I've been on a roll, writing about the the Smithsonian Garden stops on the 2017 Garden Bloggers Fling. But as much as I love the public gardens we visit during a "Fling" the really magical moments are the ones spent in the private gardens, so let's take a break and visit one...
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Several of my Fling-mates were seriously hyped to see the garden of Linda Hostetler, sadly I was out of the loop, but now I get it. Here's the description from our Fling materials: "Linda is a graphic designer turned landscape designer who is happiest playing in the dirt with primary colors. Her incredible garden started with poison ivy and three dead cherry trees and has become an exuberant red and blue playground threaded with vignettes created by a collector gone mad. She and her husband dug a 90’ stream and a 16x24 foot pond for their resident amphibians." (You will see those amphibians in just a bit).
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The photo above began to show the long driveway to the back of the property. Here's a wide view to help you begin to grasp the scale of this garden.
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Along the drive...
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Looking from the drive to the house.
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So this house is only 100 years older than our house, give or take a few of years (ours dates to 1948).
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The front door...
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Looking back towards the main street that passes through this picturesque little town (and our buses parked across the street).
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I usually try for garden photos sans people, but everyone was just so happy to be here! It's fun to see them soaking it all up.
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We were here on June 25th and her Albizia julibrissin ‘Summer Chocolate’ was already in bloom. Mine back at home wouldn't start up until mid-July.
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My Lonicera refuses to bloom. I'm a little heartbroken about that.
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The pathway to the back garden...
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The Grey Gardens of bird houses.
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Oh! Remember those amphibians?
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Here they are...
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Well just a couple of them. There were many more...
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At the back of the house, the end point of that long graveled drive out front. But now...
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We're about to walk into a very large back garden...
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Sweet!
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All sorts of variegation, all playing very nicely together.
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There were many (many!) blue accents in the garden, including a wire gazebo. In the center of the gazebo was this cage...
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Containing a potted Agave. You know I wanted to free it. But I was a good garden visitor and just walked on by...
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More blue...
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This! We'd seen it before in a couple other gardens, so ordinary, yet so exotic looking (to me). Cephalotaxus harringtonia 'Prostrata', aka Spreading Japanese Plum Yew.
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I don't recall ever seeing this plant back in Portland, yet it's perfectly hardy in my Zone AND rumored to be grown by several of our nurseries, they just ship it back east before we can buy it. I am a girl on a mission.
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Right about here the call came out to head back to the buses.
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Since lunch was the next stop we all paid attention, eventually.
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Thanks for sharing your garden Linda! (back of the house)
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Weather Diary, Aug 23: Hi 83, Low 61/ Precip tbd
All material © 2009-2017 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.
Several of my Fling-mates were seriously hyped to see the garden of Linda Hostetler, sadly I was out of the loop, but now I get it. Here's the description from our Fling materials: "Linda is a graphic designer turned landscape designer who is happiest playing in the dirt with primary colors. Her incredible garden started with poison ivy and three dead cherry trees and has become an exuberant red and blue playground threaded with vignettes created by a collector gone mad. She and her husband dug a 90’ stream and a 16x24 foot pond for their resident amphibians." (You will see those amphibians in just a bit).
The photo above began to show the long driveway to the back of the property. Here's a wide view to help you begin to grasp the scale of this garden.
Along the drive...
Looking from the drive to the house.
So this house is only 100 years older than our house, give or take a few of years (ours dates to 1948).
The front door...
Looking back towards the main street that passes through this picturesque little town (and our buses parked across the street).
I usually try for garden photos sans people, but everyone was just so happy to be here! It's fun to see them soaking it all up.
We were here on June 25th and her Albizia julibrissin ‘Summer Chocolate’ was already in bloom. Mine back at home wouldn't start up until mid-July.
My Lonicera refuses to bloom. I'm a little heartbroken about that.
The pathway to the back garden...
The Grey Gardens of bird houses.
Oh! Remember those amphibians?
Here they are...
Well just a couple of them. There were many more...
At the back of the house, the end point of that long graveled drive out front. But now...
We're about to walk into a very large back garden...
Sweet!
All sorts of variegation, all playing very nicely together.
There were many (many!) blue accents in the garden, including a wire gazebo. In the center of the gazebo was this cage...
Containing a potted Agave. You know I wanted to free it. But I was a good garden visitor and just walked on by...
More blue...
This! We'd seen it before in a couple other gardens, so ordinary, yet so exotic looking (to me). Cephalotaxus harringtonia 'Prostrata', aka Spreading Japanese Plum Yew.
I don't recall ever seeing this plant back in Portland, yet it's perfectly hardy in my Zone AND rumored to be grown by several of our nurseries, they just ship it back east before we can buy it. I am a girl on a mission.
Right about here the call came out to head back to the buses.
Since lunch was the next stop we all paid attention, eventually.
Thanks for sharing your garden Linda! (back of the house)
Weather Diary, Aug 23: Hi 83, Low 61/ Precip tbd
All material © 2009-2017 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.