Garden Art of Seattle

I absolutely love garden art. I have little things tucked in here and there all around my garden and I‘m always on the look-out for more.

Throughout the Seattle Fling there was an abundance of garden art, but there were a few stand-outs when I look back over my pictures: Michelle & Christopher Epping’s,  Lorene Edwards Forkner’s, and Dragonfly Farms.

The Epping’s garden took 3rd place in the 2007 Pacific Northwest Gardens Competition, and it is easy to see why. Besides a well laid out garden, there are nooks and crannies to explore highlighted with interesting pieces of garden art.

The colors of the flowers echo the colors of the lanterns, or is it the other way around?

Concrete statuaries can be found in abundance in their garden.

Lorene Edwards Forkner’s garden is also her test bed for her writing. She has written a new book entitled Handmade Garden Projects: Step-by-Step Instructions for Creative Garden Features, Containers, Lighting & More.  Many of the items featured in the book are created and tested right here in her backyard.

These boxes are a great idea to add more interest to an otherwise boring fence.

Remember nail punch!? We used to do nail punch projects in Girl Scouts.

Sometimes seemingly unrelated objects can be combined to create an attractive vignette.

This terrarium is a light fixture from an old warehouse.

Now for the finale of Lorene’s garden. The travel trailer. I have never seen anything like this in a garden, I love it! I had to take pictures so that one day when I decide to get a travel trailer for my garden I have pictures to prove to my husband that it can be done.

Now, on to Dragonfly Farms.

Aren’t these fun!? I should have taken a picture of the back of these metal heads so that we could see how they are elevated above the pie plates.

Here’s a great idea for a new use of an old bench at Dragonfly Farms

Someone finally thought of something to do with all those
random dishes you can buy at resale shops.

These gardeners have given me a few ideas for new projects in my garden, hopefully they have given you a few too. We are almost to the end of my Seattle Fling highlights. Only one more place to go, Bloedel Reserve.

Pathways of Seattle

Over the course of the Seattle Fling I quickly noticed that pathways were an emerging theme. Whether the garden was large or small, without exception, there were cleverly designed pathways that added to a sense of majesty and mystery about each garden.

Dragonfly Farms

This path at Dragonfly Farms has given me some inspiration for my own garden. The plants will be different, but I hope the feeling created will be the same.

Suzette & Jim Birrell’s

Shelagh Tucker’s

Even around the back of the greenhouse, Shelagh has added a lovely pathway with as much attention to color and design as the more public areas of her garden.

Dunn Gardens

Michelle & Christopher Epping’s

Denise Lane’s

Denise Lane’s

Denise Lane’s

The smaller gardens probably benefitted the most from the enclosed and winding pathways. Kate Farley’s garden was one of the smallest ones we visited, but it seemed just as big as the others. Every winding path led to an interesting garden feature.

Kate Farley’s

Kate Farley’s

Kate Farley’s

I hope these photos inspire you to add a pathway somewhere in your garden. Don’t just garden around the edges!

Sheds of Seattle

I have shed envy. I was very impressed with the sheds of the Seattle gardeners. I almost hate to call them sheds, that hardly seems to do them justice.  Every gardener needs a place to start seeds, transplant seedlings, hang shovels, rakes, and hoes, a place to dry herbs and garlic. All of my tools are along the walls of our garage, squeezed into any available space. It’s just not right. Woe is me, I need a shed.

The Birrell’s bright blue shed is a focal point of their backyard. The bright colors cheer up any day. To call this structure a shed is an understatement. Just look at the space they have inside to work on projects! Another benefit of a garden building is the rainwater harvesting potential.

Shelagh Tucker has a roomy greenhouse with cold frames along one edge to get her and her plants through the Seattle winters.

 

 

 

 

 

The Eppings’ shed looks like a cute little cottage. It is tucked into the back corner of their garden and blends in with their landscape quite nicely while serving as a great area for some of their container plantings.

Kate Farley’s garden workshop is a large room at the back of her garage. You actually don’t even notice it behind all of her plants. I just love that wood burning stove.

Even if you don’t have the space for a room-sized shed, you can have a cute little area for all your garden stuff. Check out Lorene Edwards Forkner’s play area on the side of her house.

Again, thanks for following along with my theme oriented posts of the 2011 Seattle Garden Bloggers Fling. Stay tuned for more.

Succulents of Seattle

I don’t grow many succulents, nor do I know the names of them when I see them. I have a few hens and chicks left that my Grandma gave me almost 10 years ago, but they haven’t thrived as much as a couple of others varieties I have.

Here in Houston, I would not recommend planting them in the ground. Despite the fact that we are in a severe drought, it will rain again one day. I have a feeling that after one of our legendary downpours that our ground stays too wet for most succulents. Mine are all in pots with well-draining soil and almost never get hand-watered. So, for those of you who can’t keep a plant alive to save your life, maybe succulents are for you.

I was surprised to see how many people are growing succulents in Seattle, I envisioned it being too wet of a place for them. However, they seemed to be doing very well both in the ground and in containers. Here are some of my favorites.



This looks like a re-purposed birdbath to me, The soil is hilled, most likely to help with drainage.

photo taken at Dragonfly Farms














A wheelbarrow full o’succulents at Dragonfly Farms

 

 

 

I love the color combo of this one. I think this is sedum.
photo taken at Dragonfly Farms

Here, bottles and sempervivum (at least that’s what I think it is, remember I am no expert) are used as edging. Now, this just might provide enough drainage to work well in Houston.

Another wheel barrow o’succulents at Dragonfly Farms

Here are a few more great container ideas for succulents.

Suzette & Jim Birrell's Garden

   
The above two photos are from Denise Lane’s garden.

Lorene Edward Forkner's Garden

I hope these pictures give you some good ideas about what you can do with succulents in your own garden.

The 2011 Garden Bloggers Fling

This year’s Garden Bloggers Fling spanned four fun-filled days travelling around the Seattle area being overwhelmed with beauty at every turn. There were gorgeous gardens with an array of colorful containers, surprising succulents, pleasing pathways, and splendid sheds (yes, I did get out the thesaurus for that one).

Over the course of 4 days we visited 6 private gardens, 5 public gardens (including Bloedel Reserve which will get one entire post to itself), 2 nurseries (Ravenna Gardens and Dragonfly Farms), and 1 farmer’s market. We were also fortunate enough to experience a photography class from Seattle’s own, David Perry.

The weather was amazing. We had 3 days without clouds, which might be a record for Seattle, and the warmest temperatures this year. My fellow Texans, when I say warm in Seattle, I mean it got up to 80 degrees. It did not go above 80, it was like heaven. On our last day, we were able to experience true Seattle weather-clouds and a light rain, but I am not complaining-I hadn’t seen rain for months!

The sunny weather definitely affected the photography. I didn’t get the much-needed photography tip I needed until the last day, so many of my pictures are too bright. However, the pictures of Bloedel on an overcast day are amazing. I took a little over 1000 pictures, so it has taken me awhile to sort through all of them. Be sure to check out my Facebook page for a look at some of the pictures that will not be posted on the blog.

Here’s a taste of the private gardens we toured.

Suzette and Jim Birrell’s garden had the most amazing bright blue shed and a variety of perennial and vegetable beds. Their bedroom is a wall of windows overlooking their well-tended garden.

Shelagh Tucker is a transplant from England. She has a wonderful blend of English and Northwest gardening styles in her gardens. Her front yard drought-resistant garden was inspired by Beth Chatto’s book, Drought Resistant Planting.

Michelle and Christopher Epping designed their dream home with the French Riviera in mind. Their amazing view of Seattle also means they garden on a steep slope, but that hasn’t stopped them from creating an oasis outside their doorstep.

Denise Lane’s garden is almost an acre. Her property is filled with winding paths that open onto breathtaking garden vignettes.

Lorene Edwards Forkner is one of our lovely hosts. Her garden is filled with great garden art, most of which is featured in her cool new book, Handmade Garden Projects.

Kate Farley has created a wonderful garden hideaway at her house. In fact, you can’t even see her house. Her yard is filled with winding paths that make the almost 1/4 acre lot feel much bigger.

Thanks for looking at a sample of what I saw in Seattle.

While us Zone 8 gardeners in Houston do have some plants in common with the Zone 7 gardeners of Seattle, I’ve decided not to focus on the plants. Instead, I noticed several themes emerge as I visited each garden. My upcoming posts will be focused on those gardening themes (there was a hint in the first paragraph, did you catch it?), with a bonus final post about Bloedel Reserve.