At a small flower farm in Chapel Hill that abuts the properties where she and her son live, Rebecca Sorensen adds white peonies to a floral arrangement with statice, seeded eucalyptus, and wheat. Next to her open-air studio, her son, Raimee, lays down sheets of black fabric to prevent weeds from growing in a flower bed where he will plant dianthus and snapdragons. Mother and son Rebecca and… Source ..read more

For almost two decades, landscaper Andy Brokmeyer rode his bike past “The Hobbitat” near Asheville’s Montford neighborhood. Craning his neck to see beyond the lot’s mature trees, he marveled at the unconventional home built into the hillside. Its distinct, slanting roofline and bunker-like, south-facing side were the only parts visible from the street. What is beneath that roof? he wondered. Source ..read more

Randy Meekins figured he was in the clear. An entire month had passed since his wife, Lynn, had discovered her dream house — the day she Googled “cute Southern coastal towns” and the two hopped in the car for a jaunt to Southport from their home in Georgetown, South Carolina. “A cool breeze was coming off the water,” Lynn says. “It was the middle of the day, mid-July.” She thought, Oh my God… Source ..read more

Winter is Nancy Goodwin’s favorite season at Montrose, where snowdrops and irises brighten the woods during the coldest months. photograph by Anna Routh Barzin A blanket of snow lies deep in the winter woods at Montrose Gardens. Each year, Hillsborough gardener Nancy Goodwin waits patiently for it to appear. But this snow doesn’t fall — it blooms. “Most of the flowers in the winter are in the... Source ..read more

At Carolina Home & Garden, Brian and Stephanie Watson, with daughter Logan Blake, relax in the sunroom, an event space furnished with chairs and pothos vines. photograph by Baxter Miller In the sunroom at Carolina Home & Garden in Newport, hundreds of pothos vines weave their way across the ceiling and drape downward, mirroring the antique chandeliers that hang nearby. Owners Brian and Stephanie... Source ..read more

Chartreuse sweet potato vine and weeping rosemary spill over the edge of a low, rust-colored metal trough. Russian sage — whose small purple flowers painted at the ends of silvery green stalks could be mistaken for stick lavender — fills another container nearby. Large wooden planters are home to slender, gently swaying bamboo stalks. And from a long, low steel trough, cotton ball-like tufts of... Source ..read more

When Mark Weathington isn’t traveling the globe, looking for new plant species, he’s often at the JC Raulston Arboretum, where he’s worked for about 16 years. photograph by Charles Harris Stuck on a six-inch-wide ledge, with a sheer cliff face rising to his left and a near-vertical drop to his right, Mark Weathington was more than a little worried. He’d been trying to reach a lily — and not just... Source ..read more

While its history is long and its presence in the state extensive, the core mission of NC Cooperative Extension is, and always has been, pretty straightforward: solving problems. Where the waters get muddy and the weeds get thick is the sheer scope and scale of its problem-solving — from food and agriculture to health and nutrition to youth development. (And, yes, Extension has experts who can... Source ..read more

During the winter, Griggs keeps succulents and tender perennials in a heated greenhouse, which utilizes century-old windows from the church that her husband’s family has attended for almost as long. photograph by Stacey Van Berkel Even as a young girl, Mary Griggs surrounded herself with plants. “Do you know any 12-year-olds who had plants in their room? Yeah, that was me,” she says. Source ..read more

Winston-Salem architect Pete Fala’s goal was to enhance rather than reinterpret his house’s original design photograph by Jay Sinclair Ask Pete Fala what he likes best about his 1958 modernist home, and his answer may depend on the time of day. “Mid-morning, you get wonderful light through the floor-to-ceiling windows along the back of the house,” he says. “In the evenings, we love the views from... Source ..read more