A Winter Visit to The Old Goat Farm

You may recall my first visit to The Old Goat Farm last summer (here) at the height of the growing season. An email arrived in my inbox a couple of weeks ago announcing an unusual late winter  garden open there this year so I decided to go look at the garden to see what's happening there at this time of year. 

 

Certainly one of you smarter than I plant geeks will know the name of this woodlander.  For now, we'll just call her Penelope.  She sure was purty with her glossy foliage and shy white flowers.

One of a pair of these ferocious-looking beasts that flank a wide pathway. 

And looking somewhat less ferocious...

This must be one of my favorite corners of OGF because there is a picture of the same spot from the summer visit.  Interesting to compare the differences and similarities.

This dashing and friendly fellow led me around part of the garden.  I love the animals at OGF, they all seem so happy and well cared for!

Moss could be our state or regional flower.  It grows easily just about everywhere and gets especially green and lovely during our wet winters.  (Pacific Northwest Rain Festival October 1 - July 5)

The lawn is also full of moss which is so soft to walk upon and needs no mowing like that silly grass does. 

This garden juxtaposes formal elements with more naturalistic ones very well. 

Gabion altar to the goddess flora?

further into the shade, the grass vanishes entirely as moss prevails.  The irony of an ornamental grass in the pot in the center was not lost.

This shed at the edge of the garden makes so much sense.  Why drag tools all the way from the house when some can be stored out here.  Hope there's electricity as well for some hedge trimmers!

OGF is located in an area higher in elevation than my place which usually gets colder in the winter and a bit warmer in the summer.  My Schefflera taiwaniana got some freeze damage on the topmost tender new growth whereas this one seems untouched. 

Notice how nicely the  foliage of S.delavayifits so well with that of our native sword fern and salal.

Allowing moss to grow on deciduous trees turns them into evergreens!

Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work we go...

Is that Dopey or Pinocchio hiding behind the forsythia?

 

 

Ooh, look at that almost-black hellebore!

All your eggs in one basket?  Oh dear.

Emerging foliage of a spirea looks like little yellow flowers.

 

 

There are lots of delightfully goofy fowl at OGF.  They'll get their own post sometime. 

These cordylines got to spend the coldest days of the winter in an unheated barn.  How nice to see such large specimens!

Love this functional and ornamental potting bench!

What treasures await inside that greenhouse?

 

The100 year old farmhouse was tinkered with at some point farily recently.   The turret was obviously added recently, the porch reconfigured, and I'm not sure about the balcony on the side.

There were lots of great plants available for sale but I didn't see Sciadopitys verticillata 'Ossorio's Gold' so I headed inside the barn to look at the stuff.

Lots of great mid century stuff.

Bird planters and vases a go go!

Then it was off to watch the show that the real birds were putting on round back. 

Emerging peony foliage.

On the way back to my car.

A gorgeous garden in the winter becomes a lush jungle of gorgeous foliage and flowers in just a few weeks.  For now, we'll enjoy the quieter charms of nearly spring!

Notice the Arum italicum planted near the black mondo grass.  In the fall, when the arum's bright orange seeds show up, this nice winter combo will become a knock-your-socks-off eye catcher!

That was last weekend.   Hey everyone, It's spring!  We made it!