BY GINNY GEIGER AND BARBARA ANDERSON
Garden Club of the Lakes
Do you know what a Keystone Heights “plaqued” home is? Have you seen those Keystone-shaped signs on a few homes here? When we volunteered to be on the Yard of the Month Committee, we had no idea, either. Now we are experts – thanks to Deirdre Murphy, a longtime member of the Garden Club of The Lakes, realtor, and co-chair of the Keystone Heights Heritage Commission, founded in 2007.
There is not enough space for us to tell you all about this commission: its history, purpose and numerous projects they have going on all the time. If you are interested in history, hopefully, these few sentences will spark your interest, and you will Google it for yourself or even go to one of their meetings.
If you do, you will find this to be an interesting town with so much fascinating history. A big part of that heritage is the historic homes here. There are 111 homes within the city that are 50 years or older, but only 12 have been recognized by the Heritage Commission and received the plaque.
Homeowners need to apply for this award and meet the requirements set by the commission. When our Yard-of-the-Month committee selected the home of Troy and Lea Wong, located at 245 Southwest Lakeview Drive, we had no idea it was one of the 12 recognized by the city.
To continue with our history lesson, did you know that all the founders of Keystone Heights were from Pennsylvania, the Keystone State? John Lawrence was one of those founders, hence the name Lawrence Boulevard.
Troy and Lea moved into the home in 2015. It is known as the E.A. Smith House, built in 1926. The remodeling of the inside and outside took a relatively long time and a lot of hard work, but they both agreed it was well worth it.
When they began in the yard, there was nothing but sand sloping down into Lake Geneva, which presented a serious watering issue. They had come from Valdosta, where their entire yard was topsoil. They had to figure out how to deal with these issues. They began by planting small gardens: Shade, Woodland, Fairy, Zen, and Lamp Post. Then, in those gardens, they planted everything really close together to minimize the area for weeds to grow and allow for specific watering.
Troy likes this layout because he has open areas to mow and doesn’t have to weave around a bunch of individual plants. He also likes all the green spaces, which he says are for “eye rest.” Since Troy installs high-end home theaters and automation systems during the week, he welcomes the much-needed “eye rest.” Seeing their beautiful yard makes them extremely happy and proud of their accomplishments.
After Troy showed us several “before” pictures, it was obvious that they had great reason to be proud. Oh, what an incredible job they did! There are Crotons, Crepe Myrtles, numerous grasses, a Japanese Maple, Bottle Brush plants, Angel Trumpets, Cannas, Jasmine, Azaleas, and more. There are various sculptures or statuaries around the yard, one being a water fountain that is the watering hole for all the local cats. Their little Shih Tzu, Tiki, is not always so welcoming, but he tolerates them.
If you live in a historical home, Lea would like to encourage you to apply to become a plaqued home. She said the process was relatively simple, and there is always some well-deserved pride that goes along with the plaque on your door.
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 call Pat Lorenzo at (904) 728-9460.
