Author: Lisa Martin

When Charles D’Angelo, managing director of D.C.-based Westmount Capital Group, first saw the Clifton Inn and its surrounding countryside, his initial thought was, “Wow.” “It’s a stunning property, from the 19-acre lake and Blue Ridge mountain views to the infinity pool with the canopy of trees overhead,” says D’Angelo. As a business enterprise, however, the inn was struggling.

Though renovated several times in recent decades, including a large-scale overhaul in 2005 after a devastating fire, the inn’s reputation had been waning, its wedding bookings falling from a high of 50 in 2011 to just 11 for this year. At the end of a complicated and lengthy negotiation, a deal was struck in late 2017 between Mitch and Emily Willey, the hotel’s owners since 1983, and the investor duo of D’Angelo’s Westmount Capital and the McGeorge family of Richmond.

When the dust settled, the new owners immediately opted for more dust, closing the hotel for the first quarter of 2018 for renovations, rebranding and an infusion of new technology. “All 20 rooms were renovated, plus the restaurant, the bar and the front desk, and we installed bright new software,” says Francois Bladt, the hotel’s general manager. “As well, we now have a Michelin-starred chef, Matthew Bousquet, who came to us from California.”

D’Angelo knew that a great chef would be a key element of the hotel’s future success, as would the new branding, updated by Watermark in Charlottesville, and interior design, recast by the in-house design team at Tennessee-based Blackberry Farm. “The renovations were mostly cosmetic,” he says. “For a building that old, it’s in very good shape.” Cool blues, greens and grays replaced the former white and cream interior, with an emphasis on the comforting surrounds of soft rugs, draperies, upholstery and artwork as patrons ease into their dinner or cocktail.

With the new branding came a name change as well. Now dubbed simply The Clifton, the change reflects a mindset. “We wanted to get away from the sleepy bed and breakfast idea, toward something a little more modern that would draw in a more urban crowd,” says D’Angelo. “Having a true country getaway feel, only minutes away from the city, is a real advantage. I think of The Clifton as a boutique hotel that does phenomenal weddings, where you can also have one of the best meals in Charlottesville.”

Tucked behind a 1920s-era house on a small Belmont lot lies a modern wonder: a water garden oasis featuring ornamental plantings, a raised deck surrounded by a black slate patio, a hand-carved fire pit and a mountainous stone structure from which a waterfall cascades gently into a tiered, purling river.

The landscape plan was dreamed up by homeowner Peter Fenlon, a game designer and publisher of the internationally famed Settlers of Catan series, whose studio is ensconced in a sprawling two-story structure behind the garden. “I was born in Japan,” he says, “and that influences the storytelling here quite a bit.” Starting with the two Japanese maples flanking the front entrance, grown from “seedlings of seedlings” dating back to his birthplace, Fenlon’s penchant for meaningful design is evident.

Acquiring the house in 2001 after it had been gutted by flippers, Fenlon and his wife, Olivia, gradually made it their own, eventually doubling its size. Over the last five years they’ve widened the structure’s footprint on three sides and added a third floor—a high-ceilinged, light-filled space thanks to 13 Tuscan-style windows. The most complex upgrade thus far has been the landscaping, and in 2016 the Fenlons partnered with landscape architect Zoe Edgecomb and Lithic Construction project manager Brian Bristow to lay out their plans.

“We wanted to do a natural garden that focused on native plantings and rock, and was very low-maintenance and sustainable,” says Fenlon. Consistent with that vision, all of the rock is regionally sourced, a mix of limestone, quartz and granite. “The deck is a combination of cedar and Cumaru—a sustainable, tropical teak that is very resilient and extremely dense,” he says. The fire pit comprises three pieces of granite from Red Hill quarry, fitted together like a puzzle and then hand-carved to form a center bowl.

Most challenging were the centerpieces of landscape: the river and mountain constructions. “It took a while to even dawn on me how large the scope of the project was,” says Bristow, an expert in both rock and water features. “It was a lot to integrate.” Installing the deck footings, wires, water pipes, lights, abutting concrete sections and rock structures in the proper order required a careful mix of timing and balance, even as the project continued to evolve.

For the mountain, Bristow used a truck crane to hoist huge rocks one at a time into a pile, spinning them into place and chipping off corners to round the look as it took shape. The black concrete river basin was technically difficult as well. “It had to be strong and waterproof, and both the bottom and sides had to be done in one pour,” says Bristow. “I’ve done a lot of water features, but this one was unique.”

Fenlon’s thoughtful inspirations, from a cocktail/breakfast nook next to the waterfall, to a large, sliding cedar “moon gate” in the tall but neighbor-friendly fence (which looks the same on both sides), have made their back yard a sanctuary within reach of the city, in a location the couple treasures.

“There are no stoplights between me and the Appalachian Trail, and from the third floor I can see all the way to the Blue Ridge,” says Fenlon, “yet I can walk to restaurants in Belmont. What could be better?”

Agarden’s appearance depends on its purpose, says Marlene Condon, and sometimes messier is better. “Aesthetics for me are secondary,” she says. “The most important thing is the quality of the habitat for wildlife.”

Condon is a Virginia-based nature writer and photographer who has penned columns for the Daily Progress and Crozet Gazette, written for C-VILLE Weekly, edited a birding and gardening magazine and published a 2006 book on cultivating nature-friendly gardens. She has spent decades advocating for the practice of landscaping for wildlife—a looser, more freeform gardening style that prioritizes the planet over the plan.

“There is the misperception that you don’t have to do anything at all, but that’s not it,” says Condon. “Landscaping with wildlife in mind uses a traditional three-level structure—flowers close to the house, then shrubs and low trees, then taller trees in back—but it also includes things like brush piles, dead leaves and even a few flowering weeds.” The idea is for gardeners to give up their compulsion for neatness and to embrace what grows naturally in their area instead.

The result is less orderly but more purposeful. “Dead leaves break down and become natural fertilizer, and when all the plants come up you don’t even see them anymore,” says Condon. “Brush piles are incredibly useful. You can keep them 30 feet from the house for safety, and they become a place where birds can hide from hawks or make their nests, and lizards lay their eggs in there. You’ll be shocked by how fast they decompose.”

Condon reserves special scorn for wide swaths of unused lawn. “The problem is, there’s not a lot of habitat potential in a lawn,” she says. “It’s wasting a resource, and the insecticides and herbicides [used on lawns] kill so many animals that are important to the food chain,” particularly creatures with absorbent skin, like salamanders and other amphibians.

“Slugs and snails are your recyclers and are feeding your plants,” says Condon, “and the whole world collapses without insects.” A more natural landscape also means weeding is less of a chore. “Really, the more plants you grow the better, and the fewer weeds you’ll see.”

Condon stresses that protecting the natural ecosystem of the plants, birds, bugs and animals is vital to the future of mankind. “I’m terrified for the future,” she admits. “The whole point of existence is to perpetuate life, and we are losing so many organisms. We absolutely cannot survive without wildlife.”

Even in times of discouragement, however, Condon’s source of solace and joy is her garden, a habitat certified by the National Wildlife Federation. She hopes it can serve as an example of a sustainable, low-impact way for people to coexist with wildlife. “Listen to the birds, the wood frogs,” she enthuses, gesturing widely. “Part of the beauty is hearing all this life. It means the creatures are saying, ‘This is a healthy place for me to live.’”

“The pleasantest smell in the world,” wrote natural historian Robert Beverly of the Sweetbay magnolia in 1705, and its large, creamy white flowers are just as striking. Associated with nobility and perseverance, the more than 200 species of magnolia vie with dogwood, crepe myrtle, azaleas and camellias for the American South’s favorite plant. Thomas Jefferson was an early proponent, sending seeds to friends and planting trees at his home.

“Jefferson grew the deciduous Sweetbay and Umbrella varieties,” says Peggy Cornett, curator of plants at Monticello, “the latter in rows in the upper grove.” On UVA’s Grounds, a spreading, pinkish-purple Saucer Magnolia stands to the left of Jefferson’s statue in front of the Rotunda, which itself was flanked by seven evergreen Southern magnolias until they were removed in 2014. “The Southern variety is beautiful and reliably evergreen, but they grow so fast that they tend to get out of scale to the building and take over the architecture,” says Cornett.

Nonetheless, the appeal of the magnolia endures. Its bark possesses medicinal properties, its cone-like fruit produces slender red seeds that are favorites of birds and small mammals and its graceful, cup-shaped flowers and shiny, dark green leaves make an elegant cutting for a Southern table. “Spectacular,” says Cornett.