Romantic gardens of Fearrington House, North Carolina
Lovely strolling gardens wrap all sides of the country inn at Fearrington Village, near Chapel Hill, North Carolina, which I visited earlier this month. I spent a happy hour early one morning exploring its grounds, which include an English-style white garden, an herb garden, shrub borders, and Adirondacks set on green lawns with views of the countryside.
Fearrington House Inn and Restaurant is housed in the old Fearrington family homestead, on a former dairy farm.
Southern comfort
The gardens are charming, with sweet details like this pensive cherub amid the ivy…
…and a seashell-shaped birdbath set in the liriope.
Common garden plants are used to nice effect, like this hosta and liriope.
Yellow coneflowers and New Zealand sedge
The white inn is a picturesque focal point throughout the gardens.
Walk around back and you’ll find this white garden—Jenny’s Garden, according to a small sign, named for Jenny Fitch, co-founder of Fearrington Village and the creative designer and tender of its gardens until her death at age 57 of breast cancer.
You can see that it’s a perfect setting for a wedding, all romance, flowers, and white pergolas.
The pillars in the central fountain, like the cows and goats at Fearrington, are belted!
The inn’s rear terrace is shaded by a vine-draped pergola—so inviting.
A cardinal was enjoying a morning visit to the garden as well.
Sweet autumn clematis, already in bloom
Walking back toward the front entrance, I passed this pretty wisteria arbor and a formal knot garden.
Yellow flowers and chartreuse foliage brightened the border around the patio.
The inn’s rooms are accessed through private courtyard gardens. Wouldn’t this be a nice spot in which to relax after a busy day in town?
This mockingbird was busy gathering breakfast.
Speaking of breakfast (and other meals), I assume the restaurant grows its own herbs here.
There’s a large greenhouse and cold frames too.
Follow the red brick path…
…to a lawn bordered with gorgeous shrubs and trees, with plenty of room to spread out and reach their full size.
Pick an Adirondack and enjoy the bucolic vista.
Or just close your eyes and enjoy the bliss of the garden, secure in the knowledge that you’re not responsible for maintaining any of it.
For a look back at Fearrington’s village center and farm animals, click here. Next up: the colorful gardens adorning Fearrington’s village shops.
All material © 2006-2012 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
Stunning! I’d like to move in right now, please. I love your line, “…secure in the knowledge that you’re not responsible for maintaining any of it.” Somehow, I don’t have that blissful feeling in our own gardens, as the weeds are about to smother me!
Thanks for sharing this lovely garden.
My pleasure, Julie! And yes, isn’t it nice to visit gardens that might be too much work to maintain at home, but can be fully enjoyed knowing that someone else has to weed and prune them? 😉 —Pam
What a beautiful place. I love the grass paths. As you say, so inviting.
I’m glad you enjoyed the virtual tour, Lisa. —Pam
Nice garden scenes. When I see your pics from NC, it looks like part southern and part mid-Atlantic in architecture, furnishings, plantings, the stone work (WOW!). And I like how natural the “green” looks there, the sky, etc…part of making the case for using what fits in each place, instead of forcing a size 12 foot into a size 9 shoe.
Yes, it’s quite green there—this year. But central NC has had its share of grass-browning drought and diminished water supplies. Helen Yoest in nearby Raleigh practices extensive rainwater collection in her own garden for just that reason. —Pam
Beautiful scenes of the gardens and countryside. A place where lawn works best. I’d love to have the herb garden too. I often think of the work involved when I visit gardens like this.
I saw several staff members working in the gardens while I was there, Shirley, and my dad says people are always taking care of the gardens. It shows. A flowery, extensive garden like this needs regular tending to look this good. —Pam
Very beautiful and scenic! I’ve heard so many great things about the gardens and restaurant there. It’s on my list of places to go here in NC, as it’s only an hour away from me. In fact, I tried to get my husband to take me there for our anniversary dinner, but it was a little too far. Ah, the places we will go when the kids are a little older!
The fancy dining may not be appropriate for little ones, but the rest of the place would be fine, and they’d love seeing the farm animals and stone sheep. 😉 —Pam
It has been a long time since I have visited Fearrington, but one thing sticks out in my mind from the gardens. They had a beautiful Poncirus ‘Flying Dragon’ espaliered us against a white brick wall. I have wanted to recreate that ever since.
Yes! I took a picture of it, Les, and will have a couple of pictures of it in my next post. —Pam
So amazingly lush and water-rich to my xeric-accustomed eyes. Cultivation-shock. 🙂
Ha! Yes, mine too, Hoov. Although where I really felt that was in the Pacific Northwest last summer—all that moss, greenery, and intense flower color. My own xeric garden seemed so dusty dry and gray-green in comparison! —Pam