Book Journeys – The Biltmore – Gardens

by | Jun 1, 2017 | Uncategorized | 12 comments

Biltmore Gardens

On this day, 119 years ago, George and Edith Vanderbilt married in a service in France. After their four-month long honeymoon, George brought his bride (called by many of the Appalachian natives ‘a princess’) back home to his estate in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Asheville, North Carolina.

The story behind Edith Vanderbilt's arrival to Biltmore Estate in #Asheville, NC, and her grand legacy amongst the workers and families of #Biltmore. www.biltmore.com:

Edith Vanderbilt – PinterestPinterestPinterest

I can’t even imagine what Edith’s first thoughts were as she rounded the corner of the gated entry and saw the grand chateau with similar hues as the surrounding mountains. Both George and Edith were not only readers, but also the outdoorsy sort. Their personal photos, many taken by Edith, show them in various places around the estate and in the gardens.

And what gardens!!!

Biltmore’s extensive gardens were designed by Frederick Olmstead. From the long three-mile driveway to the Italian gardens to the rose gardens and beyond, Mr. Olmstead carefully created a masterpiece of beauty celebrating both the natural landscape around the house but also introducing some foreign designs. The beautiful Conservatory introduces many foreign plants.

The Azalea garden is particularly lovely in April. Here’s a pic of it that I took last year! Aren’t the colors AMAZING.

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And here is a photo I took last week from the rose garden.

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Take a stroll down to the Bass Pond for a scenic look of the landscape a bit farther from the house. Top the hill from the Bass Pond to see a fantastic view of the side of the house and distant mountains.18869721_10213171748469005_1059102111_o

Frederick Olmstead was even famed to have said, “People coming from New York to Biltmore in the winter or spring must be made to feel that they are decidedly closer to the sun.”

George Vanderbilt fell in love with this part of the world when he was a child, and thanks to his passion for this landscape, he’s created a place where thousands of other people can fall in love too.

On April 29, 1924 Chic Vintage Bride Cornelia #Vanderbilt married British Diplomat John Cecil in what was THE social event of the year! #Biltmore:

Cornelia Vanderbilt (George and Edith’s daughter) even had a garden wedding at Biltmore! Pinterest

In fact, Biltmore is also well known for hosting weddings – so…in essence, the love of George and Edith has a chance to be celebrated for years and years to come in this romantic and beautiful setting.

Sounds like a good place for a historical romance to take place, right? Or any romance to take place

Which would you prefer – historical or contemporary?

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12 Comments

  1. Paula S.

    I prefer historical novels. There is just a certain charm about the, I grew up in an historic house and loved history.
    Thanks for a wonderful post. I enjoy them so much. You look great in the rose garden! Love the hat! Blessings

    Reply
    • pepperbasham

      Aww, Paula! You are so sweet! Thank you! And yes, I think Biltmore is a perfect setting for a historical novel 🙂

      Reply
    • pepperbasham

      Thanks, Claire! I do so love those historical novels 🙂

      Reply
  2. 1bgpayne

    Historical is almost always my first choice but I think you could write a really good mix of historical and contemporary.
    Thanks for sharing this bit of history and your beautiful pictures.

    Reply
    • pepperbasham

      Thanks so much!! It’s so easy to take pics of places as lovely as the Biltmore!

      Reply
  3. Rachel Scott Mcdaniel

    Hands down historical! Although…I think a historical/contemporary would be fabulous with this setting. Like Rachel Hauck’s new one The Writing Desk- she ties in a golden age socialite to a modern-day writer. So there’s two awesome stories tied together with a beautiful theme. With your immense talent, you could sooooo pull that off with the Biltmore, Pepper! Loved this post!

    Reply
  4. Suzanne Sellner

    I vote for an historical romance since the depth of history involved in the Vanderbilt Mansion deserves a relationship from that era–perhaps between two fictitious employees.

    Reply
  5. barbarabrutt

    So my sister has a friend who is basically in charge of the flowers for weddings at the Biltmore….I can’t even imagine all the beauty day in and day out to work with flowers and for weddings!

    Reply
  6. donnabrookmyer

    I much prefer the historical over contemporary! These pictures are beautiful!

    Reply
  7. Linda

    I used to only read historical, but now enjoy contemporary as well, and I think that whatever you wrote would be wonderful. I just finished Just the Way You Are – it was so hard to put down (so I pretty much didn’t!) Loved it!

    Reply
  8. kristine morgan

    I prefer historical. Any chance of you doing a novel on George and Edith? i would love it!

    Reply

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