Dunn Manor

Dunn Manor

The Dunn Manor is a beautiful brick home with stately white columns that overlook the mountains. Below the manor stands the barn where many a couple has shared their vows to one another.

The Dunn Manor is a sweet wedding venue. The possibilities were endless. I was very fortunate to be a part of this very special project.

The existing landscape had long outlived itself and needed a fair size facelift, and that’s what we gave it. We removed the overgrown plant material and anything that wasn’t serving the manor.

I wanted plant material that would really speak to the Home and the homeowner about what the manor was and who the owner was. So, Flowers were a must. I used some old solid perennial varieties like ‘Autumn Joy’ Sedum and Coreopsis. Several cultivars of Yarrow and four flavors of Bee Balm.

We used numerous low growing junipers like ‘Blue Pacific’, ‘Golden Pacific’ and ‘Blue Star’ to name a few. We anchored the far right side of the front with a Blue Atlas Cedar and beside the grand steps we used ‘Yellow Ribbon’ Arborvitae flanking these lovely evergreens we chose the wispy nature of ‘Adagio’ ornamental grass.

The look is stunning all year. As a border, we used Liriope and small stone for definition. We placed small two man boulders here and there for good measure as well.

Around the far left side of the home is where the most shade was found, so we created a Hosta garden. We used ‘So Sweet’ and ‘Mouse Ear’s along with ‘Sum and Substance’ which add an elegance that only the Hosta can bring.

Mixed in this bed we added Pulmanaria, Astilbe, Solomon seal and Heuchera among other plants. The ferns like ‘hairy lip’ and ‘Autumn Fern’ were a nice way to tie in the natural and native look of the bed.

And what native bed wouldn’t have some “Bleeding Heart”? As the focal point, we used a ”Coral Bark’ Japanese Maple. Ground covers, Thyme and Creeping Jenny add an old-fashioned feel to the bed. As for evergreens, we used Cryptomeria ‘Globosa Nana’ and ‘Fire Chief’ Arborvitae.

All that was left to do was figure out what we could do in the place of those two gigantic magnolias that stood sentinel in front of the manor. These two trees, as lovely and magnificent as they were, hid a remarkable view.

We removed the magnolias and created a sweet centerpiece around the existing sculpture. I envisioned a place where a bride and groom might like to come and sit to have pictures taken. At the very least, sit and take in the breathtaking beauty surrounding this sweet spot.

We added two 1 Ton Boulders to either side of the oval Island and retained the whole island in a Tn. fieldstone. We added a grey crab orchard walkway that led to two offshoots where the homeowner placed two beautiful white wrought iron benches.

We used two Large ‘Viridis’ Japanese Maples to flank the boulders. Around this we incorporated many perennials like Echinacea, ‘Color Guard’ Yucca and various sedums. We added a skirt of ‘Limelight’ hydrangea and ‘Blue Pacific’ juniper that will in time drape itself over the stone. It is truly a place of peace and joy.

There are hundreds of plant varieties at the Manor, I forget myself sometimes just how many plants we managed to install. Oh! The Joy of it all!