HPSO open garden on Sauvie Island

As I've mentioned another season of garden touring is upon us, happy times these! Somewhere, sometime I'd seen images of Flicker Farm, the garden of Linda Wisner and Chet Orloff and when I saw they were opening for HPSO members I made it a priority to visit.

I'm glad I did.

From the HPSO members open garden book: "Come explore our 1.3-acre Sauvie Island home. Walk through gates sculpted by Ray Huston into the magical world of Flicker Farm, the heart of which is a Mediterranean-meets-Pacific-Northwest courtyard. From the shady borders and beds in the front, to the herb garden and berms, to the meadows and native plant hedgerows beyond, there is much to discover. By late summer, towering amaranth stalks punctuate the scene and vegetable gardens are overflowing. You'll find plenty of places to sit awhile, from a dry-stacked stone bench in front, to a cluster of Adirondack chairs under the contorted mulberry, to the birch grove..."

I walked through that fabulous mystery door above and discovered a tall mini-grove of Tetrapanax, reaching up up up, beyond the roof of the house. But then quickly retreated because I had the feeling I was in an off-limits area. Of course that wasn't the case, but that's how it felt in the moment.

Back out "front" the proper way to enter the garden.

Schefflera delavayi, one of my "litmus test" plants, they're in!

There's a part of me that fantasizes about living on Sauvie Island. And not just because it's the location of Cistus Nursery (although really, wouldn't that be nice!)

No it's more about the open space, the rural living just minutes from downtown. And Cistus. Really.

But enough about that. Check out this amazing garden!

Wine grapes!

And a tricked out greenhouse. Pretty fabulous.

There is a lot of twisted metal to be found throughout the garden. I wonder if it's all the work of Ray Huston, the fellow credited with the entry gate (which we'll see just a bit of later)...?

Only in a garden this large would a dead tree be left as art. It works though, don't you think?

This tree was magical...

Both the leaves and the bark.

And thankfully there was a tag, hidden, but visible if you're looking. Alnus glutinosa 'Imperialis' aka Imperialis Cutleaf European Alder. Nice to make your acquaintance.