At this time of summer, certain annuals stand out as seemingly impervious to heat and drought. The profusion series of zinnias is one such annual.  These 12"-15" high bushy zinnias bloom continuously in white, yellow, apricot, orange and pink tones.  Their compact size and prolific flowering capacity make them ideal for the front of planting beds, where they can reign as the star act for the season.

Profusion zinnias are relatively new introductions, a result of crossing zinnia elegans and zinnia angustifolia. They combine their parents' mildew resistance and showy flowers. Since the new leaves and blooms extend above the old ones, they maintain a neat, fresh appearance with minimal deadheading. The 2 inch wide flowers may be single or double, and tend to fade in color as they age. Park Seed Company has a large selection of colors.  More...

With fall around the corner, now is the perfect time to start thinking about a trip to the museum. Not just any museum, but the North Carolina Museum of Art which moved into its stunning new home four months ago. Located 30 miles east of Fearrington and located just off I-40 on the near side of Raleigh, it makes for a perfect day trip. Admission is free.

Just inspecting the structure itself is worth the trip.  This 127,000 square foot one story structure is a modernist marvel.  Outside, it is confident, forward looking and surprisingly subdued.  Inside, thanks to an open floor plan and an innovative design incorporating hundreds of evenly spaced ‘oculi’ or natural light filters in the roof, beautiful, even natural light floods the interior, complementing and connecting the wide-ranging art collection.  More...

Many area residents are familiar with the award-winning Carolina Brewery beers brewed just a few miles from Fearrington.  We’ve served several on tap at Roost, our beer garden which opened this spring, including the intensely hopped ale, Flagship IPA, the brilliant red ale, Copperline Amber, and the lighter ale Sky Blue Golden Ale.

If you’d like to hear more about the brewery’s exceptional ales and experience first rate beer pairing options, join us on Thursday, September 9th at The Old Granary Restaurant for fun beer pairing dinner. Experience a beer dinner featuring a three course menu created by Executive Chef Colin Bedford paired with Carolina Brewery beers. Hear from owner Robert Poitras and director of brewing Jon Connolly as they discuss the craft beers selected for the evening. The dinner begins with a reception on the patio at 6pm, followed by a seated dinner at 7pm. We’re excited too that this will be an opportunity to enjoy the taste of some new Carolina Brewery seasonal beers!

The price is $45 per person; call (919) 542-2121 to make reservations. We hope to see you there!

The two mature deodar cedars located just outside Inn reception have been a show-stopper lately, with guests inquiring about its name and marveling about the smooth and beautiful cones gracing them this summer. 

Sitting in clusters on low-lying branches, these dense white cones almost give the appearance of carefully placed, upright Easter egg installations. They turn reddish/brown at maturity, and you can see some of these hues emerging now. The female cones disintegrate when fully mature, a process which takes up to 12 months, and release winged seeds.

Deodars are native to the lower foothills of the Himalayan mountains, where they are revered by Hindus as a divine tree. It was introduced to the U.S. in the 1830s and has remained primarily a specimen tree.  Because they like mild winters, we’re near the northern end of their range, and at about 50 feet in height, our deodars have just about maxed out.

The unusual and attractive fruit provides a valued summer look – and helps makes the deodar cedar one of our favorite evergreens.

Pineapple lilies are a welcome addition to the summer garden. They are tropical looking yet easily overwinter in our climate; their manageable size and rich colors make them wonderful companion plants in a mixed bed; and they are easy to grow.  In the Fearrington gardens, we have at least two species and several cultivars of this South African bulb, also known as Eucomis (from the Greek eukomus, or "beautiful-haired").

The leaves vary in color from deep burgundy to light green and may have either straight or curly edges and heights ranging from 6 inches to 2 feet.  The flower color may be white, green, pink or some combination of the three.  All have a tuft of bracts (the "beautiful hair") at the top of the flowering stem that make it resemble a pineapple fruit.  Since these bulbs originated in the regions of South Africa with its summer rains, they need to be kept moist during the hot months here.  More...

North Carolina peach season, which runs from May to September, is in full swing now.  This morning at 7:15am, I was at the Raleigh Farmers Market dodging forklift trucks and listening to the thick Southern accent – which as you can imagine with my English terminology is a recipe for miscommunication.

As I walk up one side and down the other, I hear the constant echo of “Sir would you like to try a peach?”, and I’m getting a little concerned I won’t find the “Mac Daddy” of peaches – the Windblow peach, named for its area of origin in the Sandhills region about 90 minutes south of The Fearrington House. Why was I in pursuit of the Windblow? Because it has the best flavor, juiciness and versatility of any peach I’ve worked with.

I only had a few farmers left to go and low and behold the last farmer had them. So I walked up and asked for 4 cases. She grabbed a bag and proceeded to fill the bag up and I said, “No sorry I want 4 master cases, 100 pounds please.” Before I knew it, they were in the back of my truck and I was off to preserve them all. This peach will make you so proud once you have finished canning it. More...