Middleburg looked like heaven to me. I never saw a place as pretty as Middleburg when I was a youngster. The prettiest maple trees lined both sides of the street for three blocks – from up The Plains corner on through where the Episcopal Church is. The Winchester and Alexandria Turnpike was paved with stones and over the years they were turned so they were all round. It might have been rainy, but there was never mud on the main streets. (From Middleburg and Nearby).

Such were the words in 1892 of Erman C. Downs, a resident of Middleburg, and so has been the presiding spirit of the town ever since.

Members of the Windy Hill Foundation are now applying that same tree-minded philosophy to its project at Virginia Lane. The newly refurbished duplexes will receive yet another makeover in the next few months, this time with trees, bushes, shrubs, and flowers. Fundraising is underway for this project, which, the Foundation says, is key to the spirit of the Virginia Lane renovation.

Kim Hart, executive director of the Windy Hill Foundation, says that Middleburg has a long history of making the beauty of the town a top priority. In fact, the director of the landscaping fundraiser, Lang Washburn, was also instrumental in the town's preparation for the Bicentennial in 1976, which included the planting of many trees and the installation of brick sidewalks.

Hart says that the Virginia Lane landscaping project is very much in line with Middleburg's "beautiful place" spirit and offers both citizens and friends an opportunity to help create a beautiful western entrance to the town.

The Foundation, which has already received a private gift of $50,000 for a stone wall to be built between Route 50 and the houses, plans to raise an additional $100,000 for landscaping.

Earth Design Associates of Casanova drew up the plans for the project, which will include 137 trees and 151 shrubs. A contract is in place for Dwain Trump of Multiflora Landscape Nursery – a local Middleburg company – to do the actual planting.

Trees will include such species as the Red Maple, Flowering Dogwood, American Sweetgum, Saucer Magnolia, and Eastern Red cedar, 57of which will be planted in groups as a buffer and windbreak between duplexes.

The remaining trees will act as shade and ornamentals, with each lot receiving eight or nine trees. This reflects what most homeowners would expect, according to Hart.

Shrubs will include Brookside Alder, Common Buttonbush, Forsythia, and Common Winterberry.

Hart and Washburn are encouraging Middleburg residents to donate to the fundraising effort. The nature of the project offers potential donors plenty of opportunities to participate at all different levels.

For instance, prices for each of the 14species trees range from $2,100 for a White Ash, to $1,600 for a Sugar Maple, to $325 for an Eastern Hemlock, to the least expensive, a White Fringetree, for $275.

Shrubs are less expensive, ranging from $48 for a Border Forsythia or Common Winterberry, to $65 for a Yew, Brook-side Alder, or Common Buttonbush.

Of course, participants may donate as many of each species as they would like.

Hart realizes that people may question raising such a large investment for landscaping. He counters the criticism by noting that, "…in order to make the overall project and western entrance of town look inviting and more presentable in a short period of time, we will use mature, and thus larger, trees."

"We will use 5-inch caliper trees that are 8-12 feet high and 10-12 years old. It is more expensive to purchase, handle, and install larger trees, but more mature trees help increase the probability of survival once the trees are transplanted."

There are also environmental benefits associated with planting larger, more mature trees.

"We have a very steep slope to deal with from Route 50, past the houses, and into the wetland behind. More mature trees and shrubs will buffer rainfall and stabilize our hillsides to reduce runoff and protect the wetland behind," he explained.

Hart believes that the fundraiser will allow citizens to make a "direct contribution to the beautification of Middleburg's long neglected western entrance where the Virginia Lane project is located." The town of Middleburg provides no funding for the development of Virginia Lane so the success of this aspect of the project relies completely on private donations for its success.

Donations may be sent to:
The Windy Hill Foundation
P.O. Box 1593
Middleburg, VA 20118