On Sunday, July 21, I had the pleasure of arranging a private garden tour for my friends who had come from out of town for the Music in the Gardens tour the day before. We met, of course, at Olde Towne Coffee Café.
9 AM required an early rising for me but it was not a problem with such a great day to look forward to.
We went first to Tom and Judy’s garden just down the street. The day might have seemed grey to some, but to us it was perfect weather as the light was ideal for Debbie to take photos. Below, Judy shows off her latest of 30? Japanese maples. Or is it 31?
Along the fence, Debbie found a perfect specimen of Eryngium ‘Jade Frost’ to photograph. And I find, looking at my photos later, that it was so interesting to watch Debbie’s choices of what to photograph with her handsome professional camera that I sort of forgot to take many pictures myself! The Eryngium might attain fame some day on her website, Rainyside Gardeners, or in a gardening magazine.
Next we went to the Boreas Inn to have a look at the west side gardens which are exposed to ocean salt wind.
I had been very mildly appalled when owner Susie bunged some gladiolas into “my” mixed borders. How declassé! What, I wondered at the time, would famous NW gardener Ciscoe Morris think when he came there to stay (as planned for June). The week after, I saw on his telly show that he loves glads. Now, with this dark plum coloured set looking so grand, I can see why.
Next, we converged on Andersen’s RV Park. I forgot to explain that the white petunias in the whiskey barrels are a favourite choice of owner Lorna’s. (The petunias are looking bedraggled with all the wind we have been having.)
Debbie took lots of photos, I think of the poppy garden.
Meanwhile, Sheila and Allan were intent on something.
AHA! Sheila was collecting seeds!
Busted! She even had a little plastic bag at the ready.
My plan to keep viewing gardens from south to north was kiboshed by everyone being hungry, so we skipped the three Klipsan/Ocean Park gardens and went straight on north to Nahcotta to have a delicious lunch at Bailey’s Café. I became a little anxious about the time, as usual, but forgot to fret when our food came.
After lunch, we went further north to Rita’s amazing garden on the bay. First we stood and marveled at a bad boxwood pruning job that had been hired out. When Rita herself prunes her boxwood entrance it is perfect, not like this at all (and this is after two months of growing in).
Gardeners can discuss something like this for a long time.
The garden is green on green on green and meticulously maintained.
Rita and Ken laid every rock of that wall themselves. When Allan and I used to work there, she had me trim back draping cotoneaster so it would not hide the work they had done.
From a pool on the west side of the house, a stream runs to a waterfall pond in the lower, east side garden overlooking Willapa Bay.
I was so interested in my friends’ reactions to the spectacular garden that I did not take any photos of the bay view. Here’s one taken in early spring from when we used to work in the garden (which we did for a year until time constraints forced us to let it go).
After a good long visit with Rita, we departed back southwest to Ocean Park to see two gardens created by neighbours. This duo of gardens was on the Music in the Gardens tour in 2010 and I had remembered it fondly.
I have always believed the local legend that this house was made from shipwrecked doors, but its owner enlightened us that the doors came from an old building, a large lodge of some sort which had many doors. The walls inside the house (and we were all thrilled to be invited in to see) show the insides of the doors!
To the south of the Door House, a gate leads into the neighbour’s garden.
Through the gate is the garden of the Greutter family. The Door House dog felt very at home there.
I especially like the very raised up Phormium, which is the only way I like to grow them myself now (in rustic old garbage cans).
From Ocean Park, we drove south to Klipsan Beach Cottages where Debbie took photos in the fenced garden and the three-waterfall pond by the entry drive.
Debbie was on a mission to get lots of seaside garden photos; Sheila and Allan and Kathleen and I had a great time just walking around and talking with Mary and Denny.
For our last stop we visited Patti Jacobsen’s Seaview garden.
Patti told the story of how some years ago, someone found her this driftwood, perfect for a bench, in the mud of Willapa Bay. It is one piece of wood, and she had recently polished up to gleaming finish.
So our tour day which had begun at 9 AM ended at 6 PM and Kathleen and Debbie departed from Seaview for their homes in Olympia and Kingston. I had one more social evening with Sheila because she was staying till early Monday morning. We had dinner at the always delightful Pelicano Restaurant at the Port of Ilwaco and then she returned to her nearby motel and I had that poignant feeling when good friends have all left.
[Edited to add: Here is an article Debbie wrote using some of her photos from this day.]
The next day, the regular round of work would begin again, but I had the Gearhart garden tour to look forward to at the end of the week.
I enjoy all your posts but especially enjoyed seeing Rita’s garden again. It was quite young when they were on the garden tour. My husband didn’t get to go with me that year so now he knows what I was talking about. He did get to go to the Door house and especially liked the wine bottle border of the house next door. Thanks again for all your posts.
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Loved the greenery and how it all worked together. I also enjoy seeing how people work the garden around the style of house they have and the little bits of personality they work in to it.
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Yes!
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Beautiful photos of a beautiful garden! And fun too- did the pup really flatten the grass? Ouch!
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Yep, Stella turned that grass into a puppy nest.
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