5 June: Mid-Spring at the Bayside Garden

Friday, 5 June 2020

At last we managed to visit Steve and John’s garden by Willapa Bay. Although (due to the second spring clean up at work after our non-essential weeks and to the emergency building of our coyote-proof catio and then the time-consuming plant sale prep) we had missed the peak rhododendron bloom time, this garden has much to offer at any season.

When we arrived a few minutes early, Steve was tidying the garden with bucket and picker-upper.

Let’s walk through through the garden with Steve and John, enjoy the vistas, and give the plants some individual attention…social distancing, of course.

In the upper beds near the house:

Acer platanoides ‘Rezak’, “the only plant on the property with a tag”

Allan’s photo of an unidentified acer

Steve and John (Allan’s photo)

I tried to take good notes, but had forgotten a clipboard, so many rhododendron names were illegible.

As always, Steve and John helped via email with the identifications.

Rhododendron ‘Ring of Fire’

Rhododendron ‘Ring of Fire’

I was overexcited by the purple stems and my photo is blurry…

Rhododendron loderi ‘Venus’ (highly fragrant in its pink bloom)

enviable hostas

Hosta ‘Madame Wu’ (Allan’s photo)

more perfect hostas and proof that we had missed peak rhododendron bloom time

grassy paths down the north side of the property

The rhododendrons with white tomentum, the powdery substance on top of the leaves, are my favourites. Rhododendron sinofalconeri Vietnamese form

emerging into sun on the north side, as we amble westward

left: ‘Orange Rocket’ barberry, which we all expected to be more columnar. Right: Drymis winteri

A few more rhododendrons had kindly waited for our visit.

R. ‘Anna’ in front of R. ‘Leo’

Rhododendron ‘Mango Tango’

Many in this collection had leaves that, to me, are as good as any bloom.  Visits to this garden have been a revelation from the standard rather boring rhododendrons that I had been familiar with before.

R. ‘Sir Charles Lemon’ with R. ‘Lissabon’ in foreground

We now cross the driveway to the shady south beds under limbed up trees.

looking back north across the driveway

south side of driveway: a grove of rhodies original to the property, which was a rhododendron nursery at one time.

Allan’s photo

R. ‘Cupcake’

Rhododendron degronianum ssp yakushimanum x R pachysanthum, my favourite of all

Cornus canadensis, a groundcover that I love.

In the ferny beds…

cinnamon fern

Allan’s photo

Rhododendron ‘Jan Dekens’

the cryptomeria grove

Crinodendron hookerianum (Chilean lantern tree)

R. ‘Yaku Princess’

the glorious variety of rhododendron leaves

Allan’s photo

Rhododendron macabeanum

Rhododendron sinofalconeri

Allan’s photo, Steve and a few remaining blooms

R. quinquefolium

Rhododendron lepidostylum

Podophyllum ‘Spotty Dotty’

and its flowers

Rhododendron ‘Starbright Champagne’, Steve’s favourite

R. pseudochrysanthum

Hydrangea ‘Lemon Daddy’ which I love and keep forgetting to look for…maybe I can beg a cutting later this year.

looking north across the irrigation pond

We crossed over there, but I got too busy chatting about plants and only took one photo.

Allan’s photo: Leptospermum lanigerum ‘Lydia’ from Xera plants. Woolly tea tree, comes from New Zealand. Genista in the background.

John had left us to prepare some tea and cake.  We walked up the driveway…

…around the south side of the house…

…to …to the sheltered sit spot at the southeast corner of the house, where this was our view:

We had walked here to start our tour and to admire a little rhododendron growing in a stump on the north side of the lawn.

R. keiskei ‘Yaku Fairy’. What a little cutie.

We sat for tea and cake with this backdrop.

Allan’s telephotos of an interesting vessel…

…and of Baby Island.

We had tea from Beach House Teas...

…and observed proper social distancing.

John had baked a dessert of Dutch Spice Bread (Ontbijtkoek, aka Breakfast Cake). Delicious.

(Steve, with a bouquet I brought)

Allan’s photo

It was our first social outing since the stay at home order expired.

We were serenaded by birds…

Allan’s photo

…and visited by Mr. Towhee, a special friend of the family.

Allan’s photo

Allan’s photo

Allan’s photo

As we departed, we further admired the entry garden.

Allan’s photo

If you would like to visit this garden in other seasons and earlier years, just put “bayside garden” into our search box, and you will get a wealth of posts.

You can see a drone video of the garden (which also shows inside the house) on this realty listing…which also means you could dream of living here yourself.

Steven and John were organizing the big 2020 conference for the American Rhododendron Society, when the coronavirus reared up and postponed it till 2022. If you live in the US and all these amazing rhododendrons inspire you to become a collector, joining that organization would be a good place to begin.

 

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2 May: Rhodie Tour—Nahcotta Rhododendron Garden

Saturday, 2 May 2015

Long Beach Peninsula Rhodie Tour

Nahcotta Rhododendron Garden

From the programme: “This 8 acre property, overlooking a large 1/2 acre natural pond was once the site of Hall’s Gardens, the former collectors nursery of Don and Marva Hall.  It is filled with mature specimens and trees, including many Rhododendrons.  Enjoy taking the path that meanders through the plantings around the water’s edge.  Stop by the deck overlooking the pond to meet the current owners and view the original plans of the garden, which include the identification of all of the plants.”

The pond is a glorious feature; If I could have any property on the Peninsula, I’d choose this one.

the entry gate

How I love the entry gate to this property.  It reminds me of the handsome screens and accents that I have seen in Portland gardens, especially the gardens done by Laura Crockett.

a long driveway lined with rhodos

During my first few years living at the beach, I used to shop at Halls Gardens Nursery; the plants for sale were where those cars are parked.

some flowers along the driveway

 

driveway

the end of the long driveway

photo by Kathleen Shaw

Below:  We could turn to our left and enter the garden on the home’s east side; instead, come with me as we go through a gate ahead of us and stroll around the pond.

through the gate

to the pond path

Grassy paths also lead to the back garden of the house.

a tour guest (Allan’s photo)

Allan’s photo

eucalyptus trunks

I duck underneath….

Allan walked around the pond in the other direction from me so he had a different angle on those eucalyptus trunks.

Allan’s photo

Allan’s photo

Allan’s photo

Allan’s photo

To our left the pond view opens up.

Rhododendrons line the path all the way around the pond.

Allan’s photo

We are now walking along the back (west) side of the pond.

Allan’s photo

from west end of pond, looking east to the house

The pond view comes and goes through trees on the shore.

a wonderland of rhododendron blooms along the path

Allan’s photo

Allan’s photo

We are now walking along the south side of the pond.

 

Enkianthus, one of my favourite shrubs.

photo by MaryBeth Kelly

We now leave the pondside and follow the path into glades of rhododendrons to the southeast side of the house.

a magnolia just starting to open

south side of house

a rhododendron with variegated leaves

We are now wending our way through rhododendrons on the south side of the house toward the back lawn.

These two photos provided by the owners of the property show the handsome decking that leads to the back lawn:

lawn on the west side of the house

the owners and one of their dogs, ready to greet guests

Allan’s photo

Allan’s photo

near the deck

the owners and Cynthia Pride, one of the artists who painted in the gardens.

Allan’s photo

I admire the handsome boardwalks.

one of the hosts

My black lab, Bertie Woofter, used to make that same face.

Allan’s photo

some dog time, of course (Allan’s photo)

What a doggie paradise. Bertie would have been swimming daily.

Walking back to the entry gate…

Allan’s photo

Allan’s photo

From the carpark area, let’s go in the path to the front of the house.

 

Gunnera by little pond

beautiful pavers

front porch

 

photo by Kathleen Shaw

 

Our Kathleen had gotten to this garden before we did and was just driving away when we arrived.  She took a gallery of flower portraits as she walked round the pond and gardens, and here they are:

photos and captions by Kathleen Shaw:

a lovely red

…and a lovely white!

azaleas

Reminiscent of an orchid to me.

Kathleen had gone on ahead of us to the last garden, Klipsan Beach Cottages, and I texted her to tell them we were trying to get there.  Our plan to spend a couple of hours helping to host the garden had not worked out as there was so much to see along the way.  In fact, if we had stopped to photograph all the lovely roadside rhodies in the town of Nahcotta, we would not have made it to KBC at all.  As it was, we left the Nahcotta pond property with just forty five minutes left before the end of tour time.

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28 January: garden touring with Nancy

Wednesday, 28 January 2015

(January outings, part three)

Garden Tour Nancy and I spend a spontaneous afternoon checking out a garden for the first ever Peninsula Rhododendron Tour.  Under the auspices of Water Music Festival, the tour, which is being organized by Nancy and by Steve and John of the Bayside garden, will take place on May 2nd.

eggs from Nancy’s flock

Nancy arrived with some eggs from her chooks and then drove us all the way up to Surfside for lunch at the Great Day Café.  Although it’s one of my favourites, I don’t get there often as it is the furthest away café from us on the Peninsula.

It’s in the parking lot overlooking the Surfside Golf Course

view to the east

menu cover with map by Artist Don Nisbett

Chef Steve Pollock: “Keep calm, I’m making your lunch.”

soup du jour: chicken, leek, and apple

We had our soup at one of the two counters, from which we had a view of Steve cooking.  Then, as the place cleared out from a bit of a lunch crowd, we were able to get the corner table.

I had the special salad….

with a delicious lime dressing.

And then, off to preview of a garden which will very probably (I’d say for sure, but I’m not the organizer) be on the Rhododendron Tour.

Nahcotta Rhododendron Garden

We were welcomed by Mike, the owner, and two of his three dogs.

Bruce, a quiet and friendly mini-pin Chihuahua mix, and I immediately became friends.

Camper warmed up just a little bit more slowly.

Camper and “the one ball he won’t lose”.

Nancy and Mike entering the gate.

The back deck….

…overlooks this pond.

Nancy and Mike were joined by a third dog, Riley.

Riley and Bruce

Join us as all six of us stroll the path ar0und the pond.

Camellia on north side of pond

pink petals in the water

Bruce, north side of pond, and a variegated Ilex

Riley and the variegated Ilex

West side of pond

looking east over the pond. The camellia is to the left.

Camper paused for a lie down while we all talked about the garden.

Bruce, Riley, and Camper on the south bank of the pond

Next to the south side path, a mahonia in bloom was surely popular with hummingbirds.

Mahonia

Mahonia

Mike told us that between owners, much of the garden had gotten so overgrown that you could barely see the banks of the pond.

from the south side

path leading to the house garden

a narrow-leaved rhodo

Because this used to be a collectors nursery, one where I bought plants in 1993, it has choice and rare specimens throughout the garden.

two rhododendrons

a tiny pond with convincing artifical koi

a cotoneaster right by the house

sinuous trunks

We were invited into the house by Mike and his wife. Bonnie, to look at old plans of the garden.  It had been rich in an understory of collectible perennials but most had been lost to neglect during years when the property was between owners.

I clearly remembered a feature of the house that I loved when I saw the garden on tour in 2007:

a river rock channel just inside the front door.

Mike had a stunning selection of photos from later in the year when the rhodos are in bloom.  Here are some of his photos of the garden at its peak:

entry drive

with good dog Riley

with Camper

layers of colour

hot dazzlers

cool

Of course, they all bloom at different times and so we are hoping that May 2 this year will be a good time to see an assortment at their peak at the various gardens that will be featured on the tour.

I’ve been thinking about the three wonderful dogs as much as I’ve been thinking about the glorious pond and garden.

Next: we return to work for just one day.

 

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30 June 2007: Music in the Gardens, part three

 

Long Beach Peninsula Garden Tour: 

Nahcotta Rhododendron Garden

When Robert and I first moved to the Peninsula on Christmas eve of 1992, we soon heard of a nursery called Hall’s Gardens, owned by Don and Marva Hall.  Over the next few years we stopped by there a number of times, drawn by the walk around the large pond, the rock garden of interesting small plants, many new to me, and the nursery offerings.  In my garden today grow two large ‘Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick’ contorted filberts originally purchased from Hall’s.

When Hall’s went up for sale, we heard that Dan Hinkley of Heronswood toured the property but decided too much of it was wetland without enough room for propagation houses. Would that Heronswood had moved to the Peninsula…I had already been mail ordering from them since their beginning…what a joy that would have been!

Then Hall’s disappeared into obscurity for me until a couple of years ago when I heard that it had been purchased and the garden renovated by Gary Ayers and Daniel Drinkard. So for it to be on the Music in the Garden tour caused me considerable excitement.

(Below) The gardens around the house are rich in detail…the decorative stepping stones inside the entry arch and a deep blue glossy urn backed with bamboo

…and a fountain pond on the way to the front door…..

The house, for sale again, was open for touring but I was pretty much drawn straight through from the front door to the veranda with its view of the pond.  Now here’s a pond you could take a small boat out on.

the deck overlooking the pond

Maybe the metal sign saying “SIMPLIFY” is one reason the house and garden is for sale.  I would imagine it requires considerable work, but if we were about $200,000 dollars richer it is work we would gladly take on. (Allan has two small boats, and there is that pond….)…  As it is, our having no mortgage provides much freedom from financial stress…and yet, that pond!! Ours is a wee puddle in comparison, a mere muddy dewdrop.

(left) looking from the shady verandah out to the pond and (right) from the other side of the pond back to the house.

With over 8 acres there’s so much to see.  The back end of the property is swamp which may be innaccessible, but the one half acre pond itself still has a soft mossy path wandering all around it.

views of the pond

The pond, the pond, sigh, the glorious pond.  I am sure every gardener who toured the place dreamed of owning it. I suppose I would rather own my tiny bit of paradise than be in thrall to a mortgage on a bigger one, but I do hope an avid gardener buys the place. I’ll imagine myself there often!

Thanks to Patti Jacobsen for putting on a wonderful tour and to all the Peninsula residents who opened their gardens.

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