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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.

Monday, July 13, 2015

The Garden of Cynthia Wheaton

Next up on the  Northwest Perennial Alliance Excursion to Everett  is the garden of Cynthia Wheaton.  This space is as full of fun as the gardener herself.  Some of her words, "this five year old garden is open for the third time and is planned to be open every other year, so you can observe its progress.  Situated on a 1/4 acre city lot, it is being developed on a very modest budget, guided by a garden philosophy that strives to balance beauty, food production and  sustainability in each design decision.   the front garden welcomes neighbors to enjoy the cottage style beds, featuring an ever-changing tapestry of color that combines perennials, self-sowing annuals and shrubs."


A posted photo shows what the garden looked like five years ago.






Another use for bottles!  Cynthia says that because of the low position of the winter sun, it hits and warms the bottles which radiate heat to the soil in the bed and cause spring bulbs to bloom much earlier in this bed.


As we come in and move to the right, the hot driveway is now a perfect place for tomatoes to grow.

Shape echoes with the light cover and allium seed heads. 


I've  seen allium seed heads used in a lot of ways but never on the soil surface like this.  A fun way to cover ground where spring bulbs, perhaps the allium themselves,  have left a gap.


Passing through the rose garden. Artemisia 'Powis Castle' is the perfect foil for this bright rose!

"The sunny south side features vegetable production and a rose walk to the back garden entrance.  

"A more contemplative mood is the goal of the back gardens, featuring rest and entertainment areas along with a native plant garden which is certified as a backyard Wildlife Habitat."




I think I spy some wildlife now!

Bird feeders inside a bird cage made me laugh.  The idea was that this would keep squirrels and other vermin from eating the seed. Seems that they can squeeze themselves through the bars fairly well.
 "New this year ar alternate choices replacing several drought-tolerant plants that drowned in the very wet late winter of 2014, a newly installed rain garden, three newly planted huegelkultur berms, many native plant additions, and some new garden art."

Garden shed/greenhouse building is a perfect spot to consult the oracle.

"Once again your own gardening questions may be answered through a consultation using the Gaian Tarot provided by fellow NPA gardener Karen Brighton."

Cynthia was happy to show us this area in which she's spread all sorts of mushroom spores.  The rains of autumn should bring a nice crop!

Drumstick Allium (Allium sphaerocephalon) 

Moving back to the front garden.  Here's another before picture. 

And after. 

Perhaps you got a glimpse of this in earlier images of the front garden.  A diseased cherry tree had to be removed.  Instead of totally removing it, Cynthia decided to create what she calls her chairy tree.  (Groan.)

 Thanks, Cynthia, for opening your garden! 

22 comments:

  1. Chuckling re. that Chairy Tree...and thinking we may have to think about a rain garden here! Yet another day of rain and storms this Monday!

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    1. Cynthia is full of humor! Here, another day of sunshine and no rain.

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  2. I've seen people paint dead trees before, but I've never seen such one turned into such an elaborate visual pun. I love her sense of humor. We met Cynthia at the Decker's garden this past weekend, right? Love what she did with the Alliums too. There were a couple of painted Allium seedheads on the ground at the Bob Hyland garden during the Hardy Plant Study Weekend.

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    1. It's a great pun! We did meet Cynthia at the Decker's garden. Alliums seed heads are so much fun to play with!

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  3. I am chuckling, too ... chairy tree, garden centric tarot readings, bird seed in a bird cage. So much fun. So little money spent. Very nice selection of colorful annual plants. I would like to have the owl made of horns and the bird bath with the maple leaf. Inspiring. Oh, that owl!

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    1. It's fun to chuckle at garden jokes! The owl is fab!

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  4. She's having a lot of fun isn't she? Yay for that.

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    1. It's always fun to have a little laugh while we're doing the hard work of gardening and Cynthia has the fun part down!

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  5. Don't you just love before and after pictures?
    It's always thrilling to know a garden is certified as a backyard Wildlife Habitat. How does one get certified? I'd interested to know if indeed she got a crop of mushrooms. Peter, you have a good eye to catch the art echoing Allium seed heads, I probably would have walked right by it :-)

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    1. Before and after pictures are great! So wonderful to see the progress. Here's a link to how to get your garden certified: http://www.nwf.org/How-to-Help/Garden-for-Wildlife/Create-a-Habitat.aspx?campaignid=WH14F1ASCXX&s_src=700000000082645&s_subsrc=NWF_Habitats|Habitats_OLD&ssource=700000000082645&kw=NWF_Habitats|Habitats_OLD%3Cvaries%3E&gclid=CjwKEAjw5pKtBRCqpfPK5qXatWYSJABi5kTxasGkX7RrMJESZaKLxVtVyCuozVCzq7tmioii5cxLvhoCz0fw_wcB

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  6. The chairy tree is so fun and cool!

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  7. I like that shed/greenhouse! It's like every different design I see has parts that I want to put into my own hypothetical future shed...

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  8. What a change in 5 years! (I now feel like a sluggard.) Did you consult the oracle?

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    1. Great change in 5 years for sure. You, my friend, are no sluggard! I should have consulted the oracle but I was afraid of the answer. Running Bamboo - get rid of it? Try to install a barrier at this late date? Continue to live with annual root and runner cutting?

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  9. Great before and afters! Looks like a very playful and cheery place.

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    1. It is a playful and cheery (or is that chairry) place!

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  10. Wonderful garden, Cynthia! I loved this idea with bottles - the bed is warmed in spring.

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    1. That bottle bed is pretty cool in a warm sort of way!

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  11. Those before shots really make one appreciate what's been happening here. Inviting return visits every couple of years is a nice touch.

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  12. I do love how resourceful she's been with those bottles. Very clever. The chairy tree is too funny!

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