July 27. 2013
The Gardens by the Sea tour (in Geahart, Oregon) benefits Clatsop CASA.
Garden Four: Jack and Sharon Stutzman garden
from the program: “An inspirational border design surrounds the house in a treasure of garden rooms”
This garden caught my interest with its plantings outside the fence by where we parked. Because of the golf course to the west, I am oriented in my directions in this garden.
north side garden, outside fence, looking west
interesting plants, including a handsome Euphorbia
as we walk along the side garden
Allan’s photo
Looks to me like the great Cryptomeria ‘Sekkan Sugi’
Here we go around the corner to the front garden.
entrance
Acanthus in front garden
Allan’s Acanthus photo (outside fence)
(He asked why we did not have one, or if we have one, and I said we do. But ours is not as good looking as this one.)
I walk across the street to get the full view of the appealing front garden.
arbour entrance
To the left, inside the arbour:
a very crisp edge
straight ahead: front porch
The owners must be more agile than me (not hard!) as the steps have no railings!
to the right: more crisp edging (looking south)
a lawn closeup for Tom Hornbuckle
a bird on the fence
Allan’s photo
birdhouse on the fence
Another tour guest pointed out this nest!
birdhouse and birdnest
Of course, I love these tools on the fence.
Allan focused on this hydrangea flower.
The lawn and borders curve around the the side of the house.
outside curve of lawn, SW corner of garden
inside garden curve
and a look back along the front of the house…
And here we go around to the side garden:
framed by daisies
to our right, a smokebush
and ahead, a gate into a garden room
on the left, a garden along the porch
Allan’s photo
another garden detail admired
- along the south fence, hydrangeas
Allan commented later that blue mophead hydrangeas do seem to be a theme in Gearhart gardens.
The south side porch was full of interesting things to look at; I see even more when I look at the photos of it.
an enticing place to be
porch
Two armillaries topped the pillars marking the entrance to the next garden room.
into the second garden room
Jack loves Sharon…sweet!
planter
Allan also took a lawn photo for our friend and lawn connoisseur Tom Hornbuckle!
a quite exceptional lawn, I thought….
right back corner
left back corner
Rugosa roses and lilies
I always wonder when seeing Rugosa roses in a garden if people struggle with their running ways like we do.
Allan’s closeup of the very tall pale yellow lilies
The back of the house provided much to look at. Let’s have a good look at everything!
sit spots
driftwood
side view of porch over the picnic table
Allan liked the neat stack of firewood.
I bet croquet (see above, right) works well on such a nice smooth lawn!
I liked this clever way to display a float.
birdhouse
bench
a wrap around porch
I got as close to the fascinating porch as I could!
getting nosy about the porch
Just look at that gleaming clean floor.
on the porch
a sheltered table
looking up at the rear wing of the house
another angle on the back garden
a balcony behind the dolphin?
details
in the nook between the two wings of the house
One of the tour guests reminisced about actually using a wringer washer like this, before they were electrified. My grandma used an electric one well into the 1970s, and I remember her swinging its arm over from the wash water to the rinsing sink.
The very back of the garden appeared to be a dog yard, with no access to walk around the rest of the house.
the end
So we turned to go back the way we came, relishing the different perspective on the garden rooms.
garden by porch
detail: the heart theme continues
Allan’s photo
back through the rooms
The beautiful pots of grass show best from the inside, looking west.
I notice now that they have a drip watering system for these plants.
We walk again by the front porch to explore the garden on the other side of the house.
front steps with planter
looking west across Cottage Street to the golf course
NW corner
Turning, we look east down the north side of the house.
fence with nasturtiums
Allan’s photo
garden on north wall of house
We look back, west along the north lawn….another gorgeous expanse of green grass.
- back porch
birdhouse by porch rail
I remember now that when I arrived, I saw the owners leaving in their car, having just put their cute dog into the back. This must be the main entrance, explaining the lack of railings on the front porch. Once again, I am mystified at how owners of such an incredible garden choose to not hang around to enjoy people admiring it. We would have been lavish with praise and awe over things like the detail of making a nice box around the electricity meter.
disguise
I would have asked if the nest along the front fence was in its natural setting or had it been found and placed there. And so many other questions. (When my own garden is open, I spend a lot of time answering questions about what soil we use, what plant is that, and so on, and I enjoy every minute.)
back porch window
Leaving through the east gate, we admire the pile of ingredients behind the house.
yummy ingredients!
I admire the way that the work area has been tidied up….with attention to every detail.
This garden is tied with garden two (the Vernon garden) as my favourite of the tour.
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