Since purchasing their 1816 home decades ago in Wayne, Mark and Cynthia Dixon have been cultivating “a secret garden” with greenery and colorful blooms, writes Sally A. Downey for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
The couple first focused on renovating the federal-style house, painting the exterior, updating the plumbing and installing air-conditioning before focusing on the yard.
When they moved in, the two-thirds-of-an-acre property was little more than grass, weeds, and a towering red oak tree. One of the goals in transforming the neglected space into a lush garden was to shield the house from street traffic after the birth of their two daughters.
To achieve that, Dixon enclosed the wedge-shaped yard with a fence and yew hedge. He gradually filled the space with hosta, ferns, oak leaf hydrangea, azaleas, spice plants, and daylilies. He also planted a large viburnum shrub which has striking white flower globes through spring.
Dixon added a flagstone path for leisurely strolls through the garden and transformed a low area near the driveway into a terraced garden. The family also added hardscaping features to complete the landscape design, including a farmhouse bell.
Read more about Mark and Cynthia Dixon’s Wayne home and see photos of its transformative gardens in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
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