A Dream Garden Takes Root in Highlands, North Carolina

The parterre garden brings formality to the front of the home, where American boxwoods, locally-sourced Carolina granite, and American eagle garden ornaments add an extra dose of refinement.

A cracked river rock motor court connects with Lucy’s Garden—named after the homeowner’s furry companion.

A sitting area on the terrace is framed by antique statuary and a pair of columns. An aged granite wall and yew hedges provide the perfect backdrop for late-night cocktails or early-morning coffee.

‘Gowdy’ oriental spruce and cordon pear espalier add layers of intrigue to the landscape inspired by the architectural materials.

Antique urns add an extra layer of elegance to the parterre garden, while springtime blooms of hydrangeas and perennial plantings greet guests.

“I was inspired by the natural surroundings that you get in Highlands, but I was most influenced by my discussions with KC and by the architecture.” —Alex Smith

Slowly unfolding to reveal more of itself as you meander through, this charming mountain home has the type of garden that can only be dreamed up by a devoted garden enthusiast alongside a master of his craft.

When founder of Napa Home & Garden—which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year—KC Cunningham, along with her late husband, Jerry, decided to escape city life, the slow-paced mountain town of Highlands, North Carolina, called to them. “Highlands is one of those rare little pieces of the earth where you know your neighbor and the mayor walks around town,” says Cunningham. “It’s all about community here.”

Lauded for more than its small-town appeal, its lush landscape offered the perfect canvas for landscape designer Alex Smith. Together with architect Norman Askins and Lupoli Construction, the talented team knew a total transformation lay ahead of them. “The house that was on the site before was a really interesting sort of Japanese teahouse architecture, like nothing you’ve ever seen in Highlands,” recalls Smith. “You had to fight your way through the woods to get there, and I knew the landscape was going to be dramatically different than what it initially was.”

Led by Askins’ traditional architecture and the surrounding vernacular, Smith envisioned a sprawling property dotted with intimate garden rooms, fit for an avid entertainer like Cunningham whose favorite memories involve dining outdoors with friends and loved ones. “When working on this garden, I would go inside and look through windows and say, ‘Okay, this is a neat view; let’s place interesting plants and create a focal point here,’ so that KC and her company could enjoy the garden from the inside of the home too,” explains Smith.

Influenced by the homeowner’s lifestyle, Smith incorporated an herbaceous border that runs along the driveway as well as hydrangeas throughout for cutting. After further collaboration, the pair added a naturalistic cutting garden around back. “I couldn’t bear to cut anything that was out front, and after the first year I told Alex so,” recalls Cunningham. “Then he gave me a true cutting garden, and it has evolved, as all good gardens do.”

Located near Highlands Country Club, the front parterre is formal and sunken for added privacy and sprinkled with statuary. “KC is a very astute garden enthusiast, and she has truly great style,” says Smith. The landscape designer reveled in the opportunity to place the homeowners’ impressive collection, including a pair of American eagles gifted from Tom Hayes of Toby West Home placed prominently in the front garden, and dog sculptures to welcome guests into a side garden—coined “Lucy’s Garden” after Cunningham’s beloved Cavalier King Charles spaniel.

Despite year-round horticultural interest, the landscape puts on a true spectacle for spring’s arrival with blooming hydrangeas, white foxglove, and rhododendron. With American beech trees to frame the pathway leading to the door, Smith ensures the landscape will age with grace, predicting a canopy to frame the home in years to come.

“If you’re a gardener like me, you’re outside every day, and you think about it all the time, watching the weather and what’s blooming,” says Cunningham. “It kind of makes me tear up a little bit thinking how important my home and garden is to me—it’s my nest and my life.”       

LANDSCAPE DESIGN Alex Smith, Alex Smith Garden Design, Ltd., (770) 455-8878; alexsmithgardendesign.com ARCHITECT Norman Askins, Norman Davenport Askins, Architects, (404) 233-6565; normanaskins.com BUILDER Lupoli Construction, (828) 526-4532; lupoliconstruction.com