1616 Fairmount – Yard of the Month (JUNE 2014)

by Timothy Appling
“Check out 1616 Fairmount Avenue,” the email read. “It looked very pretty when we drove by.” This recommendation from another Fairmount resident is how the home of Philip and Lisa Tinsley came to our notice and was selected as FNA’s newest Yard of the Month.

Many people in Fairmount like to refer to themselves as “urban pioneers,” and we get that. It must have taken a pioneering spirit to begin the transformation of Fairmount from a zone of neglect and decline to one of Fort Worth’s trendiest and most admired neighborhoods. The Tinsleys, who have lived here for more than 22 years, recall a time when some of their friends refused to visit because of negative perceptions of the area. Now they have a comfortable home in an inviting setting that anyone would enjoy visiting.

Their landscape is varied and informal, featuring many plantings in containers. Some of the potted plants are caper lime, chartreuse sweet potato, hydrangea, gardenia, and two large holly trees. In-ground plantings include mandevilla, red salvia, chrysanthemums, agapanthus, sage, and lamb’s ear. A pink rosebush and rosemary add a bit of fragrance to the scene. The Tinsleys acknowledge that many plants were lost during the extreme freeze we experienced a few months ago. A bay tree was nearly killed by the low temperatures, but multiple shoots came back from the base and have created an attractive bay bush.

A large pink crape myrtle seems old enough to have pre-dated the Tinsleys in this location. A mulberry tree produces fruit, which the Tinsleys have sampled. But they say the birds and squirrels get most of it. These, and other trees have grown to provide a good deal of shade over the lush St. Augustine lawn.

Prior to purchasing their home in Fairmount, Philip and Lisa lived in downtown Fort Worth. Philip is originally from England, a heritage that is given away by his extant accent. The Tinsleys have three children, the youngest of whom is a daughter attending Paschal High School. Two dogs, a blue heeler/German shepherd mix and a Shi Tzu, complete the family. Philip and Lisa own and operate two businesses: The Warehouse, an online e-commerce fulfillment site, and The Monster Factory, which offers tents that resemble vintage Volkswagen campers.

Congratulations to our new Yard of the Month honorees, who have received a gift certificate from C. C.’s Touch of Nature in recognition.