The Weekly Vista

Sweet blooms keep green thumb moving forward

- SALLY CARROLL

When Tara Rawlins was younger, she didn’t exactly appreciate the family’s green thumb.

Her father had a oneacre lot, next door to their Second Street house in Bentonvill­e. Her father oversaw a vegetable garden there, and the family worked alongside him.

It was one of the last gardens like that in town, maybe the only one. By the time she was a teenager, she was a little embarrasse­d about it and the chickens running around.

“But as I got older, I realized how great it was to have it and learn about gardening,” she said.

Fast forward to the Lake Avalon house she and her husband purchased in 2018. Though she says she was sidelined a bit with pregnancy and a bouncing baby girl in the last two years, the landscape shows a lot of labor, talent and vibrant color.

With 100 iris blooms, their yard is dotted with purple to pink to white and all in between.

Some bulbs were there when they moved in, but Rawlins’ magical additions are evident.

As she works to create something awe strikingly beautiful, she realizes how important it is to play in the dirt and make something from nothing.

“If you’re not getting a little dirty, are you even having fun?” she says. “The smell alone can be nostalgic and relaxing. And it’s an interestin­g, ever dynamic challenge to use the existing earth to create your vision,” she said.

“I still get super tickled when a plant makes it or thrives, or if I’m able to bring it back from the brink of death.”

Rawlins admits that her husband, who has a degree in landscape architectu­re, helps with the vision of a beautiful landscape. Though he works for a large corporatio­n, she feels lucky she can use his landscapin­g knowledge.

“He’s often the muscle behind my ideas,” she said.

The couple has put a lot of that sweat and creative work into their home and yard, which had not been maintained when they purchased it.

The first year was spent just clearing the land, which had about 10 years’ worth of unmaintain­ed growth.

“We figure it’ll take 10 years to truly get it to where we want it. My father affectiona­tely calls our lot a ‘goat slide’ and he’s not wrong,” she said. “UPS has dubbed my driveway slope one of the top 10 worst in Bella Vista.”

The challenge to create something magical and wonderful spurs Rawlins, who also has a “jungle” indoors, complete with violets, orchids, Christmas cactus, tropical trees, a 6-foot-tall potted rubber tree, an herb garden and raised beds for a few vegetables.

She attributes her green thumb to much trial and error. Shaping the yard into their design will take more time and sweat and playing in the dirt. It’s a toil of labor she’s willing to take on.

Planting more flowers to bloom and blossom tickles her pink.

“I’m just super happy to be able to showcase a small portion of Bella Vista’s flora and fauna,” she said.

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 ?? Courtesy photos ?? The Rawlinses have worked hard to carve out a beautiful yard, since acquiring their Lake Avalon home in 2018. The yard had not been maintained for a decade.
Courtesy photos The Rawlinses have worked hard to carve out a beautiful yard, since acquiring their Lake Avalon home in 2018. The yard had not been maintained for a decade.

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