Joyce's Garden

The garden assistant a.k.a. he who's painting the house have been going on evening walks.  Since there's scaffolding up around two sides of the house and lots to do in the garden, making use of every bit of daylight left after work has moved our walk time to about ten at night.  Even in the dark, there are interesting things to see, gardens that look interesting that I want to revisit during the day.  The other night, we stopped in front of a house that had a lot of great looking plants and some cool garden art.  As we were chatting about the plants, out popped the gardener.  I apologized for alarming her but she didn't seem worried at all, just glad that we were enjoying her garden.  So, one afternoon after an appointment nearby, I went back to see the garden in the light.  Luckily, Joyce came out again and invited me to see the rest of  her garden. What a pleasure to explore the garden of another plant obsessed person!

Every inch of space is packed with plants!  You can see why, even in the dark, it was obvious that this is the home of a gardener!

Joyce's Parking strip.

Looking toward the front of the house.

Part of the front garden.

They always look so soft but yikes, those glochids are painful.  

So full of color and yet there are a number of winter-interest plants, like the Contorted Filbert (Corylus avellana 'Contorta') as well.

 The mosaic turtle and asters create a beautiful color echo.

We grow many of the same plants.  Joyce is also a fan of Jungle Fever Exotics Nursery and many of her plants and a lot  of her garden art was purchased there.

The butterfly bench is a grand place to sit in the evening to enjoy the intoxicating fragrance of the towering brugmansia behind.

Perhaps you recognize the Buddha on the left. We both got them from Jungle Fever.

One of the late Darlene Allard's (Jungle Fever) mosaic bowling balls.

Joyce's tuberous begonias are huge!

Gorgeous Trachycarpus fortunei.

Is that Yucca 'Margaritaville' next to the castor bean that Joyce started from seed?

Another of Darlene's creations.

Datisca cannabina, False Hemp looking quite happy.

More Allard mosaic work.

The blue foliage of Seseli libanotis (Moon carrot) combines wonderfully with just about any other color!

A kindred spirit, Joyce also likes using mirrors in her garden.

We have the same gunnera water feature from Jungle Fever.

Love the dragonfly!

Layers of texture and color.

Another J.F. find beneath Salvia 'Amisted' 

Fencing made by Joyce and a friend.  Isn't it great?

Clematis seed heads.

Here's our gracious host and fab gardener, Joyce.

Thank you so much for the guided tour of your beautiful garden and for sharing your garden knowledge with me!

A Lawn Free Garden in the Hood

This lawn free garden is one that I pass a few times a month  looks good year round and would make Pam Penick proud  I've yet to see anyone working in it but clearly someone does so frequently as there's not a weed to be found.  I'm always passing this garden on the way to or from something and never have my camera with me.  On this particularly beautiful sunny day, I decided to throw caution to the wind and take some pictures with my phone instead.  The ground cover in the parking strip is drought tolerant Washington native Fragaria chiloensis (Beach Strawberry.)

The use of evergreens and well placed boulders (most not visible at this time of the year) keep the interest in this garden in high gear even in the coldest months.  Foliage texture adds another layer and the many flowers are a beautiful frosting on the cake.

The repetition of a favorite color ties the garden together beautifully. 

 This is the kind of garden I'd like to have when if I ever grow up. 

At once very controlled 

 and so exuberant that it spills out onto the sidewalk!

Perhaps I'll go back throughout the year and share what it looks like through the seasons.  Maybe one day I'll get to meet the cool gardener behind this marvelous garden.

Happy weekend and happy gardening everyone!  

On the Street

A couple of posts back, I  showed pictures of staircases going nowhere.  On the same street, just a block  up there was a staricase going to this cool old house.  Of course, the great paint job and fun horns hanging on the front are interesting but what really grabbed my eye from some distance was the plants.

 

This house sits in the middle of a forest of palms, yuccas, and pampas grass.  I was sorely tempted to knock on the door but the dogs in the front yard made me think better of it.  The dogs seemed friendly enough but one never knows what might happen if someone tresspassed  on their magic forest.

 

 The parking strip in front of the house if filled with Trachycarpus fortunei, Yucca, and artistically done rock installations.  A neighbor across the street tells me that many of these rocks were dug from beneath the street in front when the city was doing a project.  The homeowner asked that the rocks be  placed in his parking strip and the workers were happy to comply.

A view up  to the side yard and some larger palms.

 Certainly an unusual treat in the pacific northwest  to have nearly a whole block of palms to walk by.

 Love these rock things!

This group, called Stonhenge, was created from boulders found in the garage when the owner moved in.

The reason that the palm walk goes on for such a distince is that the same fellow owns several lots all of which are for sale.  If you've ever wanted to move into a palm forest in Tacoma, now's your chance.  I would plant giant timber bamboo in the back to block the view of the modern building behind and would add some agaves, opuntias, and other plants that enjoy sharp drainage to the front sloping area.  A few passion vines would disguise the chain link fence and I'd be tempted to replace the grass in the parking strip with something else & add some variegated yuccas to the mix. 

 

 

At the far end of the block, there is a garden tended by someone who is a collector of evergreens of a different kind.

 

 

It's always fun to find gardens of passion!  Hope you enjoyed this little walk up the street as much as I did!