Cuneo uses green thumb around town

Brittney Jones / Special to the Record

Liz Cuneo inherited presidency of the Beautification and Tree Board when asked by a friend, Pat Cross, to take over.

Yards of Madison is a program created by the Beautification and Tree Board to recognize the individual homeowner who works in his or her yard all the time, bringing a sense of pride to their neighborhood and their city.

Being raised in the Wiregrass area of South Alabama, there’s no doubt that Cuneo would not inherit her family’s love for gardening. She inherited this talent from her grandmother and father.

“Some of my earliest memories are walking around with my grandmother, admiring her yard-she grew beautiful camellias, and Daddy loved his azaleas and mums and even sent me pictures of them so I could admire them from afar,” she said.

Cuneo works hard and even uses a lot of the same plants that her grandmother and father used, but she hasn’t been able to produce the same results. Cuneo believes it’s because their thumbs were much greener.

“I think it’s important to give back to your community,” she said. “We can’t sit around waiting on the government to solve our problems.  We need to step up to the plate and make a difference, especially at the local level.”

Cuneo has volunteered so much of her time with the B&TB, she says her volunteering has turned into “a different kind of living.”

“I don’t have to work outside the home and my children are grown and gone,” she said. “The entire Board works hard to get recognition for everyone who works long hours in their yard, producing beautiful results.”

She said any homeowner who can go out, work hard and produce an outstanding yard needs to be honored.

Cuneo said she hopes that more people will take the time to volunteer their time and talents.

“They may not think they have a talent, but trust me, there is always a need that can be filled,” she said. “Need will always take care of the talent.  Look around, find your passion and get involved.  You won’t regret it.”