The best way to describe the first vision of Dan and Sandy O’Brien’s backyard is to compare it to Dorothy opening the door in the black and white scene of the “Wizard of Oz” movie to reveal dazzling, gushing color bursting from flowers and plants in Munchkinland.

While the front entrance of the O’Briens’ neatly kept historic home on Forman Street in Bradford is beautifully trimmed with vibrant flowers, bushes, ornamental shade trees and a white fence, there is nothing to prepare visitors for what comes next.

After stepping through the wooden side gate, the unsuspecting visitor walks along a shaded, Hanley brick walkway outlined with a variety of flowers, plants and vines.The sound of trickling water fountains and soft flute and harp music flowing from hidden speakers sets the mood for what will be seen after stepping through the ivy-ladened arbor.

The walkway opens into a lush garden brimming with over 900 annual plants and a variety of perennials of every color and hue, as well as statues, water features, hand-crafted stone birdbaths, benches — and even a lily pond with orange and white fantail koi fish.

“People come here and don’t want to leave because it’s so peaceful,” Sandy O’Brien said earlier this week while providing an impromptu tour of the property.

Their vegetation also comprises window boxes that are home to flowers such as the “million bells” variety, delicate blue-purple browallia plants and wave petunias. Many are grown for them specially by florists in the Twin Tier area. Dan O’Brien takes pride in his new cap yew evergreen trees as well as his variegated dogwood trees. His tall flowering plum trees, that produce gorgeous flowers every spring, were purchased from a garden center at a big box store.

“We hit ‘em all,” Sandy O’Brien said of the flower and garden shops. “They love to see us coming.”

Sandy O’Brien and her husband describe their yard as their summer vacation. He works everyday in the garden, and sometimes at night. But it’s all a labor of love. She helps, too, by cleaning up behind his work and watering potted plants. Rainwater collected in a barrel from their downspouts is used on many of the plants.  

“We’ve met so many people from all over the country who come here” for reunions and other gatherings, Sandy O’Brien said.

As residents of the downtown neighborhood for 57 years, the O’Briens take pride not only in their 137-year-old home and inspirational garden, but also in revitalizing the area surrounding their property. When a neighbor died several years ago, the O’Briens purchased the property, razed it and used the land to expand their garden. The family purchased other vacated properties and land to build a garage for themselves as well as improve and expand nearby properties.

Dan O’Brien, a veteran of the U.S. Navy, is semi-retired from selling and delivering baked goods for local and national companies.

“I’ve been in the grocery business for 59 years, and I’m still out there” selling and delivering for a spice company, he shared. His wife had worked 25 years at the former Horizon’s gift shop on Main Street in Bradford. It was her weekly job to decorate the shop’s front window, which often added flare to the downtown area with its seasonal designs. Her artistic talents have also been used in the design of their garden over the years.   

While Dan O’Brien enjoyed his career, plants have been a love and hobby of his since the 1980s. He was able to cultivate them in earnest on the property after his four children grew up. As his garden grew, so did the interest and delight it provided visitors. The couple often opens the property for their reunions for Bradford High School’s class of 1954.

The garden was first seen wholesale by the community when they were invited to show it during the 1999 Betty Jane Monjar Garden Tour hosted by the First Presbyterian Church. While that benefit tour is no longer held, they frequently open the property for tours to area garden clubs and groups. They also hosted a wedding in the side garden.

“A friend of ours named it the Enchanted Garden,” Sandy O’Brien mentioned. “I was thinking I’d like to get a plaque with that name because we’ve done this so many years — and we don’t know how many more years we can do it.”