White Gate Inn’s charming garden and goodbye Asheville Fling!

June 03, 2012


While not an official part of the recent Garden Bloggers Fling in Asheville, North Carolina, the garden of the White Gate Inn, just down the street from our hotel, was suggested as a must-see if we had any spare time. So one morning I got up early and walked a few blocks into a quiet neighborhood of bungalows to see it. Its charms were evident from the street, especially with French hollyhocks in bloom.


The gray-gravel parking area is wrapped by garden on two sides, helping to blend it into the scene.


Verbena bonariensis was flowering.


Airy bronze fennel and felt-leaved mullein made a pretty combo.


But the foliage stars were the blue spruce pictured in the top photo and this purple Japanese maple, against which these yellow flower spires absolutely popped. Christopher has ID’d the yellow flower as Carolina or redneck lupine (Thermopsis caroliniana).


A closer look


Dripping with frosted blue berries, this Oregon grape holly (Mahonia aquifolium) was a traffic-stopper along the sidewalk.


What a handsome shrub!


With clusters of purple flowers held aloft on airy stems, Verbena bonariensis makes everything around it look prettier.


Blue spruce and more of those sweet French hollyhocks (Malva sylvestris ‘Zebrina’)


A narrow side path beckoned through a stand of bamboo, inside which two Adirondacks offered a secret hideaway. I was tempted to explore the back garden, but it was so early and the place so quiet that I felt as if I would be intruding, so I didn’t. Later, when I saw photos from the other bloggers who stopped by and did visit the back garden, I regretted my hesitancy. If you go, do take the path not taken.


And that concludes my posts about the 5th annual Garden Bloggers Fling. Here’s a group shot, taken after our big dinner on Saturday evening, just before the blogging discussion that followed. (Unfortunately, not everyone was able to stick around after dinner, and the photo was an impromptu affair—I wanted a group shot and asked a helper to take our picture—so at least 20 attendees missed the photo op.) There were approximately 84 bloggers at this year’s Fling, and what a great group it was. Meeting new attendees, renewing old friendships, touring beautiful gardens, and sharing meals together—the Asheville Fling was a big success. My thanks to the hard-working volunteer hosts who worked for months to create this fun event for us: Christopher, Frances, Helen Yoest, Lisa Wagner, Nan Chase, Rebecca Reed, and Ana Calderin. You are awesome! Thank you!

For a look back at the North Carolina Arboretum and Amy Stewart’s Wicked Plants exhibit, click here.

All material © 2006-2012 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

9 responses to “White Gate Inn’s charming garden and goodbye Asheville Fling!”

  1. Rebecca says:

    …and thank YOU for documenting and describing so much of the Fling for those like me who missed it! And this last post serves as a great reminder to seek out the “path not taken”….

    You are quite welcome, Rebecca! And yes, where gardens are concerned, one should always take the path not taken. —Pam

  2. Love that first picture of the Blue Spruce and the Malvus syvestris ‘Zebrina’….great contrast.

    Thanks, that was my favorite too, Janet. How I wish I could grow both of those in my Austin garden. Luckily I can grow Arizona cypress and globe mallow, which are similar. —Pam

  3. Looks like your early morning jaunt was well worth the trip. Happy I can see it through your post, even if I was too sleepy to make the trek!

    I was thinking that you wouldn’t have been timid about exploring the back garden at that hour and would have said, “Come on, let’s do it!” I needed you along. 🙂 —Pam

  4. The yellow flower is Carolina Thermopsis, Thermopsis caroliniana or Redneck Lupine. It is very Baptisia like in habit and bloom and you might could grow it.

    Glad you enjoyed Asheville.

    I had a wonderful time in your fair city, Christopher. Thank you again for organizing the Fling, and thanks for the redneck lupine ID too (funny name!). —Pam

  5. Looks like a great trip from start to finish.
    Thanks for taking us along.

    My son and daughter-in-law have that hollyhock that came up in their back yard lawn. She thinks she remembers planting one a couple years ago, but it didn’t make it. Now they have that one…with blooms the same as your photo…and some actually in a flower bed.
    I’m hoping for some seeds.

    Thanks again for taking us with you.

    It was my pleasure, Linda. I’m glad you enjoyed the posts! —Pam

  6. Kathleen says:

    The purple leaf maple & Thermopsis is an incredible combination! Wow.

    It is vibrant, isn’t it? Very eye-catching. —Pam

  7. Sally says:

    Why no report on Christopher’s garden?

    Sally, I put my camera away that day and simply enjoyed being in his garden and his mother’s garden. And it was delightful to experience it without the pressure of “reporting” on it. If you’d like to read others’ posts about his garden, the Fling site offers links to various posts. —Pam

  8. Your photos of the ‘Zebrina’ hollyhock reminds me of something that struck me about North Carolina – how many of the same plants we grow in Austin, but how very different the overall effect is. You captured the Fling beautifully! Thanks for the memories.

    Do you grow hollyhocks here in Austin, Vicki? I did see many plants that we can grow, but hollyhock isn’t one I associate with Austin. I do love them though. —Pam

  9. Rose says:

    I really regret that we didn’t take time to see this garden. We were ready to hit the road and slowly drove past the White Gate Inn after visiting Nan Chase’s, but I wish we had stayed a few more minutes and walked through it. I saw some of the same Mahonia at the Arboretum–what a stunning plant!

    I’ve never seen that mahonia look so beautiful as in that Asheville garden. I’m sorry you didn’t get to see this garden, Rose, but you saw Nan’s, which I had to miss due to my Sunday flight. —Pam