Saturday, 25 August 2018
Kuestner garden, Manzanita
This garden was in the tour book for the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon.
We had met the owner, Mark, hosting a garden on the Tillamook Spade and Wade tour in July.
arriving with Prissy, Pam, Beth and Ketzel.
Allan’s photo
When we arrived, Mark was briefly absent on a home tour, but we were more than happy to stay till he returned. The garden far surpassed my expectations. I looked up an old view of the house and was able to find, because the garden is so new, what it used to look like:
What a transformation!
Mark’s wife, Linda, gave him all the credit for the garden.
Allan’s photo
streetside bed
Allan’s photo
Allan’s photo
one way in from the street
Allan’s photo
my kind of folks
looking over the fence into the back garden
Canna ‘Stuttgart’
Closer: Canna ‘Stuttgart’, must have!
Pelargonium capitatum
The tags were usefully tucked it at the base of most of the plants.
I was utterly gobsmacked by this garden. Mark is a regular customer of Xera and Cistus nurseries, my two favourites, and he also orders from Annie’s Annuals.
cleome
Salvia ‘Black and Blue’ or ‘Black and Bloom’
Allan’s photo
A high standard of garden maintenance (Allan’s photo)
Allan’s photo
Allan’s photo
path to the back
Mark said he was short on pavers so he used the tops of water meter boxes, and he used the boxes as planting troughs.
Salvia patens, and a water meter box “trough” to the left
Allan’s photo
I thought this was Salvia argentea but now I think not fuzzy enough, so what is it?
?????
a little geranium, below, that everyone was excited about
further along
lots of brugmansia in this garden (and lots of hummingbirds)
Looks like my good friend Pittosporum ‘Tasman Ruffles’ behind the birdbath. Grevillia ‘Marshall Olbrich’ to the right
closer
coming around the corner to the back
abutilon and fuchsia
back garden sit spot
view from back porch: room to expand the garden
back porch
Senecio cristobalnesis (Allan’s photo)
Allan’s photo
around to the other side
water meter trough garden
I came back around to the front. Mark had returned home. I can imagine how delighted I would be if I came back from a brief absence from my garden on tour and found that my visitors included Pam Fleming and Beth Holland, renowned gardeners from Seaside and Cannon Beach, and garden writer Ketzel Levine. I would be well chuffed.
Allan’s photo
Allan’s photo
I was so thrilled with this garden that I was happy to go round some more (and I hope you are, too.)
I found myself craving Rubus lineatus again (background, below):
I removed it from my garden because it was such a runner, and tried to save and replant one little piece but it did not take. I love the silvery unfurling of the new leaves.
Rubus lineatus…amazing leaves. (in another garden) See how silver they are as they emerge (top left)?
Salvia vazquezii from Annie’s Annuals
further admiration of Canna ‘Stuttgart’
Lepechinia hastata (pitcher sage)
Clianthus puniceus (Parrot’s Bill)
jewels on the trellis line (Allan’s photo)
plant excitement (Allan’s photo)
Azara microphylla ‘Variegata’
covered porch; to the left is Eucryphia lucida ‘Spring Glow’
Allan’s photo; A friend of Mark’s had once said, “You can’t have this many water meters!”
Allan’s photo
looking back toward the street
Ketzel and Mark
Allan’s photo
We went back out to the streetside garden.
I asked what this is, and immediately forgot.
Mark giving out cuttings.
This was exactly the sort of garden I like, full of plants interwoven, interesting and unusual and thriving. Mark’s said his secrets for success are using 15-15-15 fertilizer and a lot of watering.
Takeaways: fertilize more, buy more plants, stuff more plants in!
Something fortuitous happened next. I had been wanting, while in Manzanita, to see the garden of Jane, the woman originally from Leeds whom I had met in July at the same Tillamook garden as Mark. I had bought some of her photo cards featuring her garden and had a strong desire to see it. I had intended to try to track her down but got so busy at work I had not followed through after being unable to find her on social media. On the way to this garden, I learned that Ketzel had recently met her, so Ketzel left a phone message asking if we could visit. Before she could even check for a reply, up the walkway came Jane to tour Mark’s garden!
Jane and Mark (Allan’s photo)
She immediately agreed that we could visit hers and she would then return to Mark’s, so we were off with Pam and Prissy to tour Jane’s garden.
Tangly Cottage Gardening 