May of 2020 (in the midst of COVID lockdown), I received an email about scheduling a photo shoot in my garden, for a book. I had just finally cleared my calendar of all scheduled visits for the summer, and inviting strangers into my private space wasn't something I was particularly keen on doing. Plus I was hard at work with edits on my own book, which was not exclusively about my garden but certainly included lots of photos and details. Not a pair easily dismissed however, author Brian Coleman and photographer William Wright convinced me to invite them to visit and thus my garden is one of 20 included in the recently released Private Gardens of the Pacific Northwest.
Of those 20 gardens there are 4 here in Oregon, the other 16 are in Washington. I feel quite honored to be one of just 4 gardens chosen to represent my state! Two of the other Oregon gardens will be familiar to readers of my blog and book; one is John Kuzma and Kathleen Halme's Hummingbird Garden, the other Craig Quirk and Larry Neill's Floramagoria (where the cover shot, above, was taken). I've not yet visited the 4th garden, that of Gail Barnard and her husband Jon—judging by the photos in the book however I need to get myself over there soon!
Paging through the Washington gardens featured in the book there are a few I've visited (the Brindley's, Denise Lane, Lorene Edwards Forkner) and other's I know the owners of (thanks to social media) but haven't yet had the chance to visit.
Here's the introduction from the publisher...
An exclusive retreat into the verdant, lush residential gardens of the Pacific Northwest. Private Gardens of the Pacific Northwest is a stunning exploration of 20 lush private gardens. These sprawling estates, small sanctuaries, and artful retreats capture the natural beauty of the verdant Pacific Northwest, each one splashed with hints of boldness, modernity, artistry, and exquisiteness. Capturing the personality of those who cultivate them, these gardens have their stories told through the words of renowned author Brian Coleman, who takes readers through the flourishing natural beauty that the northwestern coast has to offer.
And a photospread that will, no doubt, look familiar to many of you...
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I'm thrilled with the coverage my small garden received (12 pages!), and if you're curious about the private gardens of Western Oregon and Washington I think you'll enjoy the book. Much thanks to Brian and William for including me in this photo-rich exploration of our area's diverse gardens!
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