The Secret Garden at the Carolina Bed & Breakfast

April 3-May 16, 2010 are the dates for the Biltmore Estate "Festival of Flowers" this year here in Asheville, North Carolina. I have no doubt that the gardens will be beautiful and I urge you to come and see them. Meanwhile at the Carolina Bed & Breakfast we are experiencing our own festival of flowers. Built in 1901, the property has seen multiple owners over the years, each of whom has put his imprint on the grounds as well. The garden shows simultaneous signs of love and neglect. Wonderful plants and flowers are scattered throughout the woods around the house and hidden behind other plants. Having just bought the inn this past fall this is a springtime of discovery for James and me, Every day we walk our acre of land and find new treasures. Our years living in England gave us a some knowledge about gardening but there is much we don't know and we are working hard to figure out what we want to do but first, we need to find out what we have!

One thing we do seem to have is a lot of Spring bulbs. I can see daffodils in the woods, peeping up under leaves and behind trees as well as crocuses lining the driveway and sidewalk. This Fall I planted over 200 bulbs, many of which the squirrels dug up, but clearly I am not the only person to have done this in this garden!

When we bought the inn there was an herb garden next to the kitchen. It was not well placed, being in a shady spot and I knew that I would be replanting it elsewhere so I was not unduly upset by workmen stepping on the existing plants as they moved in and out of the kitchen. But I have to admit that I was surprised and pleased to see parsley sticking its green head up in defiance of this maltreatment.
By the front steps a Camellia plant blooms, in spite of leaves burned by the harsh weather. It is as if this plant couldn't wait to thumb its nose at the snow and ice of this winter
And behind a wall of ivy on the side of the house, we found three small roses bushes, valiantly trying to find the sun.
In another corner is a plant which Sara thinks is a hollyhock. Now I wouldn't know a hollyhock from a ham hock so I am going to watch this plant with interest!

It is an endless round of discovery. James and I hope that you will come to our bed and breakfast, look at the garden with us, and add your knowledge to ours.

Blue Mountain Stained Glass at the Carolina Bed & Breakfast

The renovations are moving along quickly at the Carolina Bed & Breakfast and we have reached that wonderful part where, instead of taking things out, we are starting to put things in. This morning I made a visit to the workshop of Blue Mountain Stained Glass, where Pam McCorkhill, the owner/artist, is working on a stained glass design to go on the swinging door between our kitchen and the guest pantry. She wanted me to give my okay to the design she has created. It is definitely okay with me!

Here she is in her workroom with our window. And below is a close-up of the details. The original door has been removed from the frame and the paint is being stripped off, taking it back to the lovely golden heart pine of the original finish. This window will be inserted where the upper panels were. While the yellow of the glass doesn't show its true colors in this shot, I know it will look beautiful against the wood finish.

Meanwhile, Christopher Randall of Randall Carpentry spent Monday installing the cabinets which he made for us in his workshop. One thing Asheville has a lot of is artisans, and I love the detailing of the work he did for us. The sage green of the cabinets will be lightened by the granite countertops which are gray and white with flecks of blue throughout them.
And, yes, the island is just as big as it looks. Those of you who have seen my other house, know how much I love to have lots of space to work on, often making cookies,breads and salad all at the same time! Looking at this, I can't wait to get back in the kitchen and start cooking!

A Wintry Drive Through Pisgah National Forest

James and I thought that we would like to take a drive up into the mountains this weekend to see what this winter's storms had done. The Blue Ridge Parkway was still closed because of ice and snow on the road so we drove over to Hendersonville then up Route 64 to Route 276 which goes up and over Mt. Pisgah through the forest. We had lunch in Hendersonville at the Carolina Diner before setting out. The Carolina Diner was built in the 1940's and started its life as a drive-in. It's been through a number of renovations since then but the current owners are still part of the original family and it has stayed true to the tradition of diners everywhere: the food is cooked on the premises, it's fresh and delicious! So with a lunch of Fried Chicken and biscuits in our stomachs we set out for the mountain.

Upon entering the forest the first thing we noticed was that the streams were full and running fast. As we started up the mountain we came upon the "Looking Glass Fall". You can't see it in this picture of James at the fall, but the surrounding area was coated in ice from the mist that the fall throws off. It was eerily beautiful in the cold sunlight.
As we drove higher, we started to see more and more of the trees broken off at the top. As James commented, it almost looked like a war zone. In some cases some very large trees and branches had split giving testament to the heavy snowfalls of this winter. At the very top of the mountain we came across a phenomena that we had never seen before: The clouds passing over the tops of the mountain had painted the trees with a layer of heavy white frost, giving them the look of just having been snowed on. From here we could look down over the valleys below and see all the way to Tennessee!
As we started our descent down the other side, we stopped to take a picture of one of the many ice falls coming out of the rock walls lining the roadside. Getting lower, we noticed the burgeoning green of the rhododendrons and laurels which will flower later in the Spring and we made a special note to return to try one of the many hikes in the forest.

Our drive ended at the pleasant town of Waynesville. Waynesville is a short 20 minute drive from Asheville and i's galleries, restaurants and shops making it worth a visit. Then it was back to the Carolina Bed & Breakfast for us, where we can dream of spring even while reading the reports of more snow on the way!