As our group of garden bloggers made our way to the Heronswood sale and garden open, we passed a cowboy standing by the side of the road next to a sign that read "Rare Plant Sale." One of my passengers said that she didn't even notice the sign. I decided before we got to Heronswood that we'd have to stop and look at the plants on our way out because one never knows where a green treasure might be found. Really, it was all about the plants, right ladies?!
There were indeed some interesting plants in the bed of this truck. When I asked if this fellow had a nursery or some sort of business at which he grew these plants, he invited us to see his garden. Polling the group, and calling the ever gracious Sally Priest at WeHop to let her know that we'd be a little later than we thought, we followed this stranger down a hilly dirt road. The strains of dueling banjos were playing in my mind as we followed deeper and deeper into the woods. We were in for a surprise alright, a truly delightful one!
It turns out that our roadside cowboy was none other than
Shayne Chandler, garden designer, plantsman, and genuinely nice guy!
His five acre garden in Kingston is quite a change from the much smaller urban garden in Seattle that he left behind only a few years ago. Believe it or not, this garden is still fairly young.
this Mahonia bark had all of our cameras clicking. Great texture, yes?
Shayne was extremely generous with his time and was happy to answer our many questions about his truly gorgeous garden.
Several water features throughout the garden gently flowed. They were so well integrated into the landscape that they seemed as if they were naturally occurring rather than man made.
Shayne's garden is full of great plants like this Fatsia japonica 'Spider's Web'
Impressive Nolina perfectly hardy in the ground. The Cussonia, not quite so hardy, adds a nice foliar contrast.
Yucca recurvifolia 'Margaritaville' is one of Shayne's favorite yuccas. It's a stunning plant!
We had the good fortune to walk through part of the house to get to the garden in back. The views from the large windows were serious eye candy!
One of my favorite things about this impromptu tour was that the garden wasn't primped to the point of being nearly sterile. This is a tremendous collectors garden, beautifully designed and also beautifully lived in and enjoyed! Hooray!
We may complain about our damp winters sometimes but where else but in this region can one have this kind of evergreen backdrop for his/her garden?
This Schefflera delavayi must have been nearly fifteen feet tall, the largest that any of us had seen.
A pirate, three fair maids, and a cowboy. A Gilbert and Sullivan moment if ever I saw one.
Trachycarpus fortunei underplanted with Iris confusa is a terrific combination.!
Another beautifully integrated water feature.
Love this tropicalismo area. If Gilligan, Ginger, and the Professor popped out at any moment, no one would have been in the least surprised.
The paths just keep drawing you further and further into the wonder of this place. It's interesting because in each area, you think you've seen the whole garden but when you follow explore a little further, you find that what you think might be little side paths suddenly open to wonderful vistas like this one.
I was drawn to this abutilon & just today realized that I already have it blooming its sweet head off in my own garden.
The delicate softness of this pine along with it's silvery color are thrilling. Fortunately it was close enough to touch!
Looking up the sledding hill where Shayne's boys play on the few snowy days we get in this area.
This is one of those places where one can simply point a camera in any direction and get fabulous pictures!
Handsome agave! I've been amazed at how tolerant these plants are of a little shade.
The pavilion looks very comfortable. I wonder how much time Shayne actually gets to sit here with five acres of garden to tend?
The other side.
Lovely collection of xeric plants. Is that Agave ovatifolia in the foreground? Where's Loree?
There she is of course!
Just when you think that there can't be any more, there's a kitchen garden with a greenhouse behind .
A path back to where we parked.
I just bought a climbing Aconitum a few weeks ago, now I know where I'll plant it!
How fortunate we were to be allowed the privilege of seeing this special private garden! Shayne has invited us back to see more gardens that he's designed so friends, let's think about sometime after the Garden Bloggers' Fling in Portland. Perhaps late in July or early August before the Fronderosa Frolic. Thank you, Shayne, for sharing your beautiful creation with us and for inviting us back!
P.S. we learned the term "Indoor-Outdoor Plant" from Shayne. Although it reminds me a little of the rug type, it perfectly describes the many plants that many of us grow that are part of the spring/fall migration or at least need to come inside for the coldest parts of the winter. I call these plants perfectly hardy here (in the summer.) Now when I see a plant labeled zone 9 or above, I'll simply think, "Indoor-Outdoor Plant."
