A report from Mike in Oly:
Last weekend my iris club visited a local garden and nature preserve north of us in Federal Way, WA. It was a real treat. We did not get to hike the 37 acre nature preserve due to a variety of factors (aged members, steep muddy trails, etc.) but the gardens were delightful.
I’ll split it in two – the shade borders and the tropical garden. Hope you enjoy.
Today, the shade garden…
Top photo: A quiet spot to sit and contemplate the setting, surrounded by a multitude of green tones and textures.
Near the garden entrance was this striking rubber plant, tucked into a planting of rhodies and ferns. It sure made an eye-catching focal point with its bright red flower.
Several of the shade beds had these chunks of columnar basalt with bowls carved out for water and flowers floated in them. I would love a few of these for my own garden.
A part shade/part sun border stuffed with ferns, hydrangeas, rhodies and other lovely plants.
A couple more of the basalt bowls.
A pretty mix of hydrangea and Japanese anemone with a chartreuse evergreen, all below adding a burst of color to the border. Whoever designed the plantings has a love for bold colors.
I am in love with this begonia with its bright pink stems and flowers over the lime green foliage. Must find this for my garden.
Another basalt bowl with hydrangeas and an unusual fern.
This garden was a feast for the eyes and surprisingly fresh and lovely at the end of a long dry PNW summer. I’d like to go back in the spring and see what it offers then.
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What’s going on in your garden(s), this week?
divF
I’m not normally a commenter for the Sunday morning garden spots, but these are really lovely.
We have a landscaper friend who had been sending over dahlias every week from his garden, to grace our kitchen counter. The season is ending, alas.
ETA: wow, a first !
rikyrah
Good Morning Everyone 😊😊😊
satby
@rikyrah: Good morning!
@Mike in Oly it must have been a delightful day to walk through and enjoy all the beauty in those gardens! Great pics as always.
Falling Diphthong
This is lovely, and so timely as I am about to visit someone who just moved to Seattle.
Baud
@rikyrah:
Good morning.
PAM Dirac
A number of years ago I submitted a garden chat that included pictures of our little vineyard. I think I might have mentioned recently that the 2023 season went really well. All the stuff I’ve learned over the years about grape growing and wine making enabled me to take advantage of an almost perfect growing season. Got some independent confirmation of the wine quality as the 2023 Albarino won best in show at the county fair. Kind of nice to have something you knew would be a long term project start to show the results you hoped you could get to.
I was re-reading the submission from years ago. I had finished with something like “Come on by, We’ve have a glass waiting for you.” The late, great Ozark Hillbilly replied “I’ll be right there”. Of course I didn’t think he was literally going to travel almost a 1000 miles, but re-reading it now it it’s hard not to think of what could have been. Damn, that would have been sweet. Only thing better than a good glass of wine is sharing it with good people.
JPL
@PAM Dirac: I remember your writing about your labors! I’m pleased to hear about the award
oldster
Is this the same place as “PowellsWOOD” Gardens?
Rusty
Those basalt bowls are beautiful, as is the rest of the garden. Thank you for sharing.
Mike in Oly
@oldster: Yes. It is Powellswood, not Powellsworth. Glad you enjoy the photos, everyone.
beckya57
Wow. I live nearby (Tacoma) and have never heard of this place. We’ll have to visit now!
Anne Laurie
@oldster: Thanks for the correction, my fault!
Gvg
Wildbirds Unlimited sells carved rock bowls like that as bird baths and such. I too look at them and want, but the price tag of a few hundred is out of my budget. Sometimes you can get lucky at an estate sale. Don’t pass up a statue for the garden to finish looking around first….there was this jaguar a few years ago. I have picked up a very nice bird bath though that was originally from wild birds, at an estate sale.
My Friday plus weekend was endless picking up sticks and cutting branches from the hurricane. Putting out for the poor trash pickup men. They will normally be weeks picking it up. The thing is there is weather chatter a new system may form in the same place in about a week to 10 days which would make all the yard debris around town missiles to cause more damage. The policy is to try to have it picked up. I don’t know how they can or what the alternatives are.
Today is for rest so I can survive the next week. Also recovery.I may order some plants on line!
I really enjoyed looking at the peaceful garden and remembering a trip to Seattle and Washington state years ago. There were some lovely gardens my mother and I dragged dad too. I have experimented with cane and Rex begonias here in Florida zone 9a and quite a few can be grown outside in the landscape in shade. They survive winter with out light frosts and freezes in you mulch with pine straw. There is one with white flowers that bloomed through last winter until about August, then finally took a break.
kalakal
How very lovely, reminds me of England with the planting design.
Very different from Fl so thank you for posting.
Spent Friday clearing up the mess from Helene, we got lucky in this neighbourhood, a few downed trees and wrecked fences but doesn’t seem to be any wrecked houses
Mike in Oly
@Anne Laurie:
It’s closer Anne – Powellswood, not word.
Jeffg166
My seed collecting has gone into high. Now I have to get them out of their casings. Some are easy some aren’t.
CaseyL
Sounds like they pack a lot into that 37 acres!
Federal Way used to be my regular commute, when I worked for Weyerhaeuser in the 00s. I loved walking around their bonsai and rhodie gardens back then. When Weyerhauser packed up and left Federal Way, IIRC they donated both to the locals. But I never knew about Powellswood; it may be time to schlep back down there, because these look lovely.
JAM
Thanks, Mike, love the pictures.
stinger
@PAM Dirac: Sounds like it’s time for another garden chat submission! And congratulations!
pieceofpeace
Lovely garden! Thank you.
Lyrebird
@Mike in Oly: Thank you, these are so beautiful!
@PAM Dirac: Congrats! And yeah, I am having a hard time not looking for an Ozark comment here…
StringOnAStick
I love these lush cool rainforest gardens of the PNW, and I’ve just started to explore them as we start seeing more of the “wet side” .
Here on the dry side, I bought a columnar basalt bowl at the local rock purveyor a couple years ago; they fracture into those bowl shapes naturally, some better than others. I bought the smallest one I could find in the rock yard because I didn’t have access to a Bobcat to move it around, and though it’s only a foot tall, it still came in at 330 pounds! It cost more to have it delivered than it did to actually but it, but any bigger and I wouldn’t have been able to roll it around into its final position. I love seeing the bees drinking from it on warm early spring days, and because of the rough surface they don’t drown and can easily walk back away from the water.