Milton Garden Club's October winner of the Community Pride Award for a commercial property is Eric Cabaniss' State Farm Insurance Agency, located at 6373 Hy 90 in Milton. It is obvious that Cabaniss takes great care and pride in the property as its appearance is beautifully maintained and manicured year round. There are four separate beds created with concrete landscape blocks, with all woven together by using repeated species of plants in each area. In front of the building, the foundation bed features loropetalum, holly, and variegated Indian Hawthorn. The deep red loropetalum is sheared in box-like shapes to contrast with the rounded hawthorns and the more vertical lines of the deeper green pyramidal holly. The entrance is a covered porch with a see-through arch looking out over a long raised planter of sheared boxwood, loropetalum, variegated Indian Hawthorn, and liriope. The circular end of this long bed surrounds a digital sign which is softened by the loropetalum and hawthorn plantings along with some large boulders for contrast. At the rear of the entrance is a smaller raised strip planter of tall white pampas grass, while almost at the edge of the road is a large raised oval planter holding two beautifully deep green sago palms, a large boulder and liriope. Cabaniss has the landscape professionally maintained by John Pace, who also maintains the yard at the Cabaniss home—which brings us to the Community Pride Award for a private residence. It is the home of the Eric Cabaniss family located in the Moors gated community off of Avalon Boulevard, at 5713 Highland Lake Drive, in Milton. A squared bed flanks the driveway on one side with a large pyramidal holly surrounded by sheared azalea shrubs. On the other side is a smaller round bed with the sheared azaleas surrounding a large Sago palm. Foundation plantings include Indian Hawthorn, holly, and Knockout roses at the entrance. The side foundation bed includes sago palms, Indian Hawthorn and holly. Another strip planter defines the walkway to the back of the house. The home's back yard sits on the shore of the lake, which affords a lovely view of the lake and its fountain. It is plain to see that Cabaniss takes obvious pride in the appearance of his business property as well as his home; we are so proud to congratulate him on receiving the Community Pride Award in October for both the commercial property AND the residential property categories.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Winner of the Community Pride Award