Photo Friday: Biltmore House and Gardens

During our recent trip to Asheville, NC, we toured the magnificent Biltmore Estate. This mansion was built by George W Vanderbilt II and completed in 1895. It is the largest privately owned house in the U.S., with 178,926 square feet and 250 rooms. No photography is allowed inside the house, but the gardens were lovely even though it wasn’t the peak season. I’ll share a few of my favorite images from the tour.

front view

front view

me on the Esplanade

me on the Esplanade

view of the Esplanade from the house

view of the Esplanade from the house

stone carvings on exteriour

stone carvings on exterior

one of the many carved

one of the many carved ‘grotesque’ figures

pool with water lilies and papyrus

pool with water lilies and papyrus

cactus flowered Dahlia

cactus flowered Dahlia

mixed planting with amaranth

mixed planting with amaranth

Lynda in front of espaliered fruit trees

Lynda in front of espaliered fruit trees

orchids blooming in greenhouse

orchids blooming in greenhouse

bright colored coleus

bright colored coleus

Fatshedera hybrid

Fatshedera hybrid

Strobilanthes aka Persian Shield

Strobilanthes aka Persian Shield

walkway with grapevine covered trellis

walkway with grapevine covered trellis

openings in the trellis frame views of garden

openings in the trellis frame views of garden

garden tools as handles for garden gift shop

garden tools as handles for garden gift shop

I hope you have enjoyed looking at some of the sights at the Biltmore House and Gardens in Asheville, NC. I’ll be back soon with more local adventures here at Happy Acres!

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5 Responses to Photo Friday: Biltmore House and Gardens

  1. Thomas says:

    Nice pics, Dave. I love visiting grand old estates and seeing the old craftsmanship.

    Out of curiosity, how are your persimmon trees doing this year? Are you expecting a bumper crop?

    • Dave says:

      Hi Thomas! Funny you should ask about the persimmon trees. I got no blooms at all this spring. I am thinking the harsh winter we had must have been the reason. We will see how they do next spring. It also froze my figs back to the ground, but they do have fruit on them, if only it will ripen in time.

      • Thomas says:

        Oh no! Hopefully you will have a fantastic crop of persimmons next year. I planted a Ichi persimmon this past spring but they are only marginally hardy here. Persimmons have to be one of my favorite fruits.

        Regarding your figs, have you tried to coax them into ripening? I learned about oleification and tried it out for the first time this fall. It really works! After 5 days of treating, my figs began to ripen. I think I will do this in early September each year to ensure that all of my figs ripen on time.

        Here’s the post I wrote regarding this:

        http://www.seedingthegoodlife.com/2014/09/encouraging-homegrown-figs-to-ripen.html

  2. Marcia says:

    I must get to Biltmore one day. Looks spectacular.

  3. Lisa says:

    My husband and I have got to get there too! Thanks for the pictures.

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