Sandy's Garden

My neighbor and pal, Sandy, has a gorgeous garden.  Everything about the place and Sandy herself  seems to say welcome! 

 

 You can read a little about the restoration of the house and garden in this article from the Tacoma News Tribune written by a mutual neighbor and friend, Mary Boone.

 I've lost count of the many charity fundraising events Sandy has hosted in her home and garden.

I remember when this sad looking house was put on the market over ten years ago.  There wasn't anyone living there at the time so when the sign went up, I took the liberty of peeking through the windows and wandering through the back yard.  I remember loving some of the plants that were still struggling through the weeds and admiring the half-buried remnants of a pond.  The paths were lined with concrete cylinders which I was told were some sort of drilled samples to test for strenghth, part of a former homeowner's job. 

 

 

Shortly after Sandy and her daughter, Katie, moved into their home, they came by our house to introduce themselves.  Since they wanted some stained glass in their house, Sandy took a class from me.  Unfortunately, she decided that making stained glass wasn't for her.  Fortunately, she hired me to create this door window and two sidelights.

Once Sandy's spectacular new kitchen was finished, she decided to host a weekly potluck for the folks who worked on her house.  Even though my part of this huge job was tiny, I was invited.  Believe it or not, the weekly potluck continues to this day and now the guest list has expanded to include neighbors, friends, artists, co workers  and random passersby.  Monday night at Sandy's has become a regular habit for many!

 Tucked away in various spots are these cool rock people created by Boucant

 Sandy's favorite color is green.  Can you tell?  She often threatens to cut the flowers off of her blooming plants as they sometimes obscure the foliage.

Dominating the back garden are a huge deck and This amazing pond, also created by Boucant.

 Sandy is the first to admit that she is NOT a gardener but loves gardens.  I remember once several years ago when she decided to try and power through her horrible allergies and do some gardening.  Admiring her tenacity, I volunteered to help in some weeding.  Proudly, she showed me a small pile of things that looked weedy to her and she had pulled.  I nearly cried at the sight of so many meconopsis betonicifolia that were just about to bloom now in a lifeless pile. Sandy now has someone come in to weed. 

 

So much beautiful foliar texture and color.

 Paths that lead to destination seating areas.

Sandy's deck was built around this beautiful old tree.

 There's always plenty of space to sit and enjoy this cool garden so if you're ever free on a Monday night...