August 2026 honoree
Mandy Whitworth and Teena Schultz
Resident since 2020
5403 Bradford Dr
The Maple Springs Neighborhood Association’s Garden Club is happy to announce it’s recipients for our August “Yard of the Month”. It goes to Mandy Whitworth and Teena Schultz who have lived at 5403 Bradford since 2020. Mandy works as a Project Manager for a tax company’s marketing team, and Teena is the Assistant Chief of Police of the Dallas Police Department.
Catching the Garden Bug
As a child growing up in Alabama & Texas, Mandy didn’t like yard work. In fact, it felt like punishment from her parents. It was a chore she had to do before having fun with her friends. It wasn’t’ until she purchased her very first house that the ‘garden bug’ bit. Suddenly, she wanted it to look it’s best and that meant putting in a garden. Through trial and error, she taught herself about gardening; and asking questions, lot’s of questions.
Finding a Home in Oak Lawn Heights
When Teena moved in ten years ago, the house suddenly felt too small. In their search for a larger home, they stumbled across this great area called, Oak Lawn Heights. There they found the perfect home in a warm, friendly, contemporary house built in 2013. The front and back yards were less friendly with minimal trees and plantings.
Starting from Scratch
Mandy knew she had her work cut out for her with the gardens, but she rose to the challenge. Calling on all the knowledge she had accrued over the past 20 years, she put together a design for both the front and back yard. The back yard was all sun, all day, with two worn out hackberry trees and overgrown Italian Cypresses. She removed the trees and started from scratch. She inherited a lovely pool and fire pit, but needed to bring it together with plants that could take full sun and heat.
A Love for Native Plants
Native plants had always interested her, so, this sunny backyard was the perfect opportunity to discover beautiful plants that were drought tolerant and heat resistant. After all, it was good for the environment, requiring less water and less work and they were perennials. She designed raised beds made out of corten steel, which oxidizes with the weather and turns a lovely, rust brown. You will see them all over the property in small, tall planters, long, rectangular planters and even in the edging along the gardens. This one metal, seen throughout the gardens, seems to bring everything together.
A Haven for Pollinators
She filled these planters with blanket flowers, russian sage, esperanza and blue salvia, all which thrived in full sun. They were pollinator friendly plants attracting droves of bees and butterflies and hummingbirds. To keep the yard green for the winter she planted Eagleston hollies and wax myrtles around the fire pit.
Designing the Front Garden
For the front yard, which was partial sun, she cleared out all the existing shrubs and plants and left three mature crepe myrtles. She followed the design of the A frame house in designing her front garden. At the highest point of the A frame she planted a cherry laurel which has grown to 12 feet. At the lowest end of the A frame she planted a ‘Bloodgood’ japanese maple. She filled the space between with a layered design of Indian hawthorn as her ‘foundation’ plant, then lantanas for color in front, followed by mexican heather. Extending out from the house is a tall hedge of wax myrtle with its soft, thin leaves that move with the wind.
Creating Shade for the Future
To add more shade she planted a live oak tree and a bald cypress in the front and a row of beautiful lacebark elms along the side of the house.
A Labor of Love
This all sounds like a lot of work but Teena was there to help with the heavy lifting. Still, this is Mandy’s domain. She no longer feels it’s a chore to garden, but more a labor of love. It brings a great level of pride when she sees what’s been accomplished. And gardening has taught her the lesson of patience. You just can’t rush Mother Nature.
Yard of the Month is sponsored by North Haven Gardens.
