Reimagining Our Landscape Through Regenerative Design

Here at Durrant Farms Estate, we are beginning a major project to reduce our mowable space by at least 50% in the coming year. We are transforming half of our great lawn into garden spaces where guests can explore and quite literally eat their way through the landscape. Our focus is on filling these areas with fig trees, berry bushes, and fragrant herbs throughout the property.

Designing a Pollinator-Friendly and Wildlife-Supporting Garden

There will be an abundance of herbs and perennial flowers to attract a diverse array of pollinators. This new landscaping will encourage guests to engage all their senses as they wander through the gardens. Aromatic plants, bright colors, edible flowers, soft foliage, and the gentle rattle of different plants will invite curiosity and connection with the natural world.

A Sensory Garden Experience for Our Guests

Expanded pathways will allow guests to walk the property for longer periods of time, deepening their connection to the land and offering the kind of stress relief that can only come from spending time in nature.

This conversion isn’t just about planting beautiful things — it’s about creating more ecosystem niches to support the wildlife around us. Adding more shrubs and evergreen trees will increase available habitat for a variety of bird species throughout all four seasons. In addition, we will be installing more birdhouses and bat houses to help manage flies, mosquitoes, and other pest insects naturally.

Reducing Lawn to Restore the Land

These landscaping choices will not only be visually stunning and beneficial for pollinators and wildlife, but will also increase our carbon capture capacity. Replacing lawn with a diverse mix of trees, shrubs, and native grasses will significantly improve the land’s ability to store carbon.

2026 will be a year of big change at Durrant Farm Estate. We are undertaking a major transformation of our landscape and, in the process, creating a better home for every creature — big or small — seeking refuge in our little slice of Western North Carolina paradise.