Yard of the Month for June

For years, many have enjoyed the large garden growing on the northwest corner of East 2nd Street and Chestnut. The garden and home belong to Chris and Melissa Francis, and the Bristow Garden Club chose their garden for its June “Yard of the Month” honors.

Chris, originally from Illinois, and wife, Melissa (Cooper) of Depew, have lived in the home for the last four years and took over the garden after the relatively recent passing of Chris’ father. Chris said his father loved to garden and preferred growing vegetables. Actually, Chris and Melissa stated that their love of gardening at their home in town came from Chris’ dad; although, they prefer growing flowers to vegetables.

Even though they prefer floral gardening, the Francis family enjoys fresh vegetables. Still, for this year, the couple has no plans to grow any vegetables. However, Melissa noted that they grew a community garden last year, sharing their fresh veggies such as tomatoes, squash, peppers, and cucumbers with members of the community for free.

Speaking of the community, Chris disclosed his favorite thing about living in Bristow: interacting with the people and referring to community neighbors and residents as “friendly folks.”

For anyone wishing to get a glimpse of the Francis’ beautiful flower garden, take a drive down Chestnut and keep an open eye on the northwest corner at 2nd Street. Their large, fragrant garden is hard to miss, but to help ensure no one misses it, the Bristow Garden Club placed their “Yard of the Month” sign along the street.