorite.”

Married for 22 years, the Shavers have a daughter, Jayden, who is a sophomore and a son, William, a freshmen at KHS.

Now that William is older, Lisa said, much of the lawn mowing and trimming duties are his responsibility.

“He assumed yard duties last year and he has mostly taken on the full-time job of keeping the grass looking good,” she said.

When asked if she had any advice for aspiring gardeners, Lisa said, “Fertilize, always put more mulch than you think you’ll need and listen to the advice of the professionals.”