1407 Lipscomb – Yard of the Month (MAY 2014)

by Timothy Appling
The house at 1407 Lipscomb is more than a century old, but has stood at its present location for only about 10 years. Built in 1907, the stately foursquare was sold for $10 in 2004 and moved by the purchaser to Fairmount for around $45,000. It was acquired by Mark and Julie Mathis about four years ago. The home has been beautifully restored and the yard is lovely as well, making it our choice to be featured as Fairmount’s Yard of the Month.

Mark is an engineer who speaks in precise terms about his landscape. He can name each plant species in the yard and also give a back-story to its selection. He seems especially proud of the roses. “These are real antique roses,” he said. “Not just bred to look antique. We went all the way to Brennan to get them.” A small magnolia near the corner of the house Mark identifies as the “Little Gem” variety. It should not get much bigger than its present five-foot height.

The front flower bed is lined with bricks left over from the home restoration and includes some Fairmount favorites such ass burgundy dianthus, yellow and purple lantana, Mexican petunias, bright yellow coreopsis, salvia greggii, Spanish lavender, and Neches crape myrtle. Mark laments that some of the perennials did not make it through the winter and he notes, with amusement in his voice, the mischief a litter of feral kittens have wrought on the gerbera daisies.

The lawn is a mixture of St. Augustine and Bermuda grass, with a fair amount of Texas native grasses mixed in. This is not exactly what Mark planned, but it is lush and green nonetheless. A walkway leading up to the ample front porch is flanked by two pots of yellow petunias which tie in with more of the same just below. Ferns in hanging baskets provide the final inviting touch.

Mark’s wife, Julie, is a real estate agent and the couple have two children. Daughter Jennifer is a college student, and son Aaron is currently in California advancing his career as a screenwriter. The house on Lipscomb is one of several the Mathis family has owned over the years and not their first one in Fairmount. “Parking is a little crazy sometimes,” Mark said, casting a glance toward nearby Magnolia and its thriving businesses, “but overall we love it here.”

As Yard of the Month honorees the Mathis family has been awarded a gift certificate courtesy of C. C.’s Touch of Nature.