Saturday, 21 July 2018
2018 Spade and Wade Garden Tour
Sponsored by the Tillamook County Master Gardener Association
garden six: Magical and Mystical


(Note: I remove the gardeners’ last names, not at anyone’s request, just because it seems like a polite privacy protection.)
Spike and Randy weren’t members of the Tillamook County Master Gardeners; as with the recent Grayland/Markham tour, that is not a prerequisite for having one’s garden featured.
Based on the description, I had high hopes for this garden, hopes which were increased when I saw a Lobelia tupa across the street at the edge of the neighbours’ yard.

Then I saw the Romneya coulteri (Coulter’s Matilija poppy) on the upper slope of the tour garden.


Romneya coulteri

My socks start rolling up and down, as Ciscoe Morris would say. Here we go, my kind of garden! Google tells me the house was built in 2008 so the garden is, I assume, less than ten years old.

on the slope above

a view to the ocean

from the street

path to the front porch (Allan heard the red is roof shingle granules)

Lobelia tupa!

a massive specimen

The town across the way at the base of the hills to the right is Garibaldi.

big chimney on one side of the house

Allan’s photo

Check in table. The friendly garden dog’s name is Sidney.

I like the soothing tan bark colour of the garden mulch.

tomatoes on the east side of the deck
At the beginning of his walkabout (different from mine), Allan realized people were buying plants. I had not taken the “plants for sale” sign seriously. He tried to call me but we had no signal there.

Allan’s photo, buying a treasure

Allan’s photo

enticing side garden

and a shed

Yes!

Sidney is also having a fun afternoon.

The outbuilding is potting shed in front and sauna in the back.


Which way to go first?


The boardwalk to the sauna is enticing.

special acer off to the side

another Lobelia tupa on my left

On my right, the garden drops off down the hill to the woods.



Allan’s photo

Agapanthus and a cool plant that Danger Garden will recognize instantly, I am sure.


going back to a covered roof area by the house (and a second stump with plants up on top)


There I meet garden owner Spike, who tells me that her husband has “escaped from the front yard, where he was supposed to stay.”

ligularia on the downhill slope



at the corner of the house, a hollow stump

looking down
Allan had explored down there.

Allan’s photo

Allan’s photo

Allan’s photo

Allan’s photo

a path outside the fence (Allan’s photo)

Be ye friend or foe? (Allan’s photo)

below the sauna (Allan’s photo)

sauna shower (Allan’s photo)

mystery paver with my Grandma’s name (Allan’s photo)
Meanwhile….

pink flamingos on a nurse log below the north side of the house
Now I am on the west side.

Allan is overhearing owner Randy, in the white cap, telling the tour guests something.
Allan tells me he heard Randy say we had to walk down a road to the north, so we do.

road of mystery, a place the neighbours share (Allan’s photo)

a path awaits

Allan’s photo



??


Allan’s photo



telephoto because the beach is way far down

Allan’s photo

Allan goes further to the south and finds a castle in the woods.

Allan’s photo

Allan’s photo
Back up the path, and the road, and back to the nurse log.


Allan’s photo


Deer and elk respect the electric fence when it is on. The charge is more intense because it protects a small area.


along the west road, more donkey tail spurge to plant

a prostrate redwood, left, that Randy says will get enormous

west side


I am well chuffed to be able to be the one to tell Randy that the center plant is a leptospermum.

cannot get enough of this


I pore over every detail.



huge phlomis, cool curvy bricks and rock chimney


Now I will go up the inside of the west garden.


tour guests carefully coming down

interesting bricks











Allan’s photo of this is better than mine.

looking at everything as I ascend the round rock stairs

Allan’s photo



at the top again



Sidney

back along the north side to the holey stump

Allan’s photo

Allan’s photo

resolved to miss nothing

back in Spike’s domain



Let’s see what is up on the deck.



view to the boardwalk garden

in a corner of the deck





I politely avert my eyes from looking in the windows of the house.



Spike says that beardlike plant is alive, and she had lots more of it draped on the porch, but decided it was too much for the tour.

treats

some of Randy’s creations


Everyone must be utterly gobsmacked. Botanical expert friends Evan and Ann and Bob tell me the plant is Tillandsia usneoides. Spanish moss, a bromeliad.

The view is incidental. The garden is everything.

Magical, mystical Spike (Allan’s photo)
Spike has a seed packet bracelet that she got at Goodwill thrift store. It had belonged to someone who came to the tour today.

Allan’s photo

Allan tells me folks have been buying all kinds of little plants from the green house (which Spike and Randy are going to replace soon), so I have a look.

mermaid birdbath like ours!


greenhouse, one aisle


Wow…





Allan’s photo

Allan’s photo


potting shed right across from the greenhouse
It is after four, past tour closing time, and it would be rude to not leave. I do ask Spike if I could possibly move into her shed.

don’t want to go

last look

my treasures from Spike’s greenhouse, mostly just $3, big one was $7.
The tour was officially over. However, our own tour day was not over, because we were going to visit Seaside Pam’s garden on the way home.
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