Less than 20% of households currently pay dues.

Your dues are vital in maintaining the integrity of Idylwood - neighborhood safety, deed restriction enforcement, community improvement and engagement.

PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO PAY YOUR DUES (only $3.33 per month).

IdylWine In The Garden was a rousing success! The event sold out quickly with all proceeds going towards the Idylwood Centennial Celebration happening in 2028. Thanks to our wonderful presenter, volunteers and hosts. Inquiring minds want to know: When is the next one happening??

Wine Tasting List (click any of the wines for more info):

Welcome Wine: Zonin Prosecco

Dry Creek Dry Chenin Blanc

Paperwhite by J.Lohr Unoaked Chardonnay; Arroyo Seco

Ramey Cardonnay, Russian River

Hess Collection Allomi Pinot Noir, Napa Valley

Freakshow Red Wine, Lodi, CA

Liberty School Cabernet Sauvignon, Pasa Robles

2028 Idylwood Centennial Home Tour: Gems of Idylwood

Celebrating 100 Years in Houston’s East End

We are thrilled to announce the Idylwood Centennial Home Tour: Gems of Idylwood, marking 100 years of our vibrant community in Houston’s East End. This March 2028 event will highlight the unique history, architecture, and stories that make Idylwood such a treasured neighborhood.

Share Your Home’s Story!

As part of the celebration, we invite you to consider opening your home for the tour. Whether your home features original architecture, has undergone meaningful renovations, or holds cherished memories, your story is an essential part of our community’s legacy. 

Home Selection Criteria:

To ensure the tour reflects Idylwood’s rich heritage, homes will be selected based on:

• Age: Built on or before 1979
• Architectural Integrity: Preservation of historical design elements (original woodwork, flooring, windows, fixtures); renovations that maintain the home’s original character.
• Historical Significance: Documented stories, photos, or records of the home’s past.
• Unique Features: Distinctive design elements that contribute to the neighborhood’s character.

Event Details:

• Volunteers will serve as docents at each home, guiding visitors and sharing insights.
• If you are interested in participating, please fill out and submit an application.
• If you would like more information, please contact Hugo Banda and Rosie Pesina at hugobanda1@hotmail.com.

May was busy for Idylwood Citizen Patrol. Our neighborhood had several break-ins at homes that were having renovation work done. We possibly interrupted one of the thefts while on patrol for gunshots by the bayou, and some lawn care tools were saved, but contractors and homeowners lost generators and construction tools.

We had several nights of firearm discharges near the bayou, and even some daytime discharges one Sunday. We're not sure exactly where they were shooting. If you find empty shells along the bayou or N. MacGregor, please report it, as knowing a more precise location helps us check cameras to see if they caught anything and tells us where to patrol more often. 

We've added another license plate camera near the bayou to assist in identifying the suspects. HPD has also launched a new drone program, and we've seen the drone zipping along quietly along the bayou very quickly after the shots, so we're hopeful that this new technology might also help. If you're coming home late, driving down N. MacGregor on your way home might help make it not seem so deserted, and you might observe or prevent something just by driving by.

Stay safe,

Jake Goldstein and Steve Palmer, Citizen Patrol

Community Improvement Committee announces Phase 1 of the Blue Tile Project for the Idylwood Centennial has been completed. Click on the image below for more details.

These warm summer months bring us the best variety of goodies from the garden - sweet corn, vine ripened tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, watermelon, cherries, peaches - the list goes on and on. The Centennial Cookbook Committee would love for you to share your favorite recipes that celebrate summer’s gorgeous produce. 

Are you making batches of fresh, fiery salsa? Who makes an amazing veggie casserole? Are you blitzing up basil to make pesto for pasta? Who’s got a great recipe for elote? And what about fruit cobblers? Anyone have their granny’s recipe they’d like to share? We want to hear from you, neighbors, so please take a moment to send us your summertime recipes. Simply email them to idylwoodcookbook@gmail.com or text a copy of your recipe to Amy Lawson (281-250-5001). 

Thanks for supporting our Centennial Cookbook!

Click the image below to fill out the form.

Click the image below to RSVP.

• Jun 05: WALK30
• Jun 06: Community Meeting w/ CM Martinez
• Jun 12: WALK30
• Jun 08: Recycling
• Jun 14: Flag Day
• Jun 16: Civic Club Meeting @ 7pm, 6900 Lawndale St
• Jun 18: Thirsty Third Thursday in the Park
• Jun 19: WALK30
• Jun 19: Juneteenth
• Jun 21: Father’s Day & Summer Solstice!
• Jun 22: Recycling
• Jun 26: WALK30
• Jun 29: Strawberry Moon (peak at 8:56pm)
• Jul 03: Independence Day (observed)
• Jul 06: Recycling

NOTE: Heavy Trash/Tree Waste - pending new On-Demand (311) program update

Bootsie !!

Bootsie came into our lives on November 1, 2024 (All Saints’ Day) and from the very beginning, she felt like a little blessing. I had gone outside to take recycling to the bin when I heard what I thought was a very agitated bird near our back gate. Instead, I found a tiny eight-week-old kitten crying at the edge of our fence gate. I assumed she had wandered away from her litter, so for weeks I searched and searched for her mama or siblings, but none ever appeared.

She passed her initial vet checks beautifully, although she always seemed to breathe a little heavily. Jim and I decided to get pet insurance “just in case,” never imagining how important that decision would become. After months of treatment for what was believed to be pneumonia, deeper testing revealed an astonishing truth: Bootsie had likely survived being hit by a car before we found her. Her spleen had been bisected, and almost all of her organs had shifted into her chest cavity. Our seasoned vet called her a miracle.

Story submitted by Beth Barrette

Friendly Reminder From The Pets



For the health and safety of all neighborhood pets and people,

please keep us on a leash and scoop our poop -

even along the bayou trails !

Nature News

Expanding horizons in Sunnyside !

A new 100 - acre park, the Hill at Sims, has five miles of trails, fishing areas, public art, and a 60 foot hill overlooking downtown, Uptown, and the Texas Medical Center! It is Sunnyside's first major greenspace investment in nearly 50 years! It's only a 20 minute drive from Idylwood near 288 and Airport Blvd.

To learn more, click the link below:

The Hill at Sims

Tips from Neil Sperry

In the May 30 Chronicle article, Neil shares gardening tips on several topics, especially common errors by lawn maintenance crews. He explains how to mitigate a 'mulch volcano' around trees, correct ryegrass overtaking St. Augustine grass, rose bushes with yellow leaves, mockingbirds pecking garden tomatoes, and getting a stepelia to bloom! To learn more, click the link below:

Tips from Neil Sperry

Love is in the air during lovebug season!

The cute little flies put their short and sweet romance on public display. Did you know they love Houston's vehicle exhaust because it smells like the decomposing vegetation that they like! Wow! Read and learn more about these funny little visitors! To learn more, click the link below:

Love is in the Air

____________________________

Nature In The Neighborhood



Beware !!

Submitted by a Startled Suzy Harrington



Submitted by Steve Palmer

Neighbors: If you have a photo(s) of nature in action in Idylwood (animal or plant),send it to me with a comment to: phattenbach@gmail.com.

__________________________

Going Native !!

Tips from Buchanan's Native Plants

Incorporate Texas Natives into Your Landscape!

Native plants. The term has different meanings for different gardeners. There are Texas natives, US natives and those plants that act like natives. All in all, what most of us want in our garden are low maintenance plants that are attractive and functional. Plants that are not invasive and are a benefit to wildlife.

When you plant a garden, it is not just for you – it is a habitat for all living things around you. So, with that in mind, here is our top 10 native plants for Houston that do just that. Many are heat and drought tolerant – cheerfully returning year after year in your garden.

Click here to learn more: Buchanan's Top Ten Native Plants.

I have rented two homes in Idylwood prior to buying my forever home on Wildwood Way. I was first introduced to Idylwood when I visited a friend’s, mother’s home on Sylvan for NYE 1996. Over the years I’ve made many memories here and the former Davidson home has become my perfect 1940 gem. I am not a native Houstonian, as dad was in the Air Force, making me a proud Air Force brat. I was even named after Kelly AFB!

Before moving to Idylwood I lived all over Houston but Idylwood won my heart. It’s “hills” and complete opposite feel from the “‘burbs” are what I enjoy, and the bayou is what I love. Not many people get to live in a large city and can walk to a water view with the nature that surrounds us. Alligators, Bald Eagles, and an albino squirrel (has anyone seen him lately?) along with the bats and night herons fill my soul. 

There is no gardener in the house, but November will mark ten years in my home, you can name every part of a house and to some degree it has been renovated or replaced, from roof to floors. Each step kept me from the full vision of what I wanted in the front yard, but this year, with the physical assist of the great Roberto Tox and crew, my little pencil drawing and list of plants came to life. I’ve always wanted to reduce the amount of grass and add butterfly friendly flowers, it’s now my absolute pride to water and care for such a beautiful last touch to this home. I just hope Miss Florence can forgive me, I’ve heard many a story about her dislike of the outdoors!

A note on the lemongrass memorial garden on the side of my house. It was first created in honor of my wonderful brother-from-another-mother John Reyes. He loved to cook and crawfish boiled in his special recipe with lemon grass was a favorite of everyone. I’ve added a rock for my best boy Mazlow and there is a special shell with air plant over my sweet tiny girl Rylee. Every time I see the leaves blowing in the wind I am reminded of wonderful people and pets that have graced my life. 

Story submitted by Kelly Sowa

If going out of town, alert your neighbors and request a Vacation Watch from Precinct 6 Constables. Click HERE to access the form.

Please keep an eye out for unusual activity and report to HPD (713) 884-3131 and the Constable's office (713) 274-3400. Please keep your home and cars locked at all times. Report any incidents to ALL authorities; 

more reports = more patrols.

To view crimes reported to HPD from through Feb 2026, download the HPD Excel file here and sort by zip code or beat. Our beat is 11H10, which includes several zip codes. 

Click here to view the Community Crime Map. Enter 77023 in the search window and filter by date range.

Jake Goldstein and Steve Palmer co-chair our patrol group and report the group’s collective hours per month to HPD. Please contact Jake if you are interested in volunteering with our citizens patrol group.

Having a patrol presence in the neighborhood is a crime deterrent and a great way to give back to our community.

Please join us! More information on HPD's Volunteer Citizen Patrol is available here.

president@idylwood.org