For years, I’ve dreamt of cultivating and creating a perfect and private oasis in my backyard.  When we found our current home in Colonial Place (Norfolk), I was ready, willing and able to work on realizing that dream.  About 3-1/2 years later, I’m about to abandon hope.

My current backyard is a mess. Grass won’t grow.  Azaleas wither and die. Gardenias don’t even put forth a good effort. The Hydrangeas held on for about a year and then curled up and turned brown.  And for my veggie garden, I used a raised bed and paid to have four cubic yards of rich top soil delivered. There’s not a smidge of native soil in that raised bed.  (My husband said our “home-grown tomatoes” will cost about $287 each.)

One of the home’s former occupants (1949-1971) told me that they’d also invested countless hours and dollars trying to grow grass in the yard - without success.

Some people tell me it’s the 87-year-old oak trees in the yard that deplete the soil. Some people tell me it’s lack of adequate moisture. Some people claim its the sandy soil (we’re about two blocks from the water).  I’m not sure what the problem is, but I know that I’ve given up hope of creating a formal garden space in my back yard.

In 2008, my husband and I visited Asheville and saw Biltmore Estates. My favorite part was the formal garden. Nice views of the mountains, too. I sat down on the bench and took several photos of the gardens. It was all so incredibly beautiful.

Next time I visit Asheville’s Biltmore Estates, I’ll just tary a little longer in the formal gardens and soak in its magnificence and splendor, and maybe I’ll just pretend that I’m sitting in my own back yard.

The Gardens at Biltmore Estates in Asheville, NC

The view from the gardens

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