Today we’re heading to Camano Island, Washington, to visit Joseph in Zone 8b. His property sits on a slope, where he’s built an impressive rock garden with gravel paths and a stone retaining wall. It’s so full of texture that it has an almost desert-like feel I wouldn’t expect to find in the Pacific Northwest. And with the Cascade Mountains in the distance, the setting is pretty hard to beat. Here’s Joseph to tell us more!
Born out of necessity after moving into our newly built home, the entire process has been one of experimentation and discovery. “This is a nice plant. Let’s put it in the ground and see what happens.”
The front yard sits at the bottom of a sloped cul-de-sac. Creeping thyme (Thymus cvs., Zones 4–9), trailing rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus cvs., Zones 8–11), liatris (Liatris cvs., Zones 3–9), asters (Symphyotrichum cvs., Zones 4–8), hydrangeas (Hydrangea cvs., Zones 3–9), lavender (Lavandula cvs., Zones 4–10), wisteria (Wisteria cvs., Zones 5–9), and grapevines (Vitis cvs., Zones 4–10) create changing views throughout the year.
The waterfall feature, built into the slope, provides a refreshing respite for native robins, finches, chickadees, and the occasional Steller’s jay.
A view of the arbor, looking east.
The fence line, shared with the resident horses next door, is masked by grapevines, roses (Rosa cvs., Zones 3–9), raspberries (Rubus cvs., Zones 3–9), and clematis (Clematis cvs., Zones 4–9). The arbor presents a wisteria- and grape-framed view of the bay and the Cascade Mountains to the east.
Thanks for giving us a look at your garden, Joseph! Rock gardens are a great way to stabilize a slope, and I love your use of plants throughout yours. The purple asters look especially beautiful against the chartreuse foliage—a fantastic color combination!
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