Jan Ames has been gardening for 60 years since she started on her family farm with just seeds and her hands. But her proudest moment was just this month when the Des Fleurs Garden Club of Oxford selected Jan and Roger Ames’ garden as Garden of the Month for June.

She tends her garden alongside her husband Roger in a quiet neighborhood on South Locust Street, where they are occasionally visited by a deer they named Jerry. The Ames’ house can be identified by the white fence decorated for the season.

“The neighbors can always tell what holiday it is by the decorations on the fence,” Jan said.

A narrow walking path leads you to the backyard, past a natural garden and into an open area that slopes down to a creekbed. The many trees are encircled by various foliage and native plants Jan didn’t plant but still tends to.

The deer, all named (including Jerry) and friendly, will lay in the flower beds and eat the food Jan and Roger leave out for them. Their neighbors, mostly retired Miami professors, leave out salt blocks and food to complete a hearty meal for the animals.

When it comes to planting and caretaking, it’s a group effort for the household. Roger digs the holes and waters the plants while Jan plans and plants.

“They wouldn’t live if I didn’t water them,” Roger said.

The garden sprouts tulips in the spring and mums in the fall. They said that the garden takes four days to start at the beginning of the year, but it’s worth it for the amount of time they spend in it.

“Plants add so much to your life,” Jan said.

“It’s like a welcome mat for the home,” Roger added.

After receiving the award, Jan said she will join the garden club.

The Oxford club has been around since 1959. In 1965, 13 members visited the White House to celebrate their beautification efforts. 

The club’s beautification committee selects a garden of the month and awards certificates of beautification. According to Gwen Pietzuch, the committee gave out more than 120 certificates in 2022.

“As a gardener, you do it for yourself, but when you create beauty within the community, we felt that that needed to be recognized,” Pietzuch said.

The committee selects gardens from Oxford and the surrounding area for the awards. Pietzuch said she feels a sense of community within the club and with those who receive awards.

“You won’t believe the thank you notes we get,” Pietzuch said. “They’re just full of pride when they get one of those awards.”

The club raises funds through a yearly plant sale in May and a wreath sale in November. The proceeds support a $1,500 scholarship for a botany student at Miami University and contribute plants and fertilizer used by the city of Oxford.