By Ginger DeShaney

Kathy Provenzano says she’s no expert when it comes to gardening, but anyone walking by 105-107 Marine Road would beg to differ. 

The front yard is an explosion of yellow with some pink and purple. It’s just gorgeous. 

There are also garden embellishments such as a lighthouse, bird bath, and rock sculptures. 

“I enjoy [gardening],” Kathy said. “I wish I knew more about it. It is what it is, I enjoy what I have.”

And so does the neighborhood.

Kathy doesn’t remember all the things she’s planted from way back when, but the evening primrose came from her friend’s husband’s mother and Kathy spread them around.

“I’m just playing around out here,” said Kathy, who lives in a house owned by her son Gino. “It’s not much of a garden. I just like to be out. It’s an excuse to be out here.

“I always wished that I had gone to a real garden place that gives you information.”

But her gut instincts make her garden a must-see.

She has tried different things over the years and some have worked and others have not. 

She recalled one time she went to Home Depot and bought a little Christmas tree. She planted the tree in the front yard and it looked great for a few years. “Well, it grew and grew and it had to be taken out. This is the stuff I’ve done.”

She’s got a creeping phlox issue right now in a tough corner of the garden. “I’m looking at him like, you’re not creeping anywhere,” she laughed, noting she’ll be looking to replace it. And she’s had no luck with window boxes. 

But she’ll keep trying things until they work.

Kathy will be 79 years old in a couple of weeks and is legally blind. Her eyesight continues to get worse. “I can’t do a lot of things anymore,” she said. “I can see 2 feet in front of me.” 

Gardening is the perfect activity for her. “I find it peaceful. I’ll take my book on tape with me and listen to my stories.”

Her next-door neighbors come out in the morning, too, and they chat.

Kathy was born in South Boston and has been here ever since. Her family is all nearby, which is so important to her. “It’s nice,” she said. “We always had family around.”

Her favorite color? Despite the garden being predominantly yellow, she likes pink and blue.

Her favorite flower? “The evening primrose,” she said. “Everybody comments on them. They start popping in June one at a time, then they just bloom and when they are open, they’re absolutely beautiful.”