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Prolonging the Garden

This being our first year living on a property with an existing mature garden, I have savored every flower and hated to see any of them them just wilt and disappear. I thus embarked on a mission to preserve as many as I could so we could enjoy them inside through the winter months.

Drying

I had dried hydrangeas a couple of times in the past, and I love the look when they’re done right. Since the Rockhkaven garden has an abundant supply of hydrangeas, I focused my attention on them first. How do you like the wreath I made with a grapevine wreath base? So easy! I just kept adding blooms as they were ready until I filled in all the holes.

dried hydrangea wreath, Rockhaven B&B, Harpers Ferry
I mounted the wreath over a vintage window and hung it in our dining room

Then, I got a little obsessed and tried to save every bloom I could. No bloom left behind, you know! At some point I think Christian was a little worried that the house would be overrun with them. They’re so pretty though! Continue reading “Prolonging the Garden”

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Our First Garden Season in Review

We first laid eyes on this house and its lovely gardens approximately one year ago when the real estate agent showed us around the property. When we returned in late fall for the inspection, we identified some dogwood and a few other plants from their leaves, but other than that we knew very little about what garden would look like in full bloom.

Let me tell you, this garden did not disappoint.  The daily discoveries were pure joy!

As we draw to the end of the growing season, we thought it would be fun to share with you a review of what we found blooming here. These photos are just the tip of the iceberg. We could fill up the web with them, but we’ll try to be selective.

We’ll begin with April, just before our garden wedding, and take you through summer to the present: Continue reading “Our First Garden Season in Review”

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Living in the Magic House

Front gate to our enchanting home.

First, it was the way this 1927 stone foursquare in Harpers Ferry seemed to find us when we weren’t at all looking to leave Charlottesville. Then, once we agreed with the house that we belonged together, it was the acceptance of our offer with no negotiation, the perfect timing of a job transfer to NOVA for Christian, and two quick home sales as we divested our Virginia holdings. It’s also the way this house has embraced us with an immediate sense of belonging.

We quip that this house is charmed. Another interpretation is that there is some higher purpose in our being here (and I must definitely assign some credit to my husband’s prayers at every step of the process). We have more to discover about why we’re here, but we know that hospitality must be our new calling.

Love Spoken Here

This all started with Christian’s serendipitous click on a little dot in a Zillow app less than a year ago. He and I had been dating – not officially engaged but already talking about spending the rest of our lives together. We decided to pay a visit to the Harpers Ferry area. We both enjoy touring historical places, and we became curious about the price of a lovely historic home we saw for sale in nearby Charles Town. We scanned the Zillow photos of its interior on Christian’s cell phone. Ho hum. Nice yard but 1990s-era vibe inside. Continue reading “Living in the Magic House”