11 July: Lan Su Chinese Garden
Jul 16, 2014 by Tangly Cottage
Friday, 11 July 2014
Garden Bloggers Fling
a fourteen hour day!
Because all weekend long I kept getting my itinerary out of my pocket to see where we were going next, I’m heading every fling post with it. The day was a whirlwind of gardens!
Lan Su Chinese Garden
Having been to this garden on two previous visits to Portland, I knew it was behind that white wall and started to feel a thrill of anticipation.
Allan’s photo
from the sidewalk…the garden bursting from its confines!
I knew this garden would be good for my gimpiness, as there are few stairs. (I had walked part of the way to Timber Press with Kristin, who had had two hip replacements and spent some months in a wheelchair. This garden would even have partly been accessible by chair, I hope.)
gathering in the courtyard
One enters though the door in the back of the courtyard.
just inside
We were immediately enveloped in intense sweet fragrance.
It is hard to believe this is hardy! (Allan later acquired one at a nursery.)
I saw a Hydrangea aspera and again pondered where I am going to plant the two I recently acquired. I like this tucked away spot.
Throughout the garden are sculptural stones from China.
Beside the garden walkways: intricate gates into other rooms.
Allan’s photo
an ornate bridge over the pond…The sun was already hot and bright, casting dramatic shadows. Note the blogger getting a great shot!
A heat advisory had been called for Portland with temperatures well up into the 90s. Even this early in the morning, the temperature had this misty beach dweller slightly reeling.
Allan’s photo
Allan’s photo
a view of the pond
Allan’s photo
Allan’s photo
There were plenty of shady spots in which to take a break from the sun.
drifts of green in the water
On a visit to this garden in 2003 with my friend Terran, we saw workers wading through the ponds tidying up the foliage. What a great job that would be on a hot day.
An easy walking path goes all the way around the enormous pond.
Allan’s photo
Allan’s photo
Allan’s photo: I did not see any fish!
Off to the sides of the path are rooms and courtyards.
Allan’s photo
pebble paving
Blogger Lisa from Spain told Allan that the pebbles are set in a way so that when you walk on them, they massage your feet.
Allan’s photo
a little boat toward the back of the pond
a healthy stand of Impatiens omeiana (pretty sure)
bloggers in a moon gate
Allan’s photo
window into a courtyard
bonsai resting on a windowsill
another bonsai with little teak horses; later we would get a “swag bag” and in it would be a box with two little horses like this.
a narrow side courtyard
the same scene through Allan’s lens
mimosa tree; Allan’s photo
A friend in Seattle had a mimosa tree. I want one very much; I had forgotten.
for the sure of balance
at the back of the garden, a waterfall in a grotto of Chinese stones.
fallen leaves of bamboo
Allan’s photo: a rhodo with lovely brown indumentum for Stephen and John
window, water, weeping willow
This was near the spacious tea house where one can sip tea, eat small cookies and view the water. For some strange reason, neither Allan nor I took photos in that room.
Perhaps for Allan that was because his camera problems continued at the Chinese garden. The previous evening, both his pocket cams were in our van in valet parking and we could not get at them in time for the soirée. On Friday, this happened with his Lumix camera:
the same problem I had with every Lumix pocket camera I owned (all five of them, repeatedly replaced on a warranty) See end of post for our camera story.
One could almost forget the bustling city outside the walls.
More fling bloggers: Here is the Gardener’s Roost view of the Chinese garden.
Next, onto the tour buses and a trip to the west of Portland for four more gardens.
(An aside re our camera woes: When the Lumix went all blurry, Allan switched to his little Olympus, and its battery died about halfway through the day. The spare was sitting at home by his desk in Ilwaco. Then his iPhone ran out of charge, so by the fifth stop of the day, he was using my iPhone for photos, and by the sixth stop my iPhone was out of juice. The Lumix decided to work again, but not reliably as it sometimes went out of focus. The next day, he carried his Lumix charger. Since each garden stop was long enough, he was able to recharge at garden hosts’ homes, and he noticed that bloggers were frequently taking such opportunities to recharge their iPhones.)
My first and only visit so far to the Lan Su Garden was a little over a year ago. It is a lovely, very relaxing garden. What a bummer about your camera problems.
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It was a delight to meet and get to know you and Alan at the fling! The Chinese garden was spectacular and Tom, who has experienced Chinese gardens in China, visited on Sunday and the first thing he did was remove his shoes and enjoy a message. He said it did wonders for his tired feet. Thanks for posting your great pictures of this magical place!
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You provided a much better summary of the visit than my photos will I think, but that’s what makes having 80 bloggers at the same spot so exciting: lots of viewpoints!
This was a nice garden tucked into the corner of downtown. Lots to see!
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I am sure photos with nice big SLRs will be so much better so I try to make up for our little pocket cams with good chronology. 😉
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I LOVE this garden! I still use my photos from it when I teach garden design classes – I especially love the Moon Gate courtyard for the shapes and the pebble pavers plus it is such a hoot to feel you’re in a different country until you look up and see the steel and glass city landscape of Portland over the walls. This post brought back lovely memories.
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