Gardens by the Sea tour: Mary and Steve Rose garden

29 July 2012:  a benefit for Clatsop County CASA

The final garden of the CASA tour in Gearhart offered a simple landscape described in the programme thus:

“This garden is relaxing and refreshing with a beautiful little greenhouse built long ago by the original owners.”

front gate

front walk

front porch

view west to next door raised bed garden

view from front porch into the garden

two sit spots

Most tour guests entered by the side yard.

garden bike

at the back of the lawn, a shed…

looking north from garden shed

view from shed door

I have to admit that with not much actual garden, I concentrated more on the nice little outbuilding. Once we we entered it we realized the interior was like a guest house or retreat.

wall between guest house and potting shed

window to potting shed

inside the open-front potting shed

guest house

window bench

guest house…game room

West guest house view of old greenhouse

The old greenhouse was charming indeed….

and had a table set for a party.

The back yard was ready for an outdoor evening.

an orange corner

Acer griseum

bark detail, paperbark maple

must…acquire

I am reminded, as with our visit to the Adolphson-Drafall garden in Astoria, that I miss and want to replace the paperbark maple that I had to leave behind in my old garden.

Up on the deck, the French doors were kindly open so we could see into the house.

home interior

deck view of back garden

and of the greenhouse and guest house

on the deck as it wrapped around the house

back deck

Allan takes a photo of me taking photos to share with you

lawn photo

Allan took a humourous lawn photo for our friend Tom Hornbuckle, the lawn fanatic.

postlude: Back Alley Gardens and The Natural Nook

Having seen every last garden of the excellent CASA tour, we went across the street to do a little shopping at Back Alley Gardens and The Natural Nook, two sister stores that sell collectible plants and home and garden decor.  Because our own day of garden tour glory was over, I no longer had the excuse to be a complete spendthrift.  But because it is such a good nursery, we did get a cart full of plants.

Back Alley Gardens

our purchases being totaled

inside The Natural Nook

mermaid art

beachy things

more beachy things

for inside and out

door to nursery

chicks

flower window

Natural Nook display

As we left the two shops, and as I write about the day now, I am determined to never miss the CASA garden tour again.  It is a shame that five years of it slipped by us.