-

-
Although this could very well be a picture of me finding a new treasure at a favorite nursery, it's actually an illustration by David Catrow for a children's book called Plantzilla.

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Warm Thoughts; The Dudan Garden

Meanwhile,  in California at the Garden Bloggers' Fling back in June it was time to visit a lovely private garden designed by Buenoluna Landscape Design and Floradora Gardens.  The property sits atop a hill and has great views all around.  The garden was designed to make use of the beautiful views as much as possible.
 

There are stunning elements in the garden like this great water feature but they enhance rather than trying to compete with or obscure the dramatic views.

With greater proximity, the water feature itself  is a great focal point.

The Dudan Garden has many seating areas, some quite intimate
 
and others a bit more grand.
 

There are great plants throughout the garden superlative, hardscape and interesting artistic touches but this garden reads as a whole, a show with many stars who play well together to create a wonderful ensemble cast.  There is beauty but no big egos here. 

The Dudan is a garden meant to be lived in and enjoyed.


There was a peaceful sense of place in this garden making it a perfect venue to relax, eat lunch and enjoy each others' company.
The pink Kangaroo paw was a big hit. 









Just for Scott, who will know the name of this grass because he grows it. I'll be looking for this plant this year so do remind me of its name.


This magnificent tree was an attention grabber. Isn't it stunning?




Caesalpinia mexicana also grows here in the Washington  but it craves heat so needs a special location to be really happy here. 


On this, the third day of the fling, I experienced my first wildlife sighting.  That is, unless you count seeing,  en route to our first garden,  a fellow walking purposefully down the sidewalk carrying a smart looking briefcase and wearing absolutely nothing.  What was even more interesting was that the other pedestrians on the street acted as if this were an everyday occurrence.  Anyway, the cute lizard in the picture below was adorable and spent some time looking at me before it skittered away.
Speaking of skittering away, I'd best go do something useful or at least pretend that that's what I'll be doing.  Hope you enjoyed the warmth!

17 comments:

  1. Sun glorious sun! And you're right about the water feature, it enhances its surroundings and doesn't obstruct such gorgeous views!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The sun was wonderful but we were there during a heat wave so the temperature (over 100 degrees F.) was a little toasty.

      Delete
  2. That was a lovely garden. I love how she left planting holes in her wall, with stones on the ground nearby as if they had fallen out. I remember seeing that grass in Scott's garden, with the seeds that twist around each other!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was beautiful in this garden but I fell in love with the plant in Scott's garden! Such a sweet plant!

      Delete
  3. Ahhh...I loved this garden, Peter...as I've looked through my photos (and, honestly, even at the time), I think I realized it was my favorite of all the gardens...for so many of the reasons you mentioned. Oh...that's Stipa barbata...it's it lovely...I must have taken 1,000 photos of it! I think Xera might be selling it this spring :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the plant I.D. I fell in love with that one when I saw it at your place. what a sweet thing!

      Delete
  4. Spectacular view from this garden! The water features are some of the loveliest I've seen: so well integrated with the surroundings. The wooden chairs are beautifully designed: a variation on the adirondack style? Tucking sedum in the stone wall is a nice touch, I love it.
    Peter, do you have a "go-to guy" to identify the magnificent tree, or just one for grasses :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was a breathtaking view and they did a spectacular job of preserving it while creating an interesting garden. The wooden chairs are made from wine casks, pretty sweet. Scott is our grass expert and I'll bet there are lots of people who know the name of that tree. I think it might have been a eucalyptus of some sort.

      Delete
  5. I see Peter you had nice trip and nice weather. Actually Dudan garden is lovely. I loved the most water features and teapot- fountain!
    This big tree-- is it platan? The views from the hill are gorgeous.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The tree trunk looks like platan! That trunk doesn't belong to the huge tree in the other picture though.

      Delete
  6. Ah the memories, the warmth, the plants! Great shots Peter, how did you get so many with nobody in them? I'm amazed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It really helps to have an unpleasant personality like mine. You see, by the third day, people had a chance to get to know me and become so repulsed that they scattered when I approached. It makes for wonderful pictures. Sorry pal, you'll be stuck with lots of people in your images!

      Delete
  7. So very lovely...so very California.

    ReplyDelete
  8. The succulent planted in the stone wall reminds me that's something I must try. It much better than the weeds that currently like to take root there.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oh wow, I love this garden. It looks so lush even though it was so hot!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! I love to hear your thoughts.