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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.

Thursday, August 9, 2018

The Yakima Garden of Debra Kroon and Ray Yates

We were fortunate to visit Yakima last month when it was only 90 degrees outside as tomorrow it will be 106 there.   It was delightful to see beautiful gardens in a place that has such extremes in temperature.  Winter can see temperatures around 0 degrees and sometimes lower.

"For over 23 years, Ray and Debra have worked to transform once-neglected gardens into a Pollinator Paradise."


What's more fun that a barrel of monkeys?  A half barrel of hostas.

"There is no formal lawn, but you will find a wide variety of ornamental grasses from very tiny to very large.  The gardens are a combination of hillside with sweeping views of the valley; intriguing little trails taking you to different aspects of the gardens; and various sitting areas to enjoy reas and reflection."

"You will find and Echinacea garden, succulent gardens, herb gardens, xeric gardens, as well as a composting center; all tucked into less than 1/2 acre."


Debra said that keeping bees is more work than she thought it would be.  One could be mesmerised watching these industrious creatures flying in and out all day.


So that's where the other half of the barrel went.


An army of garden helpers.   They say people who live in glass houses should not throw gnomes or something like that. There's no place like  gnome. 



"their goal has been to create a welcoming, viable habitat for the many birds, bees, butterflies, and other pollinators that find their way to these gardens.  Scattered throughout the gardens you will notice an important habitat for the Monarch Butterfly; Showy Milkweed. "


"Debra and Ray's gardens are registered both as a National Wildlife Habitat and as a S.H.A.R.E. (Simply Have Areas REserved for the Environment) landscape.

In 2015, these gardens were chosen as a release site for Monarch Butterflies that had been raised from eggs from a female captured in the Yakima Valley.  In 2017,  they participated in the Cowiche Canyon Monarch Rearing Project, raising, tagging and releasing 13 Monarch butterflies in their gardens.






This turbine chimney cap was about three feet tall.  







I was happy to see one of my favorite plants, Quercus dentata 'Pinnatifida.'  (Hardy to zone 5)

Seems that plants are always on her mind too. 

This miscanthus was killed to the ground in the winter of 2016-17.  That spring, a group was coming to tour the garden.

Instead of  trying to hide the dead plant, Debra and Ray erected a memorial.  Funny thing, the next season, the grass somehow returned.

Thank you Debra and Ray for opening your garden for so many to enjoy!

22 comments:

  1. wow, that garden looks so much larger than 1/2 acre. Really impressive design that also works as a pollinator paradise. Sometimes the two ideas don't mesh so beautifully. Also love that turbine cap; one of my favorite industrial objects. Is that the same Quercus whose leave you recently showed a closeup of? Much lacier looking here than in the other pix. Zone 5, you say. . .

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    1. It is the same Quercus from the other post. It's a marvelous small tree although it grows at a glacial rate. Doesn't mind being in a pot although for hardiness in your zone, it might be best to put it in the ground. The leaves change so much through the growing season, emerging with pink tones around the edges, growing more and more lacy as they grow. There's sort of a gold overtone to the leaves, like the effect of tomentum. Leaves are leathery, fall color is an okay yellow and they drop fairly quickly unlike some oaks that hold on to their brown leaves through the winter. I usually gather some fallen leaves in the fall to bring inside and enjoy. You need this tree!
      Just before visiting the Yakima gardens, we stopped at one of the produce stand/antique mall establishments and I found a smaller turbine cap for my own garden. There's something sweet about that shape, like a teapot.

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  2. The Miscanthus wasn't dead, it was just resting. Another wonderful, interesting Yakima garden, thanks for sharing your photos. Hard to believe it's only 1/2 an acre, it seems much bigger. How cool that they helped raise Monarchs. I don't think I've ever seen a single Monarch in my own garden (other than me, cause I'm the queen of it, of course). Love the wide shots, especially the one with what looks like a baby's blue crib in the middle of it.

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    1. Remarkable Miscanthus, the Norwegian Blue. Beautiful plumage er, foliage isn't it? The blue bed is their son's first big boy bed that Ray made for him. A nice way to reuse the bed and remember a special time in their lives. I've never seen a monarch in the Puget Sound area. The interwebs say that it's a rare transitory migrant. The host (milkweed) does not occur in this area.

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  3. Hello Petere .. what a wonderful tour you took us on with this amazing garden. I truly LOVE grasses as well .. my "Giant" miscanthus can be a show stopper in my small garden .. late summer when it tops the shed and you can see it from the deck .. hear it rustle .. well it is wonderful .. I love that they have so many "wild" places for all the inhabitants .. and I can also imagine that keeping bees is more work than you can guess when you first start .. I applaud it all ! .. wonderful little surprises to see while walking the gardens.
    Sorry about the heat .. it must be exhausting .. we finally got a break from ours today .. hope you do soon too !

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    1. It is a wonderful space. Our heat on the west side of the state isn't so bad, Highs in the upper 80's but it cools down nicely at night. Yakima is in the central part of the state which has a desert climate, gets much hotter in the summer and colder in the winter.

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  4. Wow, what a great garden, I see many things I'd like to repeat here. I especially like the shots that show the barren gold hillsides in the distance, a great reminder of how dry it is out there, and how lush this garden is.

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    1. I was surprised that the valley was so green after driving through all the dry hills. Must be because of the river that runs around town.

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  5. I'm amazed, and duly chastised, to realize what can be grown in a tough summer environment like that. How can they grow hostas?!

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    1. The hostas were present in a couple of Yakima gardens. I'm sure they get lots of irrigation but I was surprised to see them there.

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  6. Any ID for the tree in that first photo? So good with the grasses -- calamagrostis? And thanks again for these great tour posts!

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    1. By the color of the fruit, could it American Ash?

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  7. I cannot get over how many different wonderful gardens and or nurseries you share here. You are blessed to be able to visit so many. So much inspiration for working in our own gardens wherever we are.

    Thanks Peter ~ FlowerLady

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    1. Despite the trend of building and living in homes with no yard space, there are still a lot of people in this region who love to garden. I am, indeed, blessed to live here and to be able to see so many marvelous gardens. Always a pleasure to have you visit along with me!

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  8. It's a treat to see gardens is settings so different from our west side of the mountains gardens. Thanks for taking me there through your photos.

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  9. An oasis in the arid Yakima climate. Bee-utiful. The half barrels are very cool.

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    1. I was surprised by how green the valley is. A river runs around the valley so that may have something to do with it. Of course ample irrigation might be involved as well.

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  10. Definitely an oasis (esp. for butterflies) in the baked desert valley. They've done a marvelous job!

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  11. There is a lot packed into that small garden yet it doesn't seem small. That Quercus is most interesting.

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  12. Just gorgeous. I love that prairie style mix of grasses and bold perennials.

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  13. Marvelous garden. Love all the grasses and brightly colored flowers.

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