Saturday, 14 July 2018
Colorful Coastal Gardens tour
Markham, Washington
presented by the Master Gardeners of Grays Harbor and Pacific County
We drove not far from the little town of Grayland to nearby Markham.
Cindy and Carl’s garden, Markham
Gardener’s quotation: “I like gardening—it’s a place where I can find myself when I need to lose myself.” -Alice Sebold
At the top of a wide driveway, we took a good look at a couple of hillside beds….
Allan’s photo
Allan’s photo
…and then walked around the side of the house to the welcome table.
Every box on the sustainable garden list was checked.
Just inside…
a big outbuilding, and beyond it, the She Cave.
Allan’s photo
Allan’s photo
the back patio of the house
across the lawn
That just might be a repurposed pallet. (But would it be strong enough?)
I walked around the side of the big shed or shop building and saw that my great wall of china (eight plates) is a very meager wall of china indeed.
I noticed the plates were not put up with plate hangers, and as Cindy was nearby, I asked her how she did it. The answer was Gorilla Glue and a big paper clip.
She takes them down before the first big gale of the autumn. Or tries to; sometimes she loses some first to the wind and then uses the broken pieces in the garden. A woman after my own heart!
a truly great wall of china
I found that the oyster shell road would lead me around to the She Cave.
To get there, I walked past a shady garden.
I wondered if Compost Corner was an old debris pile turned garden.
Allan’s photo
I came upon a wall of boxes that was another garden decorating idea I have dabbled in, but here made lavish and delightful.
I was delighted.
Allan’s photo
Allan’s photo
Allan’s photo
Allan’s photo
Next came a table of treats…
And the She Cave with its “woodstove heat, a cozy place on a rainy winter evening.”
I feel that this she cave will be planted all around within a few years.
Allan’s photo
I very much want to read here. Allan took the photo.
looking toward the house
backside of the wall of china shed
greenhouse
looking in
Allan’s photo
birds on a nearby feeder (Allan’s photo)
Allan’s photo
one way down
I walked back around the shade garden side.
past the wood shed
and the big shed with mirrors on the end
shade garden reflected
Almost to the middle of the garden by the wall of china, I looked toward a yew arch that led to the main lawn.
I had seen there a bit earlier the clever idea of displaying a bird nest under a cloche.
But I returned to walk further down along the shade garden side.
past the back of this little shed
stained glass in the shrubbery
“A shade garden is a special challenge to any gardener, working with a dry shade environment. Techniques of limbing up can be observed.”
I thought that was a latticed porch but it is another mirror!
along the shady side
Then I saw this:
Mama Kitty and Rockie’s graves
I did not see Cindy again or I’d have asked her was Rockie a cat or a dog, and what color was Mama Kitty and what was she like. I teared up and then I saw this:
a door in the woods near a sign that pointed to a secret garden
inside, a bench with one of my favourite garden books
in the secret garden
Soon after, Allan came exploring down the shady side and I had tears streaming down my face because I felt so at home in this garden. (And is there a door I could walk though to see my Smoky cat again?)
Allan in the secret garden
Allan’s photo
Allan’s photo
I love when tour hosts put books out in the garden (although I once put so many out that I forgot a book by Christopher Lloyd and only found it again weeks later when the rain had glued the pages together).
Allan’s photo
the side of the shed further on (Allan’s photo)
Still coming down the shady side, to my left was the big lawn with the monkey tree,
I stayed on the shady side especially since I had big tears coming down.
Allan’s photo
the lawn borders
I examined an island bed at the shady end of the lawn and had to explain to a couple of tour guests that I had been weeping only because this garden moved me so much.
YOWZA! What’s this primula??
It is Primula capitata. (Allan’s photo) Thank you, Plant Idents Facebook group.
I’m thinking YOWZA!
yellow corydalis; intensely purple stems to the right are a thalictrum
The purple spiky primula to the lower left is the one called viallii (which I used to have).
Primula viallii
Allan’s photo
thalictrum and more
Time to go out into the sun, although first I wanted to look at the front of the little shed that had that lattice mirror on the back.
love the curtains
Allan’s photo
Allan noticed that a container had some Cosmos ‘Cupcake’.
Cosmos ‘Cupcake’
I was now below the yew arch.
garden hat
below the house
Now to go back down and walk the sunny lawn borders.
The quiet public road runs below a short drop beyond this border. Except for lots of vehicles of tour guests, it is just far enough below that you can’t really tell from out there that a big garden is in here.
a tiny tour guest in the distance
botanizing
turning the corner
Behind this end of the garden is a big parking area and another big outbuilding.
I am sure I had this once, and I cannot remember what it is. (Asked on FB: It is galega!)
Others were standing around guessing, saying it looked like a lupine, but none of us knew its name. (Galega ‘Lady Wilson’, per FB.)
I had thoroughly enjoyed this garden and parts of it had touched my heart.
Takeaways: more boxes on fence, more plates on wall, Gorilla Glue and paper clip!; door in the bogsy woods (and I have two extra old doors already); acquire galega and that primula. Maybe limb up the bogsy woods somewhat.
Now we had one more garden to see; I was saving our friend Terri’s garden for last.
interlude
On the way, we detoured slightly to Westport Winery nursery (which I blogged about last summer), where I bought a few more plants.
my haul for the day so far (with succulent box tucked behind the others)
