Fenny L.
Yelp
We were strolling down Princess Anne Street on a dusky and romantic Saturday night. We had just finished a fantastically magical dinner at Bisto Bethem (http://www.yelp.com/biz/bistro-bethem-fredericksburg-2#hrid:aqyZKJI2n6SIUQ6KMNzVrw/src:self) and was talking about ships and cabbage and sealing wax when...LO!
We both stopped in our tracks. A most amazing light fragrance wafted to our noses. We took two steps forward and it was gone. A step back and it was there. We looked around and noticed that we were standing in front of the side garden of Kenmore Inn. As this was still pretty much the dead of winter, nothing was in bloom! What could that intoxicating scent be? We started walking around the garden, smelling every cut branch and moderately green plant we could find. Still couldn't locate the source. We started tromping through the garden like a pack of deranged elephants...still nothing.
Finally, my husband looked up at the welcoming porch of Kenmore Inn, and said, "I'm going in. I *must* find out what plant that is!"
Sheepishly, we walk in, our faces red; his from embarrassment, mine from suppressed laughter. We shyly stood in the beautiful old foyer, when a staff member comes out to ask if she could help us.
"Yes," my husband started, turning redder if at all possible, "I have a strange question to ask you. We were just walking by your garden..."
"Ah yes," the lady cheerfully cut him off, "I designed that garden myself, and it's meant for people to take pictures in," she assured him, spying his camera hanging limply from his hand.
"Oh! Thank you! That's actually very good to know, but that wasn't my question. Had a different question. You see, we noticed in your garden..."
"Ah, yes, my crushed shell walkway! You want to know where I got the shells?"
"Um, no, although that too would be very good to know," my husband said, his face turning even redder, as I was bent double with laughter and gasping for air, "no, our question is this - we walked by an smelled a plant that was so amazing, but we can't seem to find..."
"Ah yes," the lady happily nodded, glad to have finally gotten to the root of our question, "isn't it amazing? People ask about that all the time. It's an 'alba winter dafine'."
As she lead us around to the side door, to show us the plant (which was about 20 feet from where we had been standing), she had her assistant write down the name of the plant for us on a sheet of paper.
So sweet and kind and nice! She also took the opportunity to let us know about the dining room and handed us a menu - but there really is no need, because I already know that the next time I'm coming to Fredericksburg, I'm going to be spending the night at this bed and breakfast...hopefully in a room with a window that overlooks this garden and amazing, fragrant plant.