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2025 Green Thumbs photo contest (part 2)
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Eureka Leader - April 9

Eureka Leader - April 9

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Monday, April 13, 2026
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  • 72° Mostly Cloudy

2025 Green Thumbs photo contest (part 2)

  • Aug 20, 2025
  • Aug 20, 2025
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76W Boyer.jpg

Marsha Boyer, 68, of House Springs took this picture in July. “This is my ‘fairy garden’ area under a beautiful redbud tree I planted years ago in a rusty old wheelbarrow,” Marsha said. “It’s my happy place!”

77W Boyer.jpg

Marsha Boyer, 68, of House Springs took this picture in July. “This is my ‘fairy garden’ area under a beautiful redbud tree I planted years ago in a rusty old wheelbarrow,” Marsha said. “It’s my happy place!”

78E Leonard.jpg

Jim Leonard, 62, of Eureka sent a picture taken in July of his wife, Becky Leonard, 64, next to the sunflower she planted in the spring. “Every year, she plants many vegetables and plants from seeds,” Jim said. “She starts them in early spring inside our house so they don’t get a chance of frost – then, later in the spring, she transfers them outside. I love this photo of her looking proudly at her seven-foot sunflower.”

79S Graham.jpg

Rosemary Graham, 79, of Hillsboro sent a picture from 1995 of her late husband, Roland “George” Graham, and their grandson, Nick. “George planted the cannas the first year we moved to De Soto,” Rosemary said, which was the weekend that Nick was born. “He planted them on a slope and never dug them up.”

80S Graham.jpg

Rosemary Graham, 79, of Hillsboro sent a picture from 2008 of her late husband, Roland “George” Graham, who she said was the “green thumb” of the family. “George had a huge tomato garden in the backyard,” Rosemary said. “We kept a lot of neighbors and family supplied with fresh tomatoes.”

81S Graham.jpg

Rosemary Graham, 79, of Hillsboro sent a picture from 2014 of her old house. She said her late husband, Roland “George” Graham, was the “green thumb” of the family. “We decided that instead of buying gifts for each other for our anniversary, we would get a knockout rose bush to let George plant each year,” Rosemary said. “When we sold the house in 2021, the back fence was covered with roses.”

82S Hiller-Leitterman.jpg

Judy Hiller-Leitterman, 76, of De Soto sent a picture of her garden at home. “I have a bunch of marigolds in front of my porch,” Judy said. “I was just sitting there admiring the flowers when this gorgeous butterfly came to share my porch and flowers with me.”

83S Walker.jpg

Shirley Walker, 87, of Festus sent a picture of herself at Crystal Oaks, where she takes care of flowers and gardens around the property. “She has flowers or tomatoes in every courtyard,” said Teresa Harmon, Shirley’s daughter. “Gardening is what she loves, and the facility has given her free range to do what she wants.”

84S Dunn.jpg

Mary Dunn, 66, of Festus took this picture in October 2023 in her home’s backyard garden.

85S Dunn.jpg

Mary Dunn, 66, of Festus took this picture in September 2024 in her home’s backyard garden.

86S Dunn.jpg

Mary Dunn, 66, of Festus took this picture in July in her home’s backyard garden.

87S Mueller.jpg

Judy Mueller, 73, of Barnhart took this picture earlier this month of her grandsons, Owen and Ethan Mueller, in her backyard. “Every year, I like to create my garden for my children and grandchildren, choosing flowers of their favorite colors,” Judy said.

88S Mueller.jpg

Judy Mueller, 73, of Barnhart took this picture earlier this month of Kay Williams with a nine-inch hibiscus. “Every year, I like to create my garden for my children and grandchildren, choosing flowers of their favorite colors,” Judy said.

89S Mueller.jpg

Judy Mueller, 73, of Barnhart took this picture earlier this month of backyard. “Every year, I like to create my garden for my children and grandchildren, choosing flowers of their favorite colors,” Judy said.

90W Ronzio.jpg

Judi Ronzio, 73, of High Ridge took this picture in July of her front yard garden. She said it is “a mix of grasses, perennials, annuals and a bush.”

91W Ronzio.jpg

Judi Ronzio, 73, of High Ridge took this picture in May of her 50-gallon pond with grasses and annual flowers. She said the pond is home to 10 goldfish.

92W Rauhut.jpg

Elaine Rauhut, 68, of High Ridge took a photo this month of berries and tomatoes from her garden.

93W Rauhut.JPG

Elaine Rauhut, 68, of High Ridge took a photo this month of a sunflower, which she said attracts many bees.

94W Rauhut.JPG

Elaine Rauhut, 68, of High Ridge took a photo this month of her backyard, which she said was just grass a few years ago.

95N Ballew.jpg

Sandy Ballew of Imperial took this picture in July of a foxglove flower in her driveway. “It is special to me, and it is beautiful to look at!” Sandy said. “It was a birthday gift from a very special person!”

96N Ballew.jpg

Sandy Ballew of Imperial took this picture earlier this month of her “naked lady” lilies in her garden. “(The flower) is special to me because of its beauty and that a friend of over 50 years gave it to me!” Sandy said.

97N De Jesus.jpg

Beatriz De Jesus, 66, of Arnold took this picture earlier this month.

98N De Jesus.jpg

Beatriz De Jesus, 66, of Arnold took this picture earlier this month.

99N De Jesus.jpg

Beatriz De Jesus, 66, of Arnold took this picture earlier this month.

100W Dennis.jpg

Patricia Dennis, 65, of Robertsville said she and her husband, Mark Dennis Sr., created this home garden together. “I want to walk through and pick flowers, so my husband will never need to buy me flowers again,” Patricia said. “It’s our little piece of paradise.”

101W Dennis.jpg

Patricia Dennis, 65, of Robertsville said she received this gate last year. It is from the 1930s and stood in her husband’s, Mark Dennis Sr., grandparents’ garden in Lawrenceton. “The tiger lilies were my mother’s passed on to me,” Patricia said. “I cherish their blooms every year.”

102W Borgers.jpg

Jody Borgers, 59, of Cedar Hill took this picture earlier this month of her porch. “This is where we sit and relax at the day’s end, after the dinner dishes are put away,” Jody said. The garden is full of balsam, which her grandma had around the house as she was growing up. “Bees loved it! As a kid I was unsettled about being around them. As an adult I've grown to appreciate those bees! Peeking through the balsam is Amaryllis belladonna, a.k.a. ‘naked ladies’ according to my Grandma Robertson.” Jody said her love for plants comes from her late mother and grandmothers. “As I water them in the morning I reminisce and think of them. I love growing plants that they loved.”

103W Sparks.jpg

Carole Sparks, 57, of House Springs took this picture in August 2017 at home. “I like the lighting behind the flower,” Carole said.

104W Sparks.jpg

Carole Sparks, 57, of House Springs took this picture of a flower in June 2019 as she was walking into the zoo. “I noticed that it had double-wide disk,” Carole said. “I never have seen that before!”

105W Sparks.jpg

Carole Sparks, 57, of House Springs took this picture in August 2019. “I placed the flower in the sun and was amazed at how beautiful it was with the sun highlighting the veins in the petals,” Carole said.

106E Braswell.jpg

Becky Marcum took this picture in June of her mother’s garden. Her mother is Stacey Braswell, 81, of Wildwood.

107E Braswell.jpg

Becky Marcum took this picture in June of her mother’s garden. Her mother is Stacey Braswell, 81, of Wildwood.

108E Braswell.jpg

Becky Marcum took this picture in June of her mother’s garden. Her mother is Stacey Braswell, 81, of Wildwood.

109W Messmer.jpg

Jeanne Messmer, 74, of Fenton took this picture in July of her garden at Fond Du Lac lake. “Today I celebrate my seventh year as a lung transplant survivor,” Jeanne said. “What better way to honor my donor, surgeons, Barnes-Jewish Hospital staff and my family and friends than to give back some beauty to the world – to express how grateful I am to be given a second chance at life!”

110W Messmer.jpg

Jeanne Messmer, 74, of Fenton took this picture in July of her garden at Fond Du Lac lake. “Today I celebrate my seventh year as a lung transplant survivor,” Jeanne said. “What better way to honor my donor, surgeons, Barnes-Jewish Hospital staff and my family and friends than to give back some beauty to the world – to express how grateful I am to be given a second chance at life!”

112S AuBuchon.jpg

Kenny and Jane AuBuchon, 63, of Festus sent a picture Jane took earlier this month of a tree they’ve had for over 25 years. “When our daughter, Alicia AuBuchon, was in fourth grade during the 1998-99 school year at Festus, she was given a bald cypress seedling,” Jane said. “We planted it, and it has been growing strong ever since.”

113S AuBuchon.jpg

Kenny and Jane AuBuchon, both 63, of Festus sent a picture Jane took earlier this month at their house. “Behind our gazebo, we have a rock garden,” Jane said. “A few years ago, we dug in an old claw-foot tub and have sedum ground cover growing in it with plate flowers I have made on display and a flower garden all around it. Here you see the shasta daisies behind it.”

114S AuBuchon.jpg

Kenny and Jane AuBuchon, 63, of Festus sent a picture Jane took earlier this month. “This photo displays some of the rocks I like to paint as a hobby,” Jane said. “I like to give some away and display some around the yard. Although we love gardening, this is a great way to have flowers even if you don’t have a green thumb.”

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