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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, July 23, 2013

The Gig Harbor Garden of Millie and Craig Russell

 
 
It's a cool and quiet Saturday  morning in Gig Harbor and as the voice of Alison's GPS tells us that we've arrived at our destination, the slight clean fragrance of salt water wafts through the woods and delights  our noses.  The morning sun streaming through  giant douglas firs illuminating the mossy forest floor.  There are times when I can't imagine living anywhere besides the Pacific Northwest!    This morning, we have the pleasure of visiting the garden of Millie and Craig Russell.   One of the first scenes to greet us was this white garden.  In my mind, the white cat piece coupled with the white plants suggested a garden in honor of a beloved white cat.  In chatting with Millie, it seems that there was no such special pet, just a desire to grow white plants here.     
 
Dig that crazy cool Acer palmatum with ghostly white leaves. 


The entry to the home is beautiful and if one stands at the door, (s)he can see through the house to the windows with water views on the other side.  Sweet!

Millie found these faces on a trip to England.  Having moved from Colorado, she finds the way moss covers things here quite special.



A view from a side garden.  The table top is a former well cover from the property. 


It's not obvious in this picture but there are paths leading down to the beach.  Can you imagine waking up to such a lovely bay view every day?



Millie has a cool collection of unusual containers.  This copper one is my favorite.

A scene like this which shows that someone loves plants and has been shopping is what makes a garden truly special for me.  That potting table is very nice.

Some of the bonsai collection.  I wonder if they enjoy the view as much as we did?


Alison photographing a couple of sweet birds.


This guy was happily visiting the bird feeders.  It's very special to see a native squirrel.  Here in town,  we only see  introduced gray squirrels.

A fantastic idea for hose storage.  If I weren't too lazy to put my hose away, I'd be tempted to copy this!



There is a great collection of rusty metal items displayed in a shady part of the garden.





And on the other side of the house are sunny borders.  The foliage combination here is especially nice.

 
As we were passing back through the trees toward the car, we spied these Indian pipes, or ghost flower, Monotropa uniflora.  This from mushroomexpert.com:  Until recently, botanists believed that Indian Pipes were saprophytes, subsisting on dead or decaying organic material. Recent investigations, however, have revealed that Monotropa uniflora is actually parasitic on a fungus that is in a "mycorrhizal" relationship with a tree. The fungus and the tree are exchanging nutrients in a mutually beneficial relationship; the Indian Pipes have duped the fungus into "believing" it is in a second mycorrhizal relationship--but in reality the fungus gets nothing out of the deal, and is being parasitized by Monotropa uniflora. Chlorophyll is not involved in the process, which accounts for the plant's ghostly colors. 
  
It is impossible to buy this or get it to grow in one's garden but Millie reports that it just shows up and in slightly different places each year.   I'd only seen this in pictures before and was delighted to encounter it in person.
 
Here's the amazing Millie, the gardener who makes this place what it is!
 

23 comments:

  1. Very cool garden. So gorgeous when the garden and the view work beautifully together. The acer in the white garden is a special touch I don't think I've seen before. Love all the plants waiting for their place in the garden.

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    1. I'd never seen that acer before. It's gorgeous & I'll look for one (like I have space for one more plant!)

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  2. What a lovely property. I love the black bamboo by the entrance; I am hoping to something similar by some floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the backyard at my parents' place.

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    1. I loved the entrance (and the whole garden.) Such a nice mix of sun and shade and that incredible bay view! When will you be back at your parents' place? You're finished with grad school now, yes?

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  3. Oh, what a wonderful treat to find this post about Millie's garden from a few weeks back waiting for me this morning. I loved this garden, even though I had seen it before on a previous Gig Harbor garden tour. Thanks so much for posting your photos, you always take so many more than I do.

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    1. We'll have to replace our garden outings with junking expeditions come fall.

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  4. Love the photos of the white garden. I admire people with the restraint to go with a color scheme like that. Of course having amble land to plant everything else certainly helps.

    Oh to have a bay view...

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    1. Yes, more space would be nice but I've a feeling I'd still have a big jumble of impulse buys no matter how big my garden.

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  5. I just love a garden that's been carefully curated over a long period of time. I'm in love with all the rusty and patinaed metal objects. And Indian pipes! Holy smokes!

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    1. That rusty stuff was great! Indian pipes were a big treat to see so close to a garden.

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  6. The garden is spectacular, but its location overlooking the water takes it one step closer to heaven.

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  7. What a magical place! Plenty of rocks and water, and sun, shade, and plants to make it all sing. Beautiful! Those Indian Pipes are such strange creatures...

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  8. Dear og, that is my idea of heaven - the view, the beach, the garden, the squirrel, the rocks, the birdbaths, the weird fungi, the quirky pots arranged so aesthetically pleasingly. Am I awake or dreaming?

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    1. I liked this one a lot too and Millie's enthusiastic love of gardening made it even more special!

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  9. OH my! How fabulous, the view is to die for but the gardens are wonderful. A beautiful collection of interesting garden art and plants. Love it!

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  10. I have been to this garden but I see many reasons to return!

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    1. I'm so glad that many of the NPA open gardens participate for more than a single year as there are so many open gardens that one cannot see them all in one summer!

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  11. I loooooove Indian pipes!! I have always seen them as a child at my grand parents property in New Hampshire and always thought they were the most amazing thing. Didn´t know they were parasitic of another fungus! so interesting!
    Lovely garden.
    Where do grey squirrels come from?

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    1. Well, when a mommy grey squirrel and a daddy grey squirrel love each other very much...Oh, you were asking something else. There is a threatened western gray squirrel but the grey squirrels we see in my city are Eastern gray squirrels that were introduced from their native Eastern and Midwestern US and have displaced many of our native species. They were also introduced to Great Britain where they've become problematic.

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    2. Hehehe, so funny :) That is interesting... at the Lakes Region in New Hampshire my family has always liked red squirrels and said grey squirrels were not native and were displacing red ones... but if they come from the East of USA then that is not true...I´ll have to ask mommy and daddy grey squirrel about that.

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