Dick and Joni Wickline’s yard teems with life and color. The London couple will open their garden to tours on June 21 to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
(Posted June 16, 2014)
By Kristy Zurbrick, Madison Editor
Dick and Joni Wickline’s property is a whimsical, garden lover’s paradise. On June 21, they will open that paradise to the public for tours—all for a good cause.
The Wicklines’ home is located at 163 Lafayette St. in London. Tour hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. They are asking for a $5 donation per person for admission. All proceeds go to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which grants wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions.
“This is the second year we’ve done the garden tour,” Joni said. “Last year, we did it as part of fundraising for breast cancer research. My daughter, April, and I did a three-day, 60-mile walk in honor of a friend to raise money for Komen For The Cure.”
This year’s garden tour is dedicated to the memory of that friend, Joyce Janzef Yeager of London, who passed away last month. Joni and Joyce had been friends since high school.
“We’re going to try to make the tour an annual event where we pick different charities each year to donate to,” Joni said.
The Wicklines’ property features almost an acre of landscaping, flowerbeds and an elaborate fishpond. Unique touches include the incorporation of old doors with mirrors, waterfalls made from cement molds of leaves, and a globe in the pond into which goldfish swim. Several hammocks and three patios add to the laid-back, happy atmosphere.
“I’ve spent 14 years working on the yard,” Dick said. “I put in 300 perennials last year and almost another 200 this year. There’s lots of shade but also some sun around the pond. So, we have hostas, coral bells, sedum, geraniums—your typical stuff but lots of it.”
