Don't be fooled. Inside this thin coating of sweetness is a fiery core of total insanity.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Wednesday Vignette

Poppy season is long gone, but today for my Wednesday Vignette I'm sharing some photos of poppies blooming back in May in the garden of Elaine Berryman.




Anna at Flutter & Hum hosts Wednesday Vignette. Check out her post here.

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

The Garden of Sharon Glenn

Back in May I visited the wonderfully tranquil, park-like garden of Sharon Glenn, a garden newly open to NPA members.

The Garden of Sharon Glenn

There wasn't a lot of description to give you much idea of what you'd find, but that last sentence was an understatement. Sharon's garden was magical and delightful.

The large front garden is sunken from street level, with borders and a large circle of green lawn

Near the front door is a peaceful water feature

On the way to the back garden you pass this lovely Clematis


I felt a definite kinship with this fun sign!

Another luscious Clematis -- 'Josephine' I think



Yet another Clematis on the fence just as you enter the back garden
After passing through the gate you enter the park-like back garden, with wide concrete and brick paths, as well as grass paths and many large island beds







I was intrigued by these enormous tractor tires, stacked on top of each other


A choice of direction



Sharon has left several old, character-ful snags and stumps throughout the garden


I wasn't sure if the many stepping stone paths in the island beds were for visitors, or just for gardener access






It was May, Rhodie season


This large mirror hanging on the fence gave you a different picture depending on your viewing angle




I don't give any space, really, to Rhodies  in my garden, but I did like this fiery one



One more Clematis blooming lushly to admire on the way out

I've really gotten my money's worth from the Open Gardens booklet this season. I love that the NPA can occasionally entice new people like Sharon to open their gardens. It's a wonderful treat to wander through such a lovely, peaceful place.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Wednesday Vignette

My picture today is all about perspective. I noticed it when I was sorting through the photos that I included in yesterday's post about Heronswood.

It could be an extreme closeup of a small plant like a primula. But it's not. It's actually a group of western skunk cabbage (Lysichiton americanus), and that leaf standing upright in the center is as tall as me (I'm about 5'2")

When I was putting this post together I looked for a bunch of pithy quotes about perspective to include. The one I liked best wasn't attributed to anyone.

"When you realize that by changing your perspective, big things can be seen as little things, it becomes much harder to worry about anything."

I'm going to have to remember that one. All those things that cause me anxiety aren't skunk cabbages, they're really Primulas.





Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Leafy Green Cathedral of Awesomeness

Heronswood







































































I visited Heronswood a couple of weekends ago, when Nigel and I decided to spend an overnight trip to the Kitsap Peninsula. It's only about an hour and a half drive from my house, but it's always fun to go away overnight.

The garden has made great strides in the years since it was bought by the Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe. Its renovation was overseen by Dan Hinkley, the original owner of Heronswood. It's now open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from the beginning of March to the end of October.

I hope you enjoyed seeing these photos from my visit.