Back in June I visited the garden of Karen and Sam Brindley in Indianola, Washington, as part of the Northwest Perennial Alliance's Open Gardens. At the time I started to put together a post about it, but I realized I perhaps didn't have quite as many photos of the garden as I needed to really give the reader a good idea of the garden. Plus, I'm really dreadful at doing this kind of post.
I knew I was going to be returning in August, which I did just this past weekend with Peter
The Outlaw Gardener and Loree
The Danger Gardener, so I would have the opportunity to fill in some blanks, as well as show how some areas looked later in the season, after an especially hot and dry summer.
According to the description in the NPA booklet, "The garden was designed by Shayne Chandler of Plant LLC. There are three acres of garden that are heavy on design and loaded with great species. We have a little bit for everyone. Mediterranean, tropical, shade, woodland, cactus, and vegetables. The view isn't too bad either. Enjoy!"
Here's what drew my attention in June:
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| On the long driveway on the way to the house, you pass this large Schefflera |
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| As well as this area of high contrast between dark and lime green |
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| The garage |
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| The front of the house |
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| A nice contrast between the dark leaves of a Ligularia and the airy flowers of a Saxifrage |
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| A large ginger jar water feature set within a square of maidenhair ferns, with a backdrop of interesting shade plants |
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| Various Podophyllums by the front door |
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| Podophyllum and Saxifrage |
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| Luscious Podophyllum and Epimedium |
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| Dark Aeoniums planted in the ground set against a hedge |
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| Pink Poppies |
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| Allium seedhead and conifer |
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| The greenhouse where tender plants overwinter and summer vegetables grow lush |
As you come around the back of the house you get a view of the Sound.
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| Looking down at the sunny back garden from an upper deck |
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| The "not too bad" view |
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| Alliums and foxgloves |
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| The Seattle skyline on the left and Mt. Rainier on the right, just barely peeking out of the clouds (what aviators refer to as cumulogranite) |
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| A stone wall under the upper deck where sun and heat lovers grow |
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| Agaves, Sedums, and (although I didn't realize it at the time) an Echium pininana |
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| The owners' cat was very cute and friendly |
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| I was delighted to see that they had so many self-sown California poppies filling in the blanks in their beds |
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| California poppy and wallflowers |
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| Softly colored peach and yellow rose |
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| Ceanothus, blue Salvia, and Euphorbia |
So...that's what I noticed in June.
Here's what I noticed in the Brindley Garden in August:
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| Plantings that flank the gate |
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| The long winding driveway leads past fabulous planting beds and woodland areas to the greenhouse and onward to the house |
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| Persicaria 'Purple Fantasy' |
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| Persicaria 'Painter's Palette' |
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| Lobelia tupa |
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| A soft woolly blanket full of Clematis seedheads |
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| Clematis seedhead |
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| Self-sown Echium pininana that, according to Sam Brindley, will overwinter here and bloom next year |
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| Echium pininana |
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| Blue Acacia tree |
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| Opuntias and Yucca linearifolia |
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| Mimosa tree |
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| Yucca and Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt' |
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| Possibly the same soft peach and yellow rose that was blooming in June |
Hopefully between my pictures from June and my pictures from August I've managed to give you some sense of the fabulosity of the Brindley garden.
Peter The Outlaw Gardener posted
here about his visit last year to the Brindley Garden.
Another blogging friend, Linda Reeder, also visited the Brindley garden this year during the Garden Conservancy Open Days program and posted
here about her visit.
