Kenwood couple turns longtime Fort Walton Beach yard into July’s neighborhood standout
Fort Walton Beach, Florida – In Kenwood, a front yard has become a small daily show of color, shade and movement. Bees dip into flowers. Butterflies pass through. Hummingbirds find the honeysuckle. And at the center of it all are Marvin and Kim Cochrane, whose longtime Fort Walton Beach home has been named the city’s July 2026 Yard of the Month.
The recognition is not just for a neat lawn. It is for a yard that feels alive, the kind neighbors notice not because it is loud, but because it has been cared for, season after season, with patience and steady hands.
The City of Fort Walton Beach congratulated the Cochranes after they were selected for the July 2026 award, a program that honors residents who make above-average efforts to maintain their property and add to the overall appearance of the community. The couple was nominated by neighbor Lee Gouthro, who described the yard in simple but fitting words.
“The grass is thick and plush, and the flower beds bloom year-round,” wrote Gouthro. “Their yard is just beautiful.”
The city agreed. The Cochranes’ front yard is covered by a clean, full stretch of green grass and framed by persimmon trees, azaleas and blooming crepe myrtles. A large wildflower garden gives the home much of its character, with pollinator-friendly plants including purple coneflower, Black-eyed Susans, honeysuckle, daisies and Canna lilies.
The care does not stop at the front of the house. In the backyard, the same love of planting continues with flowers and edible plants. Cucumbers, zucchini, onions and trellises of muscadine grapes all share space in a yard that blends beauty with use.
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For Marvin and Kim, the garden is the result of years of work. They have lived in their Kenwood neighborhood home since the early 1990s, and the yard shows the kind of long-term attention that cannot be created overnight. They maintain it themselves and spend several hours each day working outside.
“We get plenty of bees and butterflies,” Marvin said, adding that the honeysuckle also draws hummingbirds. “I’ll come out here in the morning and the flowers will be bouncing with bees inside.”
Through its Yard of the Month program, the city recognizes Fort Walton Beach residents whose properties help lift the look and feel of the community. Residents may nominate any yard within the city, including their own. Winners receive an official Yard of the Month sign and must be willing to have photos taken and be recognized on the City of Fort Walton Beach website and social media pages.
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For July 2026, that sign belongs in Kenwood, where the Cochranes have turned daily yardwork into something the whole neighborhood can enjoy.
