The Vashon Island Northwest Perennial Alliance Garden Tour Part Four: The Garden of Cindy & Steve Stockett

Much has been written about Froggsong, the garden of Cindy and Steve Stockett. For more articles about the garden you can visit Fine Gardening, The Seattle Times, Country Living,  Sunset Magazine, and The Beachcomber.  Cindy maintains a blog about her garden which you can visit here.

In the words of Cindy as published in the NPA guide, "Froggsong garden, a three-acre [Other sources say twelve acres.] estate garden, is a blend of formal and informal design.  A rose pergola, roundel garden, parterre garden and knot garden share a space that frames and defines the senses.  I call this type of garden 'Northwest Formal,' a mixture of defined, structured areas that are relaxed by the casual disorder of perennial cottage gardening." 

This garden has an interesting juxtaposition of styles sort of like throwing a formal garden,  billowing perennial borders, and a woodland into a blender, mixing it up,  and having Picasso sort it out.

On entering the garden, one might not suspect what surprises await.  Like a chef garnishing a dish with a little of what might be expected flavor-wise from a creation, we get a small clue of the mix inside this garden with the formal evergreen hedge, acer palmatum, and  free flowing hakenechloa. 

Here we have more of a clue with the formal element of matching pots flanking the entry but the path is not symmetrical.  Notice the abandon of the perennials on the left side of the walk and the formality of the boxwood on the left. 

Here's a closer view.  Cindy is a retired elementary school teacher.  I bet her classroom was full of fun surprises.

Hey look, a pot.  Looks like plants that we just saw at DIG.  Hmmm...coincidence?  I don't think so.

This view begs for a focal point at the end to draw us on.  Instead we have the mystery of the woods.

A mix of gold and white variegated foliage.

Here we have a couple of neatly clipped box hedges looking like parentheses holding back side conversations.  (Works for me.)

Love this shade of blue here. It's echoed in the hosta in the foreground and spruce behind and contrasted with golden foliage on the left and the purple to the right.

An area with formally trimmed box but with an informal free-form  shape.  do you want to explore ?  There's a dead end.  What might draw you in here?  Many questions.

Froggsong has an abundance of beautifully framed vignettes.

The rose pergola from the side.

 

 

The climbing roses were removed because their canes became too much trouble.

 

 

Here's another example of  Cindy's unique style.  This stream starts higher up and cascades down a naturalistic looking fall into this pond where it suddenly hits this very man-made looking rill.

That runs past relaxed foliage on the left and uber formal knot garden on the right.

This empties into this large pond with relaxed naturalistic rock on one side, sharp edges on the other and with wood decking over parts.

 

Knot on the left formal circle center containing not a lollypop trimmed tree but something allowed to grow freely.  Notice the spherically trimmed box on the right that provides balance.

 

I never thought that I had Attention Deficit Disorder but in this garden, there ware so many areas to explore, so many inspiring plant combinations and so many questions  to ponder, that my mind was racing from one area to the next.

 Again with the gold purple and white variegated foliage - an ostinato that helps to hold the garden composition together.

 

My favorite part of the garden is this natural looking pond and marsh area with  weeping willow trees. 

More old fashioned formality but with a contemporary center.  Instead of being surrounded by formal hedges, the hundred-year old doug firs are the background.

 

Surprise!

Love this container with the cascading grevillea!

The potager also has an echium and lilies.

 Blue poppies grown here with Aruncus dioicus.  The same combination as once existed in the woodland at Heronswood. 

Love the white variegated tree with fine foliage and the large white variegated hosta beneath.  Notice the partial formally trimmed box shrub on the left.

 

 

 Looking out at this unique garden from the deck of the house.  Love the variegated dogwood just left of center. 

Stunning view!  I love the look of weeping willow trees!  The fabulous foliage colors and shapes here are stunning!  The bisecting line of boxwood spheres, the fireworks of the phormium.  Sigh.

Round the back of the house is this sweet building that contains a sauna, there's a hot tub nearby and in the background, you can see the glass doors of the huge shower which can also be entered from the master bath.

That's Corsican mint all round the path.  The fragrance was divine but imagine  tiptoeing through this from hot tub to shower.  It's a beautiful set up but I have to admit to wanting solid walls around me when nekkid.  (The world breathes a collective sigh of relief!0

Heading back through the front path, we're off to our next stop!