Happy Friday, GPODers!
We’re ending the week on the West Coast with Jeanne Erdahl in Washington, just outside of Seattle. Jeanne’s garden started as a blank slate, with nothing growing under the mature trees on their lot aside from a mess of Himalayan blackberries (Rubus armeniacus). Considered one of the most invasive plants on the West Coast, I can only imagine the battle that ensued to remove those thorny thickets. However, 25 years of work has completely transformed the space, and it’s hard to imagine what once was when you look at the lush garden that exists today. Today she is highlighting some beautiful moments from this spring.
This garden overlooking Lake Sammamish outside of Seattle is about 25 years old and started as a bare lot covered with Himalayan blackberries but also two magnificent old trees: a Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii, Zones 4–6) and a western redcedar (Thuja plicata, Zones 5–7). When we found out that the only way we could get a septic system on this property was by having a series of sand mounds installed, my partner declared that we would never get anything to grow on them. A minute’s reflection would have told us that they would be the best possible growing medium for any number of plants.
We started out with a professional garden design, but every plant we installed ourselves, and of course the design evolved and changed greatly over the years. Now in our 80s, we still maintain the property by ourselves, with only help pruning the taller trees once a year.
I’m never sad for long when some treasured plant bites the dust. It means that I can go buy or propagate a new plant!
A Chinese fringe flower (Loropetalum chinense, Zones 7–9) backed by an Exbury azalea and Burkwood viburnum (Viburnum × burkwoodii, Zones 4–8), all in bloom
The 20 year-old patch of rodgersia just popping up in the spring
One of the myriad native columbine
A particularly graceful Rainbow leucothoe (Leucothoe fontanesiana ‘Rainbow’, Zones 5–9) vining through an azalea on one of the mounds
One of our garden helpers
Part of our field of foxgloves (Digitalis purpurea, Zones 4–9) in full bloom with the Ruby Falls redbud (Cercis canadensis ‘Ruby Falls’, Zones 5–9) in the foreground and a variegated dogwood behind
Path surrounded by foxgloves
Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra, Zones 5–9), probably my all-time favorite plant, with iris at the edge of our dry streambed
Wind sculpture by the deck
Front mound planting of daylilies, garden phlox (Phlox paniculata, Zones 4–8), and Britt Marie Crawford ligularia (Ligularia ‘Britt Marie Crawford’, Zones 4–8)
Japanese maple, maybe Bloodgood (Acer palmatum ‘Bloodgood’, Zones 5–8), which was a seedling from my sister, underplanted with blue star creeper (Isotoma fluviatilis, Zones 6–8)
In the front yard, a cottonwood (Populus deltoides, Zones 3–9) and young Douglas fir, longtime friends
Native dogwood (Cornus nuttallii, Zones 7–9) in full bloom
Thank you so much for sharing your delightful garden with us, Jeanne! Your space looks like a true woodland wonderland, and you’ve managed to create tons of fantastic flower and foliage interest despite the planting challenges.
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and are able to spend as much time as possible enjoying your garden. While you’re out there, consider snapping some photos to share with Garden Photo of the Day! Follow the directions below to submit photos via email, or send me a DM on Instagram: @agirlherdogandtheroad.
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Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!
To submit, send 5–10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.
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