Sunday, 16 July 2017
I woke up very early (for me), filled with anticipation of a fun day of touring local gardens with Ann (The Amateur Bot-ann-ist), Evan (from Plant Delights, Cistus, and now Plant Lust), and more. First I needed to water my greenhouse and patio plants.
Skooter is so happy to be allowed out during the day again (even though I have concerns that it is too soon).
Ann and Evan arrived at ten. They toured our garden for awhile.
Sanguisorba ‘Lilac Squirrel’
These photos remind me of how for five years, to no avail, I kept asking the local tour to change the promotion wording, “You are invited to examine and inspect the gardens” to “appreciate and enjoy the gardens”, to sound less like a medical exam. I would be listened to and humored, but the wording never changed. Yet here we are examining and inspecting!
not an area of collectible plants but for some reason I noticed it.
Salvia patens petals on the lawn (Allan’s photo)
With the garden pretty thoroughly and kindly inspected, we were off to tour six (and a bit) Peninsula gardens. The little bit was our stop at the Clarke garden on the way north. I did not have a way to contact them, and I did want to show Ann and Evan the attractive containers especially. (Karen, we did not trespass into the back garden although I have a feeling you would not have minded.) We just “examined and inspected” the containers in the driveway.
Evan wanted to know which grass this is.
more glorious containers
Pink Poppy Farm
We began our tour with Pink Poppy Farm, a favourite of mine. Dave and Melissa (Sea Star Gardening) arrived to join us. Pink Poppy Farmer Mike greeted us with the offer of drinks and walked with us through the garden, soon joined by his spouse Lynn, even though they must have been tired because their garden had been on the peninsula garden tour yesterday (while we were in Menlo). The garden name may sound familiar to you because their daughter, Madeline, is the owner of Pink Poppy Bakery.
Ann, Evan, Skyler, Mike
For a more orderly beginning-to-end tour of this garden four years ago, check out this post.
Today, we wandered here and there in the garden.
Allan’s photo
Mike, Dave, and Allan by the Imperial Chicken Palace
The Imperial Chicken Palace
Look closely to see the bear on the coop.
chooks
Melissa communing with a hen (Allan’s photo)
Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’ and clematis (Allan’s photo)
Maddy and her dad love old black and white films.
Allan’s photo
Evan taking photos
interior design: I love this kitchen tile.
up a slope into the garden
house and workshop
looking back at the chicken palace
Allan’s photo
The garden specializes in food and in cutting flowers.
Maddy’s old swing set repurposed into a bean trellis
one of several greenhouses and hoop houses
Ann and Lynn (Allan’s photo)
must be amaranth (Allan’s photo)
Evan, Allan, Ann, and Lynn
(left) Evan taking photos
We got our sprinklers-on-posts watering idea from this garden.
Allan’s photo
Allan’s photo
fire area with a “cemetery rose”
Looking back over the garden. (Right) one of the tables left from the fabulous Wedding at Pink Poppy Farm
One of the hoophouses had a crop of young wasabi.
The leaves were hot and delicious.
another productive hoophouse
Some of the produce you will find for sale when Pink Poppy Bakery has a booth at the market (which is not every Saturday this year).
tiered beds at the end of the hoophouse
another cutting bed
Lynn pointed out this exceptionally pretty calendula.
sweet peas and bachelor buttons
pompom dahlias, my favourite kind
Allan’s photo
Tigridia (Allan’s photo)
Here we go heading off to four gardens in and near Oysterville.
Your garden looks beautiful with so much color. You must have passed the “examine and inspect” exam! Pink Poppy Farm is amazing. I love all the flowers and their Imperial Chicken Palace. I went to your link to the wedding post. Wow!
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That wedding was amazing. Thanks for having a look.
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You are getting very good value from your visits.
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Your garden boarders look wonderful!
Holy cats! Can’t believe that photo of a bear on top of the chicken coop. Everything wants to eat chicken. It can be hard to keep them alive. That crocosmia and c. jackmanii combination looks stunning. I love how they have a circular bed set off by grass then boards. That’s the look I’m going for in my small back suburban garden. I’ve thought about growing amaranth. I wonder if they’re growing in aesthetically or as an edible? Love how they built tiered beds at the end of the hoop house with a sitting bench. So many beautiful flowers in this garden. Love it!
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I bet they are growing amaranth as both edible and cutting flower because both those things are the focus of that garden.
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