Mountain Ridge Top Garden - South Lawn and Border

Google Earth image of an aerial view of the property — Winter
Google Earth image of the Southern section of the property Garden age: 22 years Randy Harter CC BY 4.0

Description

Name: Mountain Ridge Top Garden-South Lawn and Border

Open to the public: No

County: Buncombe

USDA Hardiness Zone: 6b (2023)

Extension Demonstration Garden? No

Approximate year the garden/landscape was established: Development began in 1999

What to look for: The Mountain Ridge Top Garden-South Lawn and Border is found in the mountainous region of Buncombe County NC. Japanese hollies (Ilex crenata ‘Helleri’ and Ilex crenata ‘Green Lustre’) have been planted along the South foundations of the house and garage. Specimen plants include white & pink flowering tree peonies (Paeonia suffruticosa) on the corners of the garage, a pink flowering Ann magnolia (Magnolia x ‘Ann’) at the center of the South side of the garage, a ‘Crimson Queen’ Japanese maple (Acer palmatum dissectum 'Crimson Queen') off the SE corner of the garage, a white flowering ‘Tina’ Sargent crabapple tree (Malus sargentii 'Tina') near the maple on the upper corner of the house, and a Chinese paper bush (Edgeworthia crysantha) with fragrant white & yellow blooms on the lower corner of the house. Other specimens out in the lawn itself include a white flowering star magnolia (Magnolia stellata) and an orange flowering ‘Jelena’ witchhazel (Hamamelis x intermedia 'Jelena'). Behind these, along the south boundary of the property, are plantings including a Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica), a Chinese paperbark maple (Acer griseum), a 35-foot-long hedge of ‘Dwarf Burford’ holly (Ilex cornuta 'Burfordii Nana') and a Nellie R. Stevens holly (Ilex x 'Nellie R. Stevens'). The East boundary of this section has Kousa dogwoods (Cornus kousa) and, until recent years, a Monkey Puzzle tree (Araucaria araucana). Variegated liriope (Liriope muscari 'Variegata') is used as a groundcover along the East side of the garage and pachysandra (Pachysandra terminalis) grows under the witchhazel and under some of the foundation plantings. The Swannanoa Mountains lie off to the South and provide a background for views from the house of the South Lawn and Border.

Horticulture: This garden room is about 85 feet from West to East and 40 feet from North to South. The ground slopes to the East, dropping about 14 feet in elevation in 85 feet with an average slope of about 16.5%, with the steepest section, along the house, having a slope of about 24%.

The soil is loamy with good drainage. Most plants were installed as small, container-grown nursery stock. The property has no irrigation system, so newly planted trees and shrubs are watered by hand. Fortunately, deer have only been sited on the property on a couple of occasions, but squirrels, rabbits, groundhogs, turkeys and bears are not uncommon in the garden.