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A Living Arboretum on Catoctin Creek: Inside Birchwood Estate in Loudoun County
- Geri Deane
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
Most Loudoun County estates are measured in acreage, square footage, and finish level. Birchwood is measured in species.
Along the winding drive that leads to the stone manor at 13223 Loyalty Road, the canopy overhead is not a happy accident of mature trees. It is a deliberate, decades-long collection — rare conifers, Japanese maples, beeches, and specimen trees gathered from across the globe and cultivated into one of the largest privately held arboretums on the East Coast. The property is presented by Janeen Marconi and Christy Hertel of Hunt Country Sotheby's International Realty, offered at $5,995,000.
A Botanical Inheritance, Three Decades in the Making
Arboretums of this scale typically belong to universities, public gardens, or historic estates with full-time horticultural staff. Birchwood belongs to a private residence. The current stewards revived and expanded what had been established by the original owners, adding cutting gardens, butterfly gardens, an apiary, and a fruit orchard. The result is a living collection that changes with the season — the architectural drama of bare conifer silhouettes in winter, the layered greens of summer, the flame of Japanese maple foliage in autumn — all framed by the Blue Ridge Mountains beyond.
For buyers drawn to properties with horticultural significance, this kind of acquisition is exceedingly rare in the mid-Atlantic. Most comparable collections cannot be bought at any price because they are held in trust or attached to institutional missions. Birchwood offers private ownership of a botanical asset alongside the working land and waterfront that surrounds it.
Catoctin Creek and the Setting
The property's approx. 37 acres are bounded by Catoctin Creek, designated by the Commonwealth of Virginia as a State Scenic River — a recognition reserved for waterways with outstanding scenic, recreational, historic, or natural value. The creek defines both the eastern edge of the estate and the character of the land it shapes: rolling meadow, mature hardwood forest, and open pasture, all tucked into the foothills of the Blue Ridge.
The historic village of Waterford, a National Historic Landmark settled by Quakers in 1733 and largely unchanged in its village core, sits just minutes away. Leesburg, with its restaurants, shops, and access to Dulles International Airport, is a short drive in the other direction.
The Residence: Voysey-Inspired, Loudoun-Made
The stone manor itself was completed in 1996 by Loudoun County architect Kevin Ruedisueli, who drew inspiration from the celebrated English Arts and Crafts architect C.F.A. Voysey. Voysey's vocabulary — long horizontal lines, deep eaves, hand-selected fieldstone, slate roofing, and an honest expression of materials — translates beautifully to a Virginia hillside, and Birchwood reads as if it has always belonged where it stands.
Across approx. 9,000 finished square feet on three levels, the residence offers:
A main-level primary suite oriented to the Blue Ridge views
Five additional bedrooms
Multiple fireplaces and a wine cellar
Geothermal heating and cooling systems
A slate roof and hand-selected fieldstone construction
The home was featured in Southern Home magazine, and the architectural detail throughout — millwork, masonry, the considered relationship between interior rooms and the gardens beyond — reflects the same depth of intention as the grounds.
Offered for the First Time in Seven Years
Properties of this character do not appear on the market often. Birchwood is being offered for the first time in seven years, and the depth of stewardship it has received in that time — the arboretum's revival, the gardens added, the orchard planted — has only deepened what was already a one-of-a-kind property.
For buyers considering Birchwood, I can coordinate a private tour with the listing team and help you understand how this property fits within the broader Loudoun County luxury market. As a buyer's agent representing your interests exclusively, I can also guide you through the diligence that a property of this scale and specificity deserves — from arboretum stewardship considerations to scenic river frontage and the architectural provenance of the residence itself.
To arrange a showing of Birchwood Estate or to discuss other estate properties in Loudoun County and the surrounding hunt country, contact me directly at 703-615-4126.
Birchwood Estate is presented by Janeen Marconi and Christy Hertel of Hunt Country Sotheby's International Realty. Additional information, photography, and the full MLS listing are available at thebirchwoodestate.com.
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