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The Marshalltown Garden Club is featuring 1009 E. Southridge Road as its September Yard of the Month.
This is the home of Shelley Battles who has lived here since late July 2025. Previously she lived for 20 years on South Fifth Street and before then in Baxter where she had a huge yard. Her new home was a blank canvas, and she enlisted the local services of S&S Landscaping. Numerous accents include a windmill with a tractor seat, a plow and blade, a wagon truck bed and cream cans all from her grandma, grandpa and uncles. Her biggest pleasure is her love of flowers and the feeling of closeness to her mom when working in the garden.
There are various perennials on the east side of the garage, but her flowers are mostly in pots due to limiting health issues. Drivers going by might see her in a lawn chair deadheading petunias. She likes the colors purple and some pinks. When mowing the lawn, she revels in all the butterflies that fly off the colorful zinnias, one of her favorite things to grow.
Battles shops everywhere, and encourages others to try new things, saying “you can never have too many flowers.” Last fall she planted 300 tulips and, after they were done blooming this spring, she planted zinnia seeds over them. On the back porch are pots with herbs to flavor her cooking.
Battles says the saddest days of the year are when the garden centers close and the first day of frost in the fall. Until then she gets a lot of joy gardening and hopes it brings others joy, too.
Thank you to the person who recommended her lovely yard. The public is welcome to suggest other yards for future Yard of the Month by calling 641-751-1021.