A beautiful day in the orchard
Regina has lived in historic Brownsburg for 12 years along with her partner Paul, son Matt, dogs Beau, and Katie (who sadly is no longer with us), and Wilson our cat. The orchard features a diverse planting of fruits, grafted varieties, and old Southern heirloom apples..
Matt and I would like to thank all of you who contributed to a great day at the Wilbourn House Orchard Booth! Sales were strong, and a great many questions were fielded during the event. There was strong interest in the process of grafting, and we enjoyed talking to each and every one who […]
Find facts about the featured apple including history, important dates, and attributes
Grafting Sign-up 2025 is now open! I am delighted to let you know that the grafting classes for 2025 are now open for registration. We will be grafting on the following Saturdays from 10am to 1pm: March 8, March 15, March 22, March 29, April 19, and April 26. Registration is required, and the registration […]
Get ready for grafting in 2025! The Wilbourn House Orchard is preparing for our 2025 Grafting events in March and April. I will start sending out notifications in February, including available rootstocks, scion variety selections, and a registration form. You will be able to pay via PayPal, check, cash, or charge. A participant […]
North Rockbridge trail event at the orchard this Saturday. Hope to see you there!
We are excited to invite you to an open house at the Wilbourn House Orchard on Saturday May 4th from 10-4. Enjoy tours of the orchard, grafting demonstrations, and recently grafted fruit trees of hard to find old southern varieties. Free small starts of willow trees to the first ten individual groups (one per group) […]
We just completed another great grafting class with an enthusiastic group. The weather cooperated and we were able to set up outside. After the class was complete and new trees were safely stowed away, several stayed to walk the orchard. There were lots of great questions and sharing of information. Grafting days are over for […]
Tight quarters but a great grafting event! Our first event was a walkthrough of the orchard and demonstration of a graft on an existing tree. A small group but great discussion. The second event put ten of us in my new little greenhouse. 16 trees were grafted onto various rootstock! Tight quarters but […]
The Wilbourn House Orchard is located on main street in the village of Brownsburg, Virginia. We are in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, where farmhouses, barns, cattle, and breathtaking scenery are just around the next bend.
This site is more than just photos and a few notes. It is a heartfelt story of following something that I love which has evolved over many years. A process that has persisted through heartaches and happiness. The story of a family who gives me space and encouragement and the ability to pursue something that I have always wanted to do.
I hope that it serves as inspiration for you that all things are possible. Just like everyone, I started with one tree, and then another, and, well….a lot more. I had little knowledge or tools or mentors. Just a passion to start something on my own that would grow and even thrive.
I had never grafted. I had never put together a webpage.
and here we are.
Why Wilbourn House? Our home is named for Thomas and Nannie Wilbourn who built the home here in 1885. Thomas’ father William Wilbourn invented the Wilbourn Saddle, and Thomas worked with his father in Brownsburg as a saddler and harness maker.
This is a wonderful photo of Thomas and Nannie Wilbourn taken in 1882, several months before their marriage. My home was built by them in 1885. The photo was taken by Michael Miley, a well known photographer from the area who was best known for his photo of Robert E. Lee on Traveller.
Another passion of mine is finding out the history of my home and those homes around me. At my local courthouse desk I ask “Is it possible to get a copy of their wedding certificate from 1882? If so, how long would it take?”
The answer “Just as long as it takes me to walk over to the printer and get it.”
Isn’t life amazing!
