BY GINNY GEIGER AND BARBARA ANDERSON
Garden Club of the Lakes
KEYSTONE HEIGHTS—When you think of a place to sit, enjoy nature’s beauty, and relax, Timmie’s place is that perfect place. And Napaporn “Timmie” Tullius thinks so, too. She has a chair or bench in every area of her yard.
Of course, you would think that is appropriate since Timmie is 83 years old; however, she only sits after working hard, taking care of all her many plants. An amazing side note is that she can name almost all of them. Since her husband died in 1994, Timmie has taken care of the yard mostly herself, but she does have the support of her daughter and 24-year-old grandson, Asher Sullivan.
Timmie is one amazing lady. Not only is her yard beautiful, but she is also beautiful and so warm, and friendly. She even made us some delicious spring rolls.
When Timmie was 29, she came to the United States from Thailand with her American husband. His job took them to many different countries, most of them large and noisy.
When it came time for them to retire in 1987, Timmie’s sister-in-law told them about Keystone Heights. They both fell in love with our lovely community since her husband loved to fish, and she loved the quiet, little town that was so much different from most of the places they had lived.
The house on the property was what they were looking for, but the yard was the selling point for them. Being on a lake was the most attractive part of the property for her husband, and Timmie saw much potential in the large area surrounding their home.
Ginny was telling a friend about joining the Garden Club of The Lakes. He said that his neighbor had the most beautiful yard with more plants than he had ever seen in one private yard. He was not exaggerating.
Timmie planted a most complex arrangement of plants, flowers, trees, and herbs that bloom during the four seasons. She could even tell us which ones bloomed in which seasons. We chose just a few to list here so that everyone could understand what we saw: Night Blooming Jasmine, Swiss Cheese, Money Tree, Pink Powder Puff, Confederate Rose, lemons, limes, Indian Cork tree, ginger, etc. See what we mean?
What a lovely visit we had. When asked what her favorite plant was, Timmie smiled and said, “All of them I love.” She just glowed as she spoke of her plants.
Even though Timmie lives on Lawrence Boulevard near the center of town, she is tucked away off the main road. When we were visiting, we felt like we were alone in the middle of the Garden of Eden. To get a little glimpse into what we saw, just drive slowly as you pass by homes near the town on State Road 100, look for the Yard-of-the-Month sign, and look in the yard at the big, bright yellow Christmas Bush. You can’t miss it.
If you want to learn more about the Garden Club of The Lakes or nominate yourself or anyone in the community for Yard of The Month, please contact Pat Lorenzo at (904) 728-9460.
