monarch, caterpillar, pollinator, pollination

The Viewsite

A panoramic window to the rolling Blue Ridge Mountains

The Viewsite is an expansive garden room, carpeted with grasses and featuring two stone terraces where visitors can rest and breathe in the mountain air. Hidden from view by the elevation of this garden room, the last terrace serves as a transition between the more formal lawn of the Viewsite and the natural woodlands of the Reserve. A rustic carved wooden bench and chairs provide the perfect spot to enjoy this window to the world of the southern Appalachians.

The idea for the Viewsite came when blasting for the upper end of the pond produced truckloads of rock debris that were too expensive to haul off the mountain. Thanks to the genius of Jack Owen, our rock and boulder man who designed terraces out of the debris, we now have a space to take in an unparalleled view of our region.

wildflower, native plant, blossom
monarch, caterpillar, pollinator, pollination

Plant Varieties

  • Silene virginica

  • Kalmia buxifolia

  • Rhododendron ‘Maxecat’

  • Gernanium maculatum ‘Espresso’

  • Phlox triflora

  • Columbine

  • Sedum ternatum

  • Huckleberry, Blueberry highbush

  • Physocarpus 

  • Hydrangea arborescens

  • Spirea tomentosa 

  • Rhododendron minus

  • Pleopeltis polypodioides

  • Heuchera

  • Echinacea purpurea ‘Ruby Star’

  • Echinacea purpurea ‘Magnus’

  • Baptisia ‘Purple Smoke’

  • Eutrochium

  • Chrysogonum virginianum

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