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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, May 13, 2014

The Seattle Garden of Laura-Lee Fineman Karp

One of the gardens that Alison and I visited on Saturday was the small (400 sq. ft.) quirky townhome garden of Laura-Lee Fineman Karp.  Seeing the mirrors and plates on the fence as we neared, I was instantly enthralled.  The only thing I liked better than the garden was the gardener.  Laura-Lee, a New Yorker seems to very comfortable in her adopted city and is as delightfully unique as her creation!


At the front entrance is this fig leaf stepping stone surrounded by black mondo grass.  Just beyond, visible at the top of the picture is a blue glass filled box.  Glass makes such a pleasing sound when it's walked on. Some of the following descriptions come from Ms Karp's written garden statement.

Roofing tiles from Re-Store border raised beds.  The garden floor is composed of used bricks salvaged from the chimney of a recently demolished house further up the block.


One of three seating areas.

I have a giant soft spot for gardens adorned with found objects! 

Glass and grass make a great combination and doesn't have to be expensive.  Bedrock?  Glass Eye Studio's twice a year 1/2 of wholesale sale?

Guests are welcomed by a placid Buddha-like ceramic woman rescued from a dumpster. 

If you plant bottles, do they grow wine?  

Here's the back entrance.

I may have to borrow this bed edging idea.

This garden is a one woman show and what a show it is!


One more view before it was time to move on.  

Posing next to the fish atop her garden gate, Laura-Lee says, "It's a Carp you know!"

Thanks Laura-Lee for opening your garden to visitors and for being such a fun host!

34 comments:

  1. How cute! I have a soft spot for people who enjoy a little play on words with their name. Gardens like this are so much fun to explore. I like the roofing tiles as edging, the box for the glass is a great idea and recycled bricks are always a favorite.

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    1. Your comment is the answer to the musical question, "What Does the Fox Say?" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jofNR_WkoCE
      This was a fun garden to explore!

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  2. This garden was so much fun, and Laura-Lee was a blast to talk with. I've seen borders edged with plates in the past, it's a great idea. I didn't even notice it when we were there, I must have been distracted by some other stroke of whimsy.

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    1. There was a lot to take in in this small space! Still smiling thinking of Laura-Lee, what a delightful person!

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  3. I love that the NPA includes such different gardens in their open days. From Alison's post yesterday to this garden the contrast is huge, but both wonderful gardens. Something for everyone!

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    1. The NPA folks do strike a nice balance of garden styles and sizes on these tours!

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  4. The woman is an artist at heart. Very whimsical garden (or workshop?)

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    1. I saw her sizeable loom through her front window (a loom with a view!) She's a fiber artist as well as being a garden artist.

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  5. I would not want to live in a world without the Laura-Lee Fineman Karps. What fun.

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    1. Amen! Talking with her was a highlight of the day!

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  6. My ♥ beats with Laura-Lee's! Thanks SO much for capturing so much of the uniqueness and personality of her place!

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    1. It was a pleasure to be in such a wonderfully unique garden! How bold she is for creating this in a relatively conservative looking setting!

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  7. How whimsical! Did I spot a nice eucalyptus?

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    1. Oh yes, a snow gum (Eucalyptus pauciflora) with nice exfoliating bark! There was another eucalyptus as well.

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  8. I like this garden a lot. So much character and heart.

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    1. Glad you enjoyed the visit, it's a great garden!

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  9. Playful, creative gardens like this are fun to explore. Thanks for sharing your visit.

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  10. Fun, fun, fun. I'm going out to the shed to drag out plates and bottles now. No, I think not. Why does whimsey always look so much better in a tiny garden? At my place it looks like a beginning trash dump as vines run rampant. I've been 'editing' today.

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    1. I think that to create a garden like this there must be a critical mass of stuff to make a statement. If you have a large space small elements can get lost so there has to be a LOT. I try sometimes but get tired of things, rip them out and put them in the garage. The inside of my garage has a lot of character. Editing is fun and makes a fresh canvass on which to begin again.

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  11. Quirky and unique! I like the roofing tile edging. I only recently learned of Re-Stores. So many great finds there.

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    1. I hope the same can be said for my own garden someday!

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  12. What a fun and delightful space! I love the way she used the dinner plates : ) Thank you for the tour!

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    1. It's a joy to see such great gardens and gardeners!

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  13. I can see why you were enthralled! I love the mirrors and plates and all the creative hard scraping.I can see why

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    1. It's always nice to have you along in these fun tours! I've been using more mirrors in my garden. Like my windows, they are kept dirty enough to keep birds from flying into them.

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  14. I love the last picture, where she seems to be getting ready to receive a big smack from the carp. If we ever tire of garden tours (never happen), we might think about organizing a garage tour. Yours would be top of the list.

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    1. Love it! Everything gets thrown just inside the door to the garage and the piles get pretty high and periodically fall on us when we're fetching some tool or other. Danger Garage?

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  15. What a fun place and a fun lady. I have some of those ReStore tiles in my garden too. They're great.

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  16. Laura Lee Karp was my second grade teacher at Jefferson school in West Seattle, she was one of my all time favorites. Lovely to see her here...

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  17. Laura Lee did you teach at van assalt (3rd grade) in the late 70s? I have a note that you wrote to me framed in my room. I had a very difficult childhood and you were my favorite teacher.

    Love, Angie Smith.

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