Do I have to talk about my garden?


I’d much rather not. It looks fine and all—in fact, there’s been a decent amount of late season activity, thanks to tireless annuals, oblivious tropicals and a few warhorse perennials (rudbeckia, buddleia, etc., etc.). Things are winding down now; it’s almost time to bring the houseplants in and bury the bulbs.


To a certain degree, this has been a summer of looking at other people’s gardens. In July, the Seattle bloggers’ meet-up provided a whirlwind tour of magnificent private and public landscapes. The Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island was the most spectacular site we visited, in my opinion, and I think most of the bloggers would agree. There have been many posts on the Seattle gardens, but I am sharing just two images from Bloedel, at top and above. This is part of their Japanese area. I’ve seen plenty of Japanese gardens, but the variety of specimen trees, the artistry, and the luxuriant spectrum of greens in this one set it apart.


In August, we had two great garden visits, one private and one public. First we stopped by the fabulous property of Layanee/Ledge and Gardens. She made us a wonderful lunch, most of it fresh from her garden, and then we walked around in a steady rain to view her extensive gardens. There are several beds framing the house, more around the pool, and a good-sized vegetable bed. I didn’t take as many pictures as I thought—the rain, we were talking—but here’s a decent one (above).


Finally, we saw the formal grounds of Edith Wharton’s former home, The Mount, on our way back from New England. It’s gone through some rough times over the years, but is being restored. Wharton was an accomplished landscape designer in the classic fashion, clearly inspired by gardens she’d seen in Europe. I liked the contract between two equally formal spaces—a shady walled Italian garden and the quartered sunny flowerbeds. There are also magnificent buddleia and hydrangeas massed along the slope to the house (not visible here).


That will be it for garden tourism unless we make it to the tropics this winter. Fingers crossed!

Comments

Carol Michel said…
Thanks for taking us along on your travels. These gardens are inspiring.
Well, I wasn't jealous of your travels until I saw the Bloedel site photo. This is a great garden tour. Thank you.
Fairegarden said…
You visited some fabulous spots, Elizabeth. Thanks for sharing them. Bloedel was a high point for my garden visiting, as well. Ledge And Gardens is on my bucket list.
Frances
Commonweeder said…
Layanee's garden is on my list! I agree that the Bloedel was amazing. And I make regular visits to The Mount - where I got to see Pear Fryar do a topiary demonstration this year. What an amazing man!
Cindy, MCOK said…
The memory of Bloedel's cool green vistas kept me going through the hellatious months of August.

Like Frances, Layanee's garden is on my bucket list.
Great photos of some beautiful gardens...sounds like a nice summer!
You visited quite a spectrum of gardens, each wonderful in their own way. Garden tourism is the best.
Your garden tour is fantastic. Summer went well I presume. ;) It seems to me that touring gardens is picking up in popularity these days (I also do gardening in the summer). At least that is what it seems to be doing. Many thanks.

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