"You Want to Buy My WEEDS???"

After attending the Garden Blogger's Fling in Seattle in 2011, Mom and I stayed an extra week with a family friend. Jim, who has a home on Whidbey Island, was a first-time Pacific Northwest visitor's dream host.  He took us to see so many wonderful things in the area, indulging us with visits to places of particular interest to two obsessive gardeners.

Snoqualmie Falls

We spent two days on Vancouver Island, home of Butchart Gardens, where I took over 900 photographs over the course of about seven hours.  Even then, photos can't truly capture what a magical place it is. Back in Washington, we also went to Deception Pass, Snoqualmie Falls, Chocolate Flower Farm, and the Saturday Market at Bayview Farm & Garden on Whidbey one Saturday morning, among other places.

While we were running around on Whidbey Island, we stopped at Hummingbird Farm Nursery and Gardens near Oak Harbor.  The gift shop had some unique things, and we found the owner working in the gardens out front.  We strolled through and noticed an interesting plant growing randomly here and there, and having unique, feathery foliage.  Mom and I were both somewhat taken with it.

We called the owner over to identify it, which he did - a Euphorbia of some sort.  Then we did the unthinkable.  We asked him how much they were.  He just looked at us for a few seconds and then he stifled a laugh, and said, "You want to buy my weeds?"

Once we convinced him that we were indeed serious about wanting to purchase a couple of these plants, because you know, we were from Ohio and all, and we'd never seen this particular Euphorbia before and we just love euphorbias, he said he'd have to think about it. 

"How does eight dollars each sound?"  Suddenly his weeds had value.

We bought them, brought them home and planted them, and right now they're in their spring blooming glory and I couldn't be happier.  I still love this plant as much as the day I first set eyes on it three years ago. 

Its lime green blooms are characteristic of other euphorbias - but tiny - and almost glow atop purplish foliage (which will later turn green). While it has spread a bit, it's not invasive for me like some other euphorbias I've grown that seed themselves around.  (Not that I'd mind if it was.)

You know what they say - "One man's trash is another man's treasure."  But I have to wonder if he's selling his weeds now that he knows there's a market for them.  Or maybe he just has a funny memory of the day two Midwestern women walked into his garden and fell in love with his weeds.

Snoqualmie Falls

This past summer, Mom and I traveled to the Pacific Northwest to attend the Seattle Bloggers' Fling and to visit a good friend of Romie's and mine. Jim was such a gracious host, as we spent five more days after the Fling being chauffeured around one of the most beautiful parts of our country.

No visit to the Seattle area would be complete without a stop at Snoqualmie Falls, 25 miles east of Seattle. One of Washington State's most popular tourist attractions, the water plunges a dramatic 268 feet to the Snoqualmie River below. The word "Snoqualmie" is the English pronunciation of a Salish word meaning "moon."

It was a drizzly day when we drove to the falls, and that, coupled with the spray from the falls, gave them a sinister ambience. This may have contributed to the decision to use the lodge as the stand-in for the Great Northern Hotel in the popular TV series, Twin Peaks.

As you can imagine, a waterfall like that creates an immense amount of energy. There are two hydroelectric power plants at the falls. The world's first completely underground power plant, built in 1898, is embedded in the rock at the base of the falls. The second was built in 1910 and is located a little ways downstream. Together, the power plants generate enough energy to provide power to approximately 16,000 homes.

The Salish Lodge was built in 1919 and remodeled in 1988, with the fireplace being the only remaining part of the original structure. A beautiful gift shop stole a little bit of my time and I purchased some slate coasters with ferns imprinted on the surface.

Images from Snoqualmie Falls

Rose petals left behind from a wedding...

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Information about the falls and lodge was taken from Wikipedia.

The Dunn Gardens - An Historical Seattle Treasure

I recently shared lunch on a beautiful sunny day that was the perfect temperature (unlike Ohio, where we were melting), in the middle of an historic Seattle garden with 70+ gardeners who were in town for the Seattle Bloggers' Fling. The grass was inviting enough to picnic without a blanket and we relished in the beauty of our surroundings before exploring the Dunn Gardens.

Docents were on hand to take us on a strolling tour of the gardens, designed nearly 100 years ago, by the famous Olmsted Brothers. If the Olmsted name sounds familiar to you, it's because they were responsible for the design of so many public places throughout the United States, including the Cleveland Metroparks and The Ohio State University campus here in Ohio.

The property was purchased in 1914 by businessman Arthur Dunn, who contracted the Olmsteds to design the landscape for what would be his family's summer home until his death in 1945. The property was donated for the public enjoyment by Arthur's second son Edward, who lived on the property until he died in 1991.

As I walked through the gardens, with many open spaces that allowed the garden plantings to stand out and be viewed from a distance, then drawing me in for a closer look, my first thought was that these were gardens of texture.

Combinations of shades of green in the foliage had a calming effect and compelled me to look closely at the foliage shapes and patterns and how well they played together.

Yes, this was a garden of texture...

 

The hydrangeas are mostly blue here, due to the acidic soil.

Ferns of all sorts abound, as they love the climate.

There were surprises here and there, as all good gardens should have,
such as this living roof, covered with mosses.

Glass art can be found in nearly every garden, due to the abundance of
glass artists residing in and near Seattle.

But it was also a garden of color.

Who needs autumn when you have summer color from trees like these?

Most of the plants blooming this time of the year were in gardens near the homes on the property and most especially in the Curator's Garden.

More color and texture from the Dunn Gardens

Alstroemeria

Triteleia sp.

Meconopsis betonicifolia var alba

Alstroemeria

Sedum

Bright red poppies amongst the lacecap hydrangeas

Our next stop was at the University of Washington Center for Urban Horticulture...

Seattle Fling: Two Private Gardens

The first day of the Seattle Fling began with hugs and smiles all around, as we greeted our fellow flingers at breakfast in the hotel and in the lobby. The feeling was that of a family reunion of sorts, which wasn't surprising, given how we've gotten to know each other through our individual blogs over the months and years. Many of us see one another at other garden events throughout the year as well.

 

We boarded the buses and headed for two private gardens located next door to each other. The first belonged to Jim and Suzette Birrell. The focal point of the back yard was the bright blue shed, with contrasting trim. Set atop a hill, it overlooks an extensive vegetable garden.

Artichokes!

Broken pot? Use it anyway!

One of my favorite exotic tropical vines - Gloriosa Lily (Gloriosa
superba 'Rothschildiana') - was wending its way up the downspout.

I found a new "must have" - the Wingthorn Rose (Rosa sericea)

The back of the home consists of mostly windows, which belong to the master bedroom, giving a beautiful view of the gardens upon waking in the morning.

Next door were the gardens of Shelagh Tucker. The front yard is different in style from the back, with the front being a drought tolerant, mostly rock garden along with some raised beds.

This made me think twice about pulling out the mullein
in my own garden.

The back of the property is tiered and makes use of stacked stone which serves to delineate cozy spaces and provides contrast to the lush perennials and trees and shrubs.

 

Tucked away to one side of the back yard is a water feature large enough in which to grow water plants.

A beautiful large conservatory provides a comfortable living space while viewing the gardens from three sides. I love the look that the shade cloths give, in addition to being functional.

Besides being envious of the Seattle weather, I'm also coveting the trees and the terrain and the access to beautiful waterfront. Coming from the pancake-flat, wide-open, landlocked space of Ohio farm country, it can be challenging to create the interest that such natural features help provide. But it's the "grass is always greener" thing, isn't it? (This summer, the grass really is greener in Seattle!)

We had our lunch at The Dunn Gardens, then toured the Center for Urban Horticulture, both of which I'll share in the next Seattle Fling blog post.