The headlights from vehicles traveling westward shone into the window and across the ground level of the home that Mark and Cynthia Dixon purchased in 1989 on a bustling street in Wayne.
A year after their first daughter was born, making sure the house was shielded from that traffic grew into an even more pressing concern due to the arrival of their second child.
Mark established a “hidden oasis” by erecting a fence and planting a yew hedge around the triangular plot of land, slowly filling it with an assortment of flora including hostas, ferns, oakleaf hydrangeas, azaleas, fragrant herbs, and daylilies. In spring, from April to May, a sizable Viburnum bush adorns itself with clusters of white blossoms.
When he and his spouse bought the property spanning two-thirds of an acre, Mark mentioned that it was comprised of grass, weeds, six lifeless Norway spruces, and a massive red oak tree.
Priority was given to working on the federal-style house instead of tackling the landscaping. The paint had begun to peel off the stucco on the part constructed in 1816.
Mark removed the stucco, treated it, and reapplied paint. Afterward, he extracted numerous staples to remove aluminum siding from the house’s extensions dating back to 1880 and 1942, uncovering cedar siding underneath. He installed salvaged shutters and restored the front porch which had detached several years ago due to neglect.
The stucco and siding were colored blue, with the shutters and porch finished in cream. The window trim and exterior doors have a rich red hue.
Within the four-bedroom, three-bathroom home, the plumbing required maintenance and upgrades. For Cynthia, installing air conditioning was essential after experiencing many sweltering summers in Texas.
She was raised in Philadelphia and Texas. Mark spent his childhood in Michigan.
The pair encountered each other in Texas; she worked as an attorney while he wrote for a trade magazine. In 1983 they got married and then relocated to the eastern part of the country in 1987.
In 2000, the Dixons renovated both their bathrooms and kitchen and also added an extension themselves: a family room complete with a bay window.
A bell suspended from a wooden post welcomes guests and relatives using the entryway connected to the driveway. This bell was retrieved from Cynthia’s grandparents’ farm located in Concord Township, Delaware County.
As spring progresses into late April, two redbud trees and a vibrant pink dogwood stand in full blossom for all who arrive. The buds on three purple lilacs are poised to open at any moment, much like the striking crimson blooms of the honeysuckle vine cascading over a trellis situated on the home’s most ancient part.
Mark purchases plants from Conestoga Nursery located in Lancaster County as well as through catalogs. He mentioned that he acquired his landscaping abilities via “learning through experience.”
He built a patio by placing flagstones over sand initially. Once the stones started becoming unstable, he brought in experts to secure them with concrete.
During the mid-1990s, when a neighbor provided filling material from the construction of an inground swimming pool, Mark agreed to take it. Using the excavator from the swimming pool company along with its operator, he distributed the soil across a depression close to the driveway. Following a design sourced from House & Garden magazine, he developed a tiered garden. At that time, his 5-year-old daughter assisted him by painting a white trellis complete with a hanging chair.
Mark discovered that gardens require hardscaping—elements such as the farmhouse bell and the arbor—that consist of non-living components. Additionally, the porch is equipped with wrought iron tables, cushioned chairs, and a wooden bench that he assembled using a kit.
A single-winged angel statue sits atop a stone planter. Mark discovered the bird bath featuring a pineapple design in the “hidden garden” section of Facebook Marketplace.
When the red oak tree passed away five years prior, the garden lost its focal point. To remedy this, Mark constructed a stone pedestal crowned with a planter. He mentioned that it provided some assistance but added, “I would greatly prefer having the tree back though.”
As the month of May arrived, the blue enameled pots sourced from Main Line Gardens stood ready to be filled with annual flowers that Mark intended to buy in Lancaster County.
He was expecting elephant ears and coleus but instead got coleus, celosia, and “something blue.” He applied deer repellent to the planted containers.
Here’s hoping,” he remarked. “Organisms tend to do as they please. I’d rather have things my way, but that’s just not how gardening works.
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