Joann and Ed Pope's garden, upcoming winners for August.

In the blazing heat of the summer, keeping a yard well-maintained can be a challenge. Tasks like mowing the lawn or watering flowers may seem aggravating to some, and daunting to others. But there is a unique group of people who refuse to let the heat, or anything else, stop them from pouring love and care into their yards – and the Dogwood Garden Club has noticed. Consisting of 21 members, the Dogwood Garden Club of Sumter County meets monthly to share gardening ideas and serve the community. Their newest initiative, the Yard of the Month program, recognizes local residents who work hard on their lawns.

Winners are selected by a small committee of club members who quietly scout the county, searching for a yard that is “very well-tended, groomed, and beautiful,” according to Lisa Simpson, the club’s publicity chair. They earn bragging rights and a yard sign declaring their skills for the duration of the month.

The program started in June 2025 with a yard already rooted in local history. Lynne and Jimmy Anderson had recently moved into the home of Lynne’s late mother, Rebecca McNeill – a longtime Dogwood Garden Club member and a gardener admired across Georgia for both her teaching and her talent.

The Andersons did not just preserve Rebecca McNeill’s legacy. They made it their own. “They used the existing established gardens, brought plants from their previous home and have expanded and refined the flower beds,” Simpson wrote in a piece for Garden Gateways, the state club’s quarterly newsletter. She added that both have an eye for design, and that “Lynne was surprised and ecstatic when notified. She exclaimed, “Mother is jumping up and down for joy!’” Lynne Anderson’s brother, Robert “Bob” McNeill, is also an avid gardener. Like his sister, he shares their mother’s love for the craft. However, he sees it as something uniquely his own. “It gives me something to do in retirement to keep me busy,” McNeill said. “My wife and I take pride in our home and want to make it pretty.”

For Bob McNeill, it has been moving to watch his mother’s legacy live on. Rebecca McNeill was not just known for her green thumb – she was generous with it. “Someone recently shared with me that she was shocked at the florist bill at her daughter’s wedding,” Bob McNeill recalled.

“There was no florist bill at her own wedding because my mom did all the flowers.”

In July, the Yard of the Month sign traveled to the home of Joyce and Johnny Jones in Plains. For them, the award came as a surprise.

“It was a blessing to us,” said Johnny Jones. “We never intended to win an award or anything, because we are common people and we just do our thing.” Still, the recognition was deeply appreciated, especially after the time and energy they have poured into their space.

“It took us a couple of years to get it to where we wanted it,” Jones added. “But we’re proud of it, and we are going to keep up the good work.”

The upcoming winners for August, Joann and Ed Pope, echoed that same sense of humility. “I find it almost comical,” Joann Pope said. “When I walk through our grass I find fault with it every time. Between the geese bringing in weed seeds and the deer nibbling on my blossoms, I stay in a tizzy.”

Still, her joy shines through. “My mom had flowers blooming and kept a fresh arrangement in her house at all times,” she said. “I suppose that created a love of gardening for me. It’s just fun to make something from nothing.”

Pope also noted her gratification toward the Dogwood Garden Club for highlighting beautification efforts across Sumter County.

That spirit of encouragement and appreciation of natural beauty is central to the club’s mission. You do not have to be a master gardener to join the club or win Yard of the Month. You just have to love watching something grow.