One of many business and office buildings located along College Boulevard, the postage stamp size site of the Executive Hills Style Shop stands out with its lone stately pin oak tree in front, anchored by a bed of colorful begonias and a backdrop of sculpted evergreen shrubs planted beneath a row of windows. If you approach from the back of the shop, your eyes will quickly be drawn to a coifed weeping ornamental tree shaped like an umbrella. On the west side, a small courtyard with a round bed of annual flowers can be enjoyed during breaks by employees as well as clients who chose to wait outside for their scheduled appointments. The shop has done a fine job of softening a brick and concrete environment with greenery, color and texture. Stylist Rose Langwell accepted the award from Mayor Carl Gerlach.

In keeping with a country cottage motif, Mimi’s Café, located on 95th Street near Quivira, makes for an inviting atmosphere with an exterior planting of an assortment of annual flowers, roses, day lilies, ornamental grasses, evergreen shrubs and other plants near its entrance. The vibrant French-style colors add to the ambiance of the well landscaped entryway inviting you into a patio setting with ornate benches, window flower boxes, container plants, colorful awnings, and tables with umbrellas for seating as you wait to dine. If you venture around the building, you will notice the landscape continues with a variety of evergreens and ornamental trees. In the evening, the use of up-lighting effectively highlights the building and landscape. The remainder of the grounds is kept neat and manicured. Restaurant Manager Stan Schuck accepted the award from Mayor Carl Gerlach.
                              

Recently the restaurant, known locally as KenTacoHut (a combination of KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut), underwent some interior remodeling. Not to ignore the exterior, the restaurant also revamped its landscape. With limited space, a combination of day lilies, shrub roses, hostas and native grasses immediately catch the eye of a walk up or drive-through patron. These new plantings compliment existing shrubs and trees, such as locust, hawthorne and a large baldcypress around the perimeter of the building. All in all, a very good job of maximizing a limited amount of green space and a worthy nominee. Managing Partner, Keith Singleton, and Area Coach, Hernan Castro, accepted the award from Mayor Carl Gerlach.    
                           

An inaugural winner of the Legacy of Greenery Committee’s Award of Landscape Excellence back in 1989, the Overland Park Marriott is the first winner of the LOGC’s "Award of Continued Landscape Excellence." This new award is intended to recognize previous award winners who exhibit continuous efforts of maintenance, revitalization and enhancement of their landscapes. In reviewing past winners, it was clear that the Overland Park Marriott is a deserving winner. If you’ve driven by or visited this past year, you would have noted an obvious theme...the color red. As you entered the circle drive, you were greeted with an expanse of red begonias and red shrub roses, bordered by a string of yellow day lilies. As you continued around the building, that theme is repeated. But of interest to the committee were the efforts taken to replant and revitalize its many parking lot islands, perimeter green space and foundation plantings on the east side of the hotel using shade tolerant shrubs and hostas. It is clear the Overland Park Marriott strives for excellence not only in indoor hospitality but also realizes the outdoor experience is just as important. Area General Manager Mark Ravenscraft, Market Director of Sales Shane Somers, and Steve Allen, account executive for Hermes Landscaping, accepted the award from Mayor Carl Gerlach.
  

Located prominently at the corner of College and Antioch, Bank of America has, for years, planted its signature palm trees and tropical plants, along with pink begonias and blue salvia, at this very visible intersection. Consisting of two buildings, you will notice similarities in their entryways with the use of container planters with colorful annual flowers accompanied by more tropical plants. One design feature of note is the extensive use of coleus, a colorful vegetative annual plant. The rest of the site is smartly landscaped with shrubs and over story trees, such as maple, oak, ash and river birch. An added feature is a liberal use of ornamental grasses and evergreen shrubs as foundation plantings. The turf and mulched areas are weed-free and kept well groomed.  All this adds up to a very pleasing effect. Representatives from Bank of America were unable to attend the meeting to accept their award.