When Linda Finin and her husband moved into their home on Tremont Street in the early-1990s, they worked to change the home’s appearance and design the expansive yard to suit their tastes. The transformation didn’t happen all at once, but “bit by bit,” she said.
But after her husband passed away, Finin was gifted with much-needed help from friends. She refuses to take all of the credit for her property being chosen by the Garden Club of Kewanee as August’s “Yard of the Month.”
Her friend and neighbor, Dave Wates, has mowed her lawn for the past 15 or 16 years, she said. He also helps with weeding. Matt Mirocha helped install a pergola over her patio making it a comfortable place to sit and relax with friends.
Her friend, Ryan Frank, added a water feature to her side yard. A brightly-colored yellow wagon holds planters there, and was painted by Wates. Her grandson, Austin, is always available to help her plant and her partner, Ron Swift, lends a hand with her planter gardens- a process that works as an assembly line, she said.
For their combined efforts, the Garden Club planted a sign in Finin’s front yard, gave her an official certificate to frame along with a gift certificate to Sunnyfield Greenhouse & Garden Center.
Finin agreed to answer five questions about her award-winning yard from The Kewanee Voice:
How much time do you spend a week doing yard work/gardening?
Linda said she spends about four or five hours and Dave comes over to tend to the grass and the weeds whenever it’s needed.
What is your favorite part of yard work/gardening?
Linda said her favorite part is the flowers and succulents. She uses planters and fills them with a different varieties. “I love looking at them,” she said.
What is your least favorite part of yard work/gardening?
This question required some thought. “There’s nothing I really dislike because if there was, I wouldn’t do it,” she said.
What is your favorite tree/shrub/plant/flower?
“My favorite right now, I’m thinking is the succulents. I’m loving the succulents and the grasses,” she said.
How does it feel to have your yard recognized as “Yard of the Month?”
“I am so ecstatic, honored and happy that someone appreciates it,” she said, but she admits she gets a lot of help from her friends. “I am truly blessed.”
