Tucked away on Greenville Sound is an oasis of antebellum beauty. A formal landscape edged in Buxus microphylla (Wintergreen boxwood) surrounds the upper grass terrace with its center round fountain.  It is filled with Rhododendron Encore hybrids ‘Autumn Lilac’, ‘Autumn Twist’, Rhododendron indicum  ‘George Tabor’(George Tabor Azalea), Rhododendron ‘Easter Morn’ (Easter Morn Azalea) and punctuated with four beautiful Cornus florida (Flowering Dogwood). The view from this terrace to the house is spectacular. The rear terrace is surrounded by  painted brick columns with wrought iron insets.  This spectacular outdoor retreat hosts two pavilions and a beautiful pool.  Enjoy the entertaining pavilion with its kitchen and seating area complete with fireplace and TV, or the dining pavilion with its water views, or the raised patio that offers a hot tub serenaded by a water wall. Tall Sable palmetto (Sable Palm) and Lagerstroemia x ‘Muskogee‘ (Muskogee Crape Myrtle)  underplanted with Cycas revoluta (King Sago Palm), Aspidistra elatior (Cast Iron Plant), Podocarpus macrophyllus var. ‘Maki’ (Yew Pine) help complete  the scene.   The magnificent view of the inland waterway is framed by ancient Quercus virginiana (Southern live oak) and magnolia and is a wonderful treat to the eye.

This French Country home is an adventure into a fairy tale kingdom. Beautifully manicured Buxus microphylla (Wintergreen boxwood) underplanted with golden Lysimachia nummularia ‘Aurea’ (Golden Creeping Jenny) frame the view. Perfectly pruned espaliers of Pyracantha x ‘Cherri Berri’ adorn the walls.  A lovely curved low wall embraces a fountain with a unique statue of a boy with a flute.  Overlooking the pool is an unexpected bench backed by a Camellia sasanqua espalier.  Pass through French country doors into an inner courtyard with a bubbling fountain and hedging of Wintergreen boxwood and Teucrium chamaedrys (wall germander) filled with hydrangeas, bulbs, and annuals. Note the carefully pruned Ficus pumila (creeping fig) on the walls and the Trachelospermum jasminoides (Star Jasmine) that wraps the posts.  The back patio has a gorgeous fireplace with luxurious lounging and eating areas.  Arbors and tuteurs are filled with Star Jasmine, Rosa ‘New Dawn’ ,‘Zephirine Drouhin’,’ Cecil Brunner’, Joseph’s Coat’,  banksiae (Lady Banks Rose), Clematis and Wisteria frutescens ‘Amethyst Falls’.  Exquisite attention to detail by the homeowner has resulted in a fabulous garden filled with masses of azaleas, hydrangeas, trees, shrubs ornamental grasses and perennials.

A tropical paradise of Sable palmetto (Sable Palm), Podocarpus maki (Yew Pine), Liriope muscari ‘Evergreen Giant’ (Giant Liriope) and Muhlenbergia capillaris (Pink Muhly Grass) are the street setting for this home.  Cycas revoluta (King Sago Palm) and Fatsia japonica give a lush presence to the soaring archway entrance and splashing courtyard fountain.  Giant Liriope and Ficus pumila (creeping fig) form a trellis against the house. Through the back gate is the magical world of “garden rooms” each with their own distinct landscaping.  First is a beautiful stone patio outlined with Ophiopogon japonicus (mondo grass). Across from the patio is a large grouping of Butia capitata (Pindo Palm), Aspidistra elatior (Cast Iron Plant) and ferns. Hydrangeas grown lushly against the house and around the corner is a beautiful Acer japonica (Japanese Maple) underplanted with mondo grass and backed by Aspidistra elatior.  Step into the next “room” and see a view of a beautifully carved waterfall - even the pavers at your feet are carved. Note the Leland Cypress trimmed to tree form.  Then the finale, a large Koi pond filled with rippling shapes and colors. The stone patio and lounge chairs, surrounded by Sable Palms and Fatsia, are designed to be the perfect relaxation spot. 

This Charleston style home and garden is beautifully filled with lush plants. The front garden is surrounded with a decorative wrought iron fence edged with Buxus (boxwood) and filled with hydrangeas, azaleas and two large Butia capitata (Pindo Palm).  The side garden has a lawn with benches and large Lagerstroemia (Crape Myrtle). The porches and patio are decorated with the owner’s favorite color, turquoise, coordinated throughout the garden in pots, fabrics and outdoor carpet.  Sable palmetto (Sable Palm), Trachycarpus fortunei (Windmill Palm) and Pindo Palms give a tropical feel to the setting.  Azaleas, gardenias, hydrangeas and camellias add year round color.  Tall Crape Myrtles provide the overhead canopy.   A three tiered fountain is center stage as you enter the back garden that is surrounded by a pierced brick wall.  This well designed retreat fills all of your outdoor living needs with a full kitchen, seating and dining area filled with lush plantings.

A low country home with wide wrap around verandas festooned with hanging pots provides the perfect complement for viewing this garden done in southern style.  Beautiful dense annual plantings fill the space between the porch and sidewalk.  The large side garden is entered through an arbor on a stone path.  The expansive seating area has an outdoor fireplace with plenty of room for lounging and dining.  Ilex crenata ‘Sky Pencil’ (Sky Pencil Holly) in pots are placed strategically for ambience.  The lawn is surrounded by beds filled with Rosa ‘Radrazz’ (Knock Out roses), Cycas revoluta (King Sago Palm), Chamaecyparis, Azalea and Cleyera.  Sable palmetto (Sable Palm) and Crape Myrtles are repeated throughout the garden for their canopy.  Aucuba growing by the back steps has lovely variegation for contrast with the house.  Masses of Loropetalum and Cleyera under the palms provide wonderful contrast and color.

This garden is a plantsman’s paradise filled with unusual shrubs and trees.  Beautiful Prunus serrulata ‘Snowgoose’ (Snowgoose Cherry Trees) greet you in the front landscape. Brand new cultivars and introductions fill the garden including Rosa ‘Radfragwhite’ (Milwaukee’s Calatrava), a fragrant white ever blooming rose new from the inventor of Knock Out Roses. Continuing around to the back patio and planted in a convenient area to the back door is a delicious herb garden of variegated oregano, rosemary and thyme.  Espaliered along the garage wall is Pyracantha koidzumii ‘Victory’ (Victory Pyracantha) which will be trained into arches for the better appreciation of its beautiful berries. The grass behind the garage is sculpted into circles for interest. Continue down the path to the recessed stone patio and enjoy the tinkling sounds of a brook as you lounge in chairs that surround a sunken fire pit.

The circular drive frames a garden of Cornus florida (Flowering Dogwood), Camellia japonica and sasanqua, Quercus virginiana (Southern live oak) and giant Magnolia grandiflora.  Four pots of matching Ligustrum topiaries frame the scene in a unique fashion.  To the right of the house is a wonderful antebellum playhouse. Behind the house is paradise, pause a moment before entering the gate to this marvelous outdoor living space.  Here you will find every amenity you can imagine. There is a luxurious seating arrangement around a beautiful fireplace. A swimming pool with three waterfalls is surrounded by a large pool deck complete with a hot tub and fire pit.  For a little relaxation try your skills on the putting green or if you have more energy the ping pong table and trampoline.  Two fountains are strategically placed for enjoyment.  Embellishing all of this are gorgeous masses of mature Azaleas, Camellias, Hedera (Ivy), Ferns, Trachycarpus fortunei (Windmill Palm), Cycas revoluta (King Sago Palm) and Thuja standishii x plicata (Green Giant Arborvitae).

Garden magic awaits visitors at this lovely old brick Colonial home.  Mature camellias and Formosa azaleas provide a colorful backdrop in both front and back gardens that start you on your journey of terraces.  The first tier of the garden boasts a Koi pond and a water lily pond surrounded by hostas and Cycas revoluta (King Sago Palm).  The middle terrace provides the perfect spot for a graceful three tiered fountain, as well as an inviting outdoor fireplace and sitting area.  The lower level hosts beautiful old Lagerstroemia (Crape Myrtles) and Quercus virginiana (Southern live oak).  The embellishment of masses of mature azaleas, camellias, ivy, fatsias, ferns, palms and Cycas revoluta (King Sago Palm) is a delight around every corner for all to see and a reflection of the owners’ love of gardening.

Built in 1871, this Italianate style home represents the beauty of old Wilmington.  Surrounding the home are formal gardens laid out with a series of focal points and a massing of foliage elements. Coming through the gate and to the left on the brick garden path is a beautiful ornate pot on a pedestal filled with gorgeous seasonal plantings.  Masses of Dryopteris erythrosora ‘Brillance’ (Brilliance Autumn Fern) and large Lagerstroemia indica ‘Sioux’ (Sioux Crape Myrtle) delight the eye.  Formal hedges were created with two different cultivars of boxwood, Buxus microphylla japonica ‘Morris Midget’ and ‘Wintergreen’, to take advantage of their different growth patterns.  In the back garden as a perfect focal point at the end of the brick path and centered on the porch is a formal fountain edged in boxwood.  Splashes of annual color are artfully placed and large specimens of Sabal palmetto (Sabal Palm) and Butia capitata (Butia Palm) make graceful appearances thru out.  Antique cast-iron Corinthian columns add to the southern charm that abounds.

The owners have for thirty-five years maintained their property as a partnership: she the designer and planter, he the creator of the garden art. Prunus (Flowering Plum) graces the front of the home.  You will see Pyrus calleryana (Bradford Pear) and Lagerstroemia indica (pink Crape Myrtle) throughout the garden.   In the side yard is a garden shed, beautifully painted and decorated.  Note the wonderful potting bench, gazebo furniture and free standing window box. A lovely water feature constructed to be viewed from the porch and garden is surrounded by Rhododendron indicum  ‘George Tabor’ (George Tabor Azalea), Cycas revoluta (King Sago Palm), Aspidistra elatior (Cast Iron plant), reblooming Hydrangeas, Cyrtomium  falcatum (Holly Fern), Camellia sasanqua and japonica cultivars and Liriope muscari ‘Variegata’ (variegated lily-turf). The side yard features most of the cultivars of Rosa ‘Radrazz’ (Knock Out Roses).  In the back garden lush plantings abound with Cercis (Red Bud), Cornus florida (Flowering Dogwood) and Prunus (Cherry Trees).  

Living here thirty-eight years, the owners have created a plantswomans/mans delight. The front garden is filled to capacity with Cornus Florida (Flowering Dogwood), Acer japonica (Japanese maple), roses, and masses of Rhododendron indicum ‘Judge Solomon’ (Judge Solomon Azalea) with Liriope muscari (lily-turf) edging the streetscape. Four Cycas revolut (Sago Palm) stand sentinel in the driveway. Enter the back garden through a gate but note first the “frog garden” and then after entering the claw foot bathtub   fountain.  Whimsical touches abound - so many, it is hard to see them all. The pool is surrounded with Trachycarpus fortunei (Windmill Palm), Rhododendron ‘Hershey Red’ (Hershey Red Azalea) and Cycas revoluta (Sago Palm) Rosa banksiae ‘Lutea’ and Albo Plena (Lady Banks roses both yellow and white) bloom with abandon.  Wait, you are not finished yet.  There is still the rock garden filled with Opuntia cactus and Yucca.  Standing guard along the fence a row of Leland Cypress watches over all.

The Arboretum is made up of six gardens, Gathering, Japanese, Herb, Water, Children’s and Perennial Border, all dedicated to education (this includes the Ability Garden) environmental stewardship and research with an eye to this region. However, this week-end after nine months of work of new plantings and a redesigned water feature funded by Cape Fear Garden Club the Arboretum celebrates the rededication of the Japanese Garden originally begun in 1992. Four varieties of white azaleas represent snowfall as they bloom in succession. At the lower end of the pond is a specimen Pinus nigra (European Black Pine) surrounded by camellia and groundcover bamboo. Osmanthus x fortunei (Fortune’s Osmanthus) is shaped to represent mountains. The teahouse placed on the inside curve of the stream representing good luck offers a view to the upper pond and it’s seven waterfalls framed beautifully by the shoji screens.

There will be a rededication of the Japanese Garden at the NHC Arboretum from 2-4pm on Saturday, April 14, 2012.

Filled with over 100,000 azaleas, statuary and camellias, this magnificent 67 acre quintessential southern garden includes the 464 year old Airlie Oak and ten acres of fresh water lakes. This historic garden offers a valuable cultural and ecological component to the area and has delighted visitors for over 100 years.  With grants from the Cape Fear Garden Club the beauty of Airlie continues to grow.