If you take a drive down Seventh Street, it’s hard not to notice the home of Frank and Delores Haas – it’s the one with all the pretty flowers, bushes and the like.

Thursday, September 06, 2001

If you take a drive down Seventh Street, it’s hard not to notice the home of Frank and Delores Haas – it’s the one with all the pretty flowers, bushes and the like.

The family’s horticultural efforts earned the Ironton Garden Club’s annual "Civic Beautification Award." Spriggs Distributing Company, meanwhile, earned the club’s "Business Beautification Award."

Each year since 1928 – the year the club was founded – members have doled out the awards. According to Joyce Rambacher, who shared the contest chair honors with Doris Hannon and Lois Malone this year, competition was a bit stiffer than in years past.

"It was difficult to choose the winners, particularly the residences," Rambacher said. "There were several homes, especially on North Second Street, that looked spectacular this year."

For the Haas family, it was a group effort. Mrs. Haas deferred credit to her husband and children, Hogan Haas and Kathy McGinnis.

"They do all the work," Mrs. Haas said. "They would put anything that grows in the ground."

Included in the Haas yard are marigolds, hibiscuses, azalias and black-eyed susans. Mrs. Haas added the majority of the flowers are red, yellow and purple in color. Most of the flowers are located in a rock garden, she added.

Rambacher said the contest chairs were impressed by the Haas’ "complete showing," stating they used the entire yard. In fact, an enclosed pool area the Haas’ have decorated was not considered by the judges because the landscaping "had to be in view," Rambacher said.

"We were particularly impressed by their use of colors," Rambacher said, adding alternating bushes of yellow and red proved to be attractive to the judges’ eyes.

The rules of the contest are quite simple – residences and businesses have to be nominated and have to be located in the city of Ironton. Residences have to be decorated by someone inhabiting the home or a family member while businesses are permitted to use landscaping firms. In Sprigss’ case, Tri-State Nursery did the landscaping.

"They didn’t just use flowers, they also used ornamental trees and shrubs," Rambacher said of Spriggs. "This will make it pretty all year round, even in the winter and fall when the flowers are gone. It just beautifies our town."

Rambacher said the club received around 15 nominations for residences and eight for businesses. She said nominations are accepted throughout the spring and summer and the winners are chosen around the first week of September.