Tuesday, 7 November 2017
We had run into Steve and John at the 6×6 art auction three days before and were invited to tour their latest garden expansion. On this cold and windy late afternoon, we bundled up and examined the entire garden…except for the beds on the east side, by the bay, from whence the wind came. The tour was so interesting that we hardly commented on the cold.
Our tour started as we drove up to the house.
the driveway in
two beautiful piles of mulch that had just been delivered
young gingko by the irrigation pond
Met by Steve and John by the house, we began our walking tour.
This bed to the south east of the house was salal just a few days ago. It is a hard task to get all the roots of that vigorously running native out of the ground, especially under a tree.
John picks a non variegated leaf off of a new variegated hydrangea.
The whole south side has been cleared of scrubby trees, including holly.
The tidal stream marking the edge of the property is now revealed.
Allan’s photo
I teased Steve and John that they would now be stretching a plank across the stream to lie on and trim the sword ferns on the other side.
I would have thought for sure the new shrub, below, in a new bed, was a rhododendron. It is not.
Rhododendron ‘Pinky Purple People Eater’
Looking back on the new area. The tall old species rhododendrons to the left will enjoy the increased light.
Here is how it looked (not from exactly the same spot) earlier this year:
16 July 2017
We continued our walk to the west.
Foreground: Rhododendron ‘Cherries and Merlot’
Arbor Care from Astoria had done the expert clearing and had also limbed up the remaining trees. Steve and John said that when Arbor Care is done, you can’t even tell they were there (other than the results), because all the debris is chipped and cleaned up.
The photo below from January 1st demonstrates the difference in how the trees look now.
1 January 2017
We crossed the driveway, where the garden beds are also expanding.
a sinuous new bed
a fairly recent bed in the northwest lawn
Allan took notice of this tree, Athrotaxis cupressoides (Pencil Pine)
the very newest lawn bed of all
Each new plant gets some attention and admiration.
Quercus alnifolia (golden oak)
Quercus alnifolia (golden underside of leaves)
Allan noticed wire laid to discourage deer.
An independent minded dawn redwood which lost its leader and turned into a shrub.
The redwood on the other side of the driveway had behaved like a regular tree. This one…not. (Allan’s photo)
At least one big tree has been removed from this view, looking east over the pond.
Compare to May 2 of 2015.
May 2, 2015, on the Rhodie Tour
We walked back up the driveway, admiring the pushing back of scrubby salal and undergrowth on the south side, giving the garden greater depth..
Allan admired a fern.
the cryptomeria grove
Even though the photo below, from May 2, 2015, is from a little further to the east, it shows the difference that the clearing and limbing up has made.
May 2, 2015
center: Cryptomeria ‘Black Dragon’
right: Rhododendron ‘Ever Red’
Rhododendron ‘Hill’s Bright Red’
another new area
We admired more plants in the mature beds, planted in late spring 2009, to the northwest of the house.
Acer ‘Bijou’ in gold
Rhododendron ‘Yellow Hammer’
Rhododendron ‘Yellow Hammer’ blowing in the wind.
Rhododendron ‘Yellow Hammer’ (Allan’s photo)
autumnal hosta
(background) Rhododendrons closing their leaves against the cold wind
Brrr. They will close their leaves even more against winter’s cold.
Allan’s photo
Rhododendron pachysanthum by the front door
in the courtyard, looking through the breezeway (Allan’s photo)
coral bark maples
the last of the dahlias and the green roofed pump house
falling leaves
a look to the west before retreating indoors
same view on July 16 ’17
From the kitchen, we looked across the lower level to the stormy bay. At a high winter tide, the water will come up over the rough grass.
south east corner: The evergreen huckleberry glade and the outlet of the tidal stream
view to the north: To the rear is Sorbus ‘Pink Pagoda’
A friend had given John and Steve some quinces, from which John had made a special treat, Quince membrillo, served with Monchego cheese, a delicious cheese made from the milk of Manchega sheep. Served on crackers, it brought back memories of my grandmother’s quince jelly.
Quince membrillo
We admired a new piece of art that they had recently acquired from local woodcarver Jim Unwin.
by Jim Unwin
We visited till early evening, about gardening and politics, little knowing the glorious news of the blue wave of Democrat victories that awaited us in the evening news.
If you would like to virtually tour this garden in different seasons, here are some of our past posts about it:
Tangly Cottage Gardening 