Our Gardens

Enjoy a casual stroll on winding paths nestled between colorful, sweetly scented blooms. Explore reflections in a secret garden pool, eclectic garden sculpture, and the unique flora of western North Carolina when you visit the eight enchanting gardens on the 2025 Historic Montford Garden Tour.
Please note: Pets are not allowed in the gardens.

Surprise!

New owners inherited a garden full of memories when they purchased this century-old house. Massive white oak and huge mockernut tree, as well as heirloom snowball viburnums, hydrangeas, irises, and even cactus grace the expansive grounds. Once the Flint Street Inn, the property is now private, and this season will bring many wonderful surprises to the new owners. With a gazebo and a moss and water garden, the gardens have been tamed in recent years to provide a wonderful visual experience.

Agnes’s Playground

Who is this Agnes you may ask? She is the mostly adorable, occasionally obstreperous, Cairn Terrier who considers this garden her private playground! Much has changed for Agnes since Helene uprooted 7 huge old trees and left the once-shady backyard a sunny locale. Fortunately, the front landscaping, featuring a prized Edgeworthia, was left mostly unscathed. The owners, with an assist from Mantis Gardens, envision new plantings to ensure Agnes remains happy.

Pan’s Paradise

Welcome to Pan’s Paradise where plants come to play and gardeners go to lose their minds and soothe their souls! Katharine and Rick began the renovation of a mix of invasive and non-native plants in 2021. A cheerful cottage garden now surrounds their 1905 home with 85% natives and a certified pollinator designation. At twilight, you might hear Pan’s flute in this welcoming patch of paradise!

Hillside Creeper

No more than 3 years in the making, this garden shows maturity beyond its years. The new owners spent the first year designing on paper, installing French drains, and amending the soil. Already blessed with a few mature linden trees, specimen plants including a world-class Japanese Maple collection were installed to jump-start the garden. The designer/owner was most intrigued by how rapidly (with enough planning and work!) a swampy yard can be converted into a relaxing, attractive retreat. Songbirds, butterflies, and guests abound!

Stairway to Heaven

(with apologies to Led Zeppelin)

The owner of this colorful garden enjoys oil painting, and vases of the seasonal profusion of annual and perennial blooms provide her with constant inspiration. With a nod to English cottage gardens and an assist from Bronwyn May of May Gardens, the flowers keep pollinators buzzing, and the whimsical additions of garden art keep passers-by smiling too! The house and garden work in perfect harmony to create a welcoming entrance.

Then and Now

A richly textured and colorful mixed border welcomes visitors to this charming century-old Richard Sharp Smith designed home. Then, behind the large wooden gate, enter an expansive and modernized outdoor living space, with something for everyone. Relax for a moment on the large, covered deck, or sit around the firepit in the intimate, rock-walled niche. Along the way, enjoy sweetly scented roses, a proliferation of perennials, and the calming notes of a gurgling fountain.

The Right Garden

Along with an exquisite Queen Anne style dwelling in need of restoration, the current owners of the 1899 Wright Inn and Carriage House also inherited expansive grounds overgrown with a virtual hodge-podge of unsuitable plants. As you stroll through the many outdoor spaces, it may be hard to focus just on the gardens that surround the elegant inn, but that is the intent. Towering hemlock, spruce, and oak anchor the relatively new gardens as they subtly complement the inn, providing circulation and multiple outdoor settings for guests to enjoy.

Tire-less Garden

These owners believe small homes deserve grand gardens. In 2017 they set out to transform the grounds around their modest 1965 infill ranch after a garage building project revealed 80 tires and various other items buried to raise the elevation of the backyard.  Rock terraces and patios with an arboretum’s worth of species have since conquered the sins of the past.  Enjoy the moss lawns and each unique garden room as you stroll through this 360° garden.