The Cowboy’s Garden

When last we joined the early September/Kitsap Peninsula adventures of my garden blogging friends and me we had just left Celestial Dream Gardens. The plan was to journey on to WeHoP (Western Horticultural Products). We’d called our hostess to let her know we were on our way, but then an interesting opportunity presented itself. As my friend Peter said “So, There was This Good Looking Cowboy Standing by the Side of the Road.” Truth be told we’d noticed him, his truck full of plants, and “Rare Plant Sale” sign, alongside the road on our way into Heronswood. We agreed a quick stop wouldn’t be a bad thing…

Well as you may have read on the blogs of my travel companions that cowboy was Shanye Chandler a plant nut who has been plant-exploring with Dan Hinkley and designs and maintains gardens for a living. He invited us back to see his garden…this was either going to end very badly or…

Very good!

You just never know when someone offers to share their garden with you. Is it going to be a petunia and plastic chair wonderland, or this...

We got lucky.

Not only was the garden amazing but our unexpected host could not have been more gracious. He answered every question we had (sometimes twice or three times when different members of our party happened upon a cool plant) and seemed to really be enjoying himself too.

I snuck a peak at the tag of this one, cleaverly hidden just inside the pot, Puya venusta, and it looks like it flowered...

So many fabulous plants, and we're just starting to realize this is a very big garden.

That hebe again...

And some of my group in the distance along with Shayne, in the cowboy hat (of course)...

The garden is both contained by, and extended by, the huge old growth evergreens beyond what is cultivated.

This picture cracks me up. I've just caught sight of the biggest Schefflera delavayi I've ever seen and yet these three are looking at the ground!!!

It was majestic!

As were the multiple palms...

And if I remember correctly the big leafed plants are baby magnolias.

That dark leafed creature caught my eye immediately.

It's a rhododendron right? Anybody able to give me a name? (I was too overwhelmed to think to ask while there)

I thought that pathway would lead back around to where we started and that would be the end, but no! There is another leg you can't see here which doubled back and took us to another section of the garden.

Ah my oak! (Quercus dentata 'Pinnatifida')

I am 90% in love with Trochodendron aralioides (Wheel Tree) but there is a little part of me that just isn't so sure. I think it's because the leaves are so glossy, they look a little plastic.

There were several echium, E. pininana I believe.

And of course an agave collection!

I loved the arching grass behind the agaves, acting as a graceful backdrop.

The agave collection was just off the side of this party pavilion. What a nice place to spend a warm, but rainy day.

And there was an onsite nursery of sorts, it was hard to resist the urge to go poking around through all the plants. I behaved myself, no doubt many of these treasures were destined for a garden nearby.

I believe this is the same dark leaved rhody (?) as in the earlier photo?

Another schefflera...

We're back up on the other side of the house now and things are about to come to an end.

It was hard to tear ourselves away.

What a lucky group we were to be invited to tour this amazing private garden. Thank you Shayne!

All material © 2009-2013 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.