Sunday, April 3, 2016

Grand View Nursery, a Charlottesville Hidden Gem

Yesterday I decided to take my dead lawn mower battery to the annual Hazardous Waste drop off at the Ivy Material Utilization Center, along with my household trash. I recycle practically everything we consume so I make a trek across the mountain three times a year to drop off trash for $2.50 a bag (this is in lieu of paying for monthly curbside pickup). I always look forward to driving past Grand View Nursery located at 648 Dry Bridge Road. I typically link to a business page to provide more details but this nursery is so popular it doesn't even need advertising and there is no online listing.

Tucked off the beaten path on top of Gilliams Mountain is a gardeners paradise. You won't have access to all the landscaped property which has been purchased over the years by the owners of Grand View Nursery but you can drive by in the Spring and see the thousands of Daffodils, Azalea, and Rhododendron. Stop by the nursery and be blown away by the diverse selection of annuals and perennials that are propagated each Spring. They also have slow growing Confer's, Azalea, and Rhododendron for sale. The nursery is only open for a short period in the Spring and on select days, so call before you head up. The plants sell out quickly due to the popularity of this hidden gem.

There is a lovely area across the street from the nursery that is gated and if you are lucky to find the gates open, you can stroll through the stream and perennial beds. Blooming this time of year are unusual varieties of tulips and daffodils artfully arranged with other Spring bulbs cascading over banks and streams. Soapstone boulders have been crafted into art throughout the landscape.

I was fortunate to walk through the other gated areas of the property during Historic Garden Week in 2010. Located on approximately 50 acres (property has been added gradually over the years), Grand View sits on top of the mountain with majestic views among massive trees dotted with an enormous collection of Azalea and Rhododendron. When the property was originally purchased, four hundred Rhododendron were obtained from a nursery in Germany. Many other pocket gardens were designed, mainly with an oriental flair.

Looking for a weekend drive? This is it! Don't miss the beautiful Spring show and visit the nursery if you are looking for unique plants.

Please be mindful that this is a private residence as well as Nursery so if gates are closed, there is no access to these areas but you can still catch quite a show just driving by!


-Rebecca

3 comments:

  1. Love the gardens! Beautiful place to take a walk! New Follower!
    Hugs,
    Jody

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks so much for reading my blog and following me Jody! I understand plants are flying off the shelves - I better make another trip up before they are wiped out.

    ReplyDelete
  3. On behalf of the Piedmont Landscape Association (PLA), I would like to let you know that our annual Seminar is less than a month away (February 7, 2019).

    Again this year we will be at The Paramount Theater on the historic downtown mall, Charlottesville, VA. Based on previous years, we anticipate attendance to be ~450 people.
    As a non-profit organization, the Piedmont Landscape Association’s members include landscape architects, nurseries, horticulturists, gardeners, arborists, designers, and suppliers. In addition, our audience also includes garden enthusiasts, master gardeners, and public-sector employees.

    This event marks our 36th year hosting an educational seminar to the public. We are thrilled to announce our speakers: John Lonsdale, Terri Dunn Chace, Kimberly Eierman, and Brie Arthur. I have enclosed an Agenda for your information.
    The purpose of this letter is to ask you to be a door prize sponsor. The end of day raffle requires seminar participants to be present at the time of the drawing, so your gift will be advertised both in printed materials and as it is awarded. In addition to you being a sponsor will you be a door prize sponsor? If you are able to send a gift (a gift certificate to your etsy site? A "gardeners dream" basket filled with hand tools / gloves / ~ retail value of at least $50) please let us know by January 21 so that we can get you listed in our program. (We even have two of our published speakers agreed to donate an autographed book at the end of their day). We would very much appreciate your support. Your name (and name of blogspot) will be “rolled” on the BIG screen at every intermission.

    If you would like one of our Board members or myself to call you, or if you have questions, please call me at 434-960-5163.

    Sincere thanks for your consideration to our request,
    Tracy Tanner Bond
    PLA Seminar Event Planner
    https://www.piedmontlandscape.org/





    Board Members:
    Leigh Townsend, President
    Tiffany McCord, Marketing Director
    James Walker, Treasurer
    Jonathan Jeffries, Director
    Thomas Taylor, Director
    Jessica Primm, Director
    Carol Church, Director
    Noah Bloom, Director
    Steve Edwards, WebMaster

    Finally, would you mind blogging about our event? FEB. 7, 2019. Thanks so much.

    ReplyDelete

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