Yard of the Month-September: Cooper-Young resident found stress relief in corner lot yard challenge

By Kristan Huntley

When you have a house that is located at the corner of two intersecting streets, it can be a challenge to keep up both the front and the side yards, but not for Marge Palazzolo at 792 Meda.

Marge has lived in the cute yellow house at the corner of Meda and York for around nine years. When you drive by, one of the first things that catches your eye are the simply stunning red crepe myrtle trees. The trees were not originally planted there though. When Marge first moved in, two firecracker red crepe myrtles were planted right next to the front steps. She quickly realized that they would block the front entrance and subsequently moved them to the side yard. Two more firecracker crepe myrtles were later added to the front yard to replace two of the home’s original large trees that succumbed to termite damage.

In contemplating plant and color choices, Marge noticed that the red in the crepe myrtles complimented the roof of her home and decided to add a pop of yellow to accent her home color. The plants she chose to do so are yellow cannas and are thriving in the side yard. To further accent the yard, there are simple tiles hanging on the fence, with words like “tranquility” that offer a moment of calm to pedestrians and other neighbors passing by.

In the front yard, other carefully chosen plants like azaleas and rose moss catch one’s eye while well cared for grass offers a bit of green balance. Although Marge now has a lawn service come and mow and edge her yard, she still gets out to do pruning, tackle stray weeds, or pluck blades of grass that didn’t get caught by the mower. She laughs that her affinity for her yard may be partly therapeutic. For years, she was a molecular biologist with the research division of the Veterans Administration and was located in the basement. When she got off work, she loved to take out her frustrations from the day by pruning or weeding. Seeing the colors of the plants and playing in the dirt was a welcome break from having worked in the basement for hours on end.

One of her favorite things about her home though is its location right across from the Hub Automotive, where Marge’s daughter Jennifer and her husband Andrew have created a thriving business, and she can see them often.