Saturday, 18 July 2015
Music in the Gardens Tour, Long Beach Peninsula
a benefit for the Water Music Festival and music programs in local schools
ticket tour map
Garden 7: Marla’s Real Living Garden
Marla’s urban farm overlooks Willapa Bay and benefits from her early years of living on a Washington farm. She says, “I am still amazed at nature. You plant a seed or start and an awesome plant grows.” In just two years, she has grown and built quite a bit, including fencing, lawn, landscaping, irrigation, flower and vegetable beds, hanging baskets and a chicken coop. Her pride and joy are the beautiful hens and the eggs they lay.
I wrote about Marla’s garden a year and a month before this year’s tour. Garden Tour Nancy and I previewed it this year on June 1st.
Lavatera outside the south fence, June 1st
driveway
tour day!
photo by Bob Duke
in the driveway
front gate at SW corner of the house
a landing spot for baby birds
Allan’s photo
inside the front gate
to the left just inside the gate, south wall by back steps, photo by Kathleen Shaw
clematis seedheads
by the stairway
perennial sweet pea
the glorious porch, photo by Kathleen Shaw
pre-tour visit, June 1st
pre-tour visit, June 1st
containers packed with perennials and annuals
pre-tour visit, June 1st
tour day, with the porch gate open
I love the porch, all its adjacent plantings, its art and decor and the way it wraps around two sides of the house. I’d like to pick it up and put it right down next to my house! So we’ll explore the porch first, and then the garden.
view down back porch steps, with Marla’s mother in pink top, seated
Marla’s colourful flower baskets (Allan’s photo)
Allan’s photo
walking along the porch, looking down at the garden
Over the fence, we can see the garage of the next door house, which is also on the garden tour. photo by Kathleen Shaw.
looking north toward the Charles Nelson B&B next door
on the porch
On the east side of the porch, Portland guitarist Terry Robb performed for tour guests.
Terry Robb (Allan’s photo)
Terry Robb
While I listened to him, Marla’s mom (left, in pink) was still up on the porch sitting next to him and enjoying the music.
Terry Robb
Allan’s photo
view to the east
over Willapa Bay
looking down at the north side of the garden from the porch
Now we’ll walk return along the porch to the back steps.
south side of porch, photo by Kathleen Shaw
porch wall (pre-tour visit, June 1st)
down the stairs we go, with a nice strong railing to hold onto.
porch decorations at top of stairs
ornamental grasses skirting the porch
looking down from the porch to the entry patio
patio corner
Marla’s next door neighbour, whose garden we’ll visit next, gave her this sign for the fence by the patio.
on the patio table: Marla’s grandchildren had painted these sand dollars (photo by Kathleen Shaw)
farm whirlygig
Allan’s photo
tags made from cut, painted yard sticks, photo by Kathleen Shaw
Allan’s photo
looking east from the patio, pre-tour visit, June 1st
north side of house, photo by Kathleen Shaw
ornamental grasses skirting the porch
looking back at the patio
astilbes
SE corner of house (Allan’s photo)
SE corner, Alliums, pretour visit, June 1st
east side of house, pre-tour visit, June 1st
pre-tour visit, June 1st
cosmos, tour day
cosmos
over the fence
east side of house, pre-tour visit, June 1st
photo by Bob Duke showing east and north sides of house
photo by Bob Duke showing north side of house and chicken domain (lower right)
north side of house
pre-tour visit, June 1st
hostas in shade, photo by Kathleen Shaw
fuchsias, photo by Kathleen Shaw
deck on north side of house
Plants were for sale by Marla’s brother in law, Greig Warner, who supplies orchids to Portland Nursery!
That explains the orchids in the garden! photo by Kathleen Shaw
I want to get to know this fellow better as he is a true CPN (Certified Plant Nut). I missed out on a way cool plant here, as you will see in the next garden tour post. I met him briefly at the tour and learned that he is moving to the beach so I hope we will get to know him.
looking toward NE corner of garden, pre-tour visit, June 1st
gunnera by back deck, looking west
in the NW corner of the yard: the chicken coop and veg garden
Gunnera, June 1st, looking east
photo by Kathleen Shaw
gunnera flowers and lawn clippings to help retain moisture (Allan’s photo)
the hens’ domain
on the north deck
Erysimum ‘Constant Cheer’, photo by Kathleen Shaw
Eryngium ‘Jade Frost’, photo by Kathleen Shaw
painted yard stick plant tag (Allan’s photo)
Allan’s photo of the making of the plant tags
view east from the henhouse corner
raised vegetable beds and chicken yard
pre-tour visit, June 1
On tour day afternoon, because of the unusually hot weather, the chickens were in the shade of their coop.
not a chicken to be seen!
Fortunately, they had been out and about on June 1st when Nancy and I visited the garden for sneak peek photos.
Marla’s beloved flock
the coop
Marla’s garden was a close contender for my favourite because of its intensive container plantings, its whimsical decor, and the chickens. While I don’t feel that I have time to care for chickens, I would surely love to incorporate a barnyard corner like this into my garden someday. And the wrap around porch. And the nice, friendly neighbours. When Nancy and I visited earlier, Marla just matter-of-factly put the exciteable galloping dog into the fenced yard of the neighbour to the north. And her neighbour to the south will be our next garden tour visit.
Enough here to keep me visually inspired for days. Weeks, even! “Real Living Garden” is an apt nomenclature! I like it.
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