Windcliff

Time feels right for a little magic in the darkest time of the year. A summer visit to Windcliff, the private home and garden of Dan Hinkley and Robert Jones is a welcome bit of sunshine. 

Dan Hinkley is a horticulture hero for so many of us. He is a world traveler and plant collector, having introduced thousands of plants into cultivation, many of which I have in my own garden. He has penned several books including his latest Windcliff: A Story of People, Plants and Gardens. Dan is a teacher, writer, lecturer, consultant, award-winning nurseryman, naturalist, gardener and collaborator (many of his plant introductions are grown at Monrovia; an entire collection is named for him). He and Robert are the founders of Heronswood (which we will visit on another post, now owned by the Port S’Klallam Tribe) and continue to be heavily involved through direction and support. He is a personal friend of Martha Stewart and has appeared on her show on multiple occasions and is, frankly, an all-around great person. 

In 2000, he and Robert bought Windcliff, a then brown-lawn plot of 6.5 acres in Indianola, Washington, on a bluff overlooking Puget Sound. They then went about creating what he calls the opposite of lush, shady Heronswood - a sunny, summer dry site on what was a blank canvas. Lucky me, I had the opportunity to visit during the Garden Fling this past July and once again the following weekend for Great Plant Picks field days. What follows is a collage of both visits since they were taken so close together. And I admit, two visits were not nearly enough.

I spoke with Dan a week before the Garden Fling when he came to Cistus Nursery's first annual Summer Extravaganza as he was one of the speakers and also had some plants for sale. He apologized to me in advance for his garden, lamenting the damage that was caused by our exceptionally cold January storm. He explained that an entire area of the garden had been wiped out by the fast, deep cold when it had been so warm and mild in the Pacific Northwest up until the storm. I didn't know what to expect, but having visited Heronswood Gardens and Nursery some twenty years ago when he still ran it, I knew we were in for a treat regardless of winter damage.

Dan and Robert's garden resonates with me and is a lasting image in my garden psyche. The bluff did so especially, with its open meadow vibe and views across Puget Sound. Enough babble on my part - let's explore. There are a lot of photos in this post, so hunker down and grab a cuppa while exploring Dan and Robert's amazing Windcliff Garden with me.

The bluff has an open aspect with hundreds of Agapanthus, a plant they breed and propagate. Here a selection along with Lobelia tupa is framed by a perfect circle.

A wider view with salvia and grasses.

More salvia - the blue color of Salvia patens juxtaposed with fiery orange and reds of Lobelia tupa, Kniphofia and other hot colored flowers vibrates.

I took a lot of photos of this area as it truly was magic.

Lobelia tupa looking fantastic.

A sweep of Agapanthus makes me want to plant more of it in my own garden.

Rich, jewel colors look so appropriate on a bright, summer day.

Turning around and facing the back of the house, an Arctostaphylos stands as a living screen and sculpture. Behind this is a pond water feature rich with pitcher plants.

Turning back around to more of the bluff with Eucomis and grasses. From what I understand, the fact that you can see the water is remarkable in that this garden had been planted so densely before the January storm that the view was obscured. I for one could not tell the difference, it felt intentional to my eyes and was, in a word, gorgeous.

Larger shrubs in the background hint at the variety of plant material grown by Dan and Robert.

That same arcto - so photogenic.

Ammi visnaga, a plant I took for wild carrot (Daucus carota), near the home. Janet of the Paintbox Garden who also attended the Garden Fling identified it in her post about Windcliff.

Towards the front of the house on the walk up the drive I spotted this particularly lovely Arctostaphylos 'Monica' pruned to perfection.

Near the front of the house, a collection of geometric fiber pots (with the bottoms taken out and that have been painted) form a living wall for treasures that appreciate being lifted off the ground. It's ideas such as this that really spark my imagination.

A rather large and impressive patch of Cautleya spicata, an apparently hardy form of ginger, in front of the house. I almost came home with one of these but the "moist soil" requirement had me rethinking my plant lust.

Also in the front by the collection of pots, juvenile Pseudopanax ferox stands tall. This New Zealand plant will eventually morph into a more recognizable tree form, losing the downward facing leaves.

One of our Columbia River Gorge native plants, Penstemon barrettiae looks very happy here at Windcliff.

Marcia Donahue sculptures throughout the garden. Dan and Robert's garden is filled with artful treasures, an entire post could be dedicated to it.

A rather large planting of Sarracenia sp.

And I believe another Marcia Donahue sculpture, a serene spirit sleeping in the pond.

Details 

Fantastic trio of ferns in containers.

A small sampling of the potted collections near the back of the home.

Including this Pleopeltis lepidopteris 'Morro dos Conventos', Brazilian hairy sword fern. 

Color echos of a white-flowered salvia and the generous tactile leaves of Salvia argentea near the pond.

Stepping down off of the deck closest to the home a graveled bed filled with sun-loving treasures felt familiar.

Acanthus sennii is wicked and gorgeous with bright cherry red flowers in late autumn, a totally unexpected color for acanthus. At Cistus Nursery I saw one in bloom in the crevice garden last month.

Pulling back to a wider view, the steel retaining wall with its gorgeous sinuous rounded shape is both organic and structural. I imagine all of these plants, heavily mulched in gravel, appreciate the raised situation allowing for freer draining soil especially important in wet winters of the Pacific Northwest. My friend Maurice in the vest in the center along with other Great Plant Picks members enraptured with Dan and Robert's garden.

Detail of terraced gravel bed

More salvia including Salvia 'Amistad' and a rocky outcrop behind the steel retaining wall.

A wider view

Wider still showing two levels of retaining walls among sun lovers including hardy palms and Yucca rostrata. I think I took so many photos of this area because I would love to be able to apply this idea to do something similar at Chickadee Gardens someday, though likely on a smaller scale.

After much winter damage nearly took out this entire area it is now being solarized with plastic to kill weed seeds. It is in the planning/planting stages and will become a meadow with many native plants and bulbs. That is a rather large swath of garden to, effectively, start from the beginning but that's how it goes for gardeners. Plants that had been perfectly happy for decades can certainly perish in such extreme weather, but it is also exciting to be able to start with fresh ideas.

The home is on the right with boulders stepping down to the terraced areas in the center.

These ceramic towers titled Phlomis Towers are by artist Dustin Gimble. 

They are quite striking and cheerful.

Moving away from the bluff and meadow areas, we're going to the other side of the home. On the way into Windcliff from the neighboring garden (more on that another day), we were welcomed with this enchanting bamboo tunnel.

Podocarpus salignus, a rather elegant shrub.

An area near the nursery and potager.

Near the nursery, these grasses had me captivated. I found out they are Carex 'Fine China', a grass that never has a bad day, according to Dan. Evergreen and gorgeous in sun or shade, also Dan mentioned they do not seed about. Three of these came home with me.

The potager and nursery area. Dan claims it all started with vegetables for him as far as his love of plants. He and Robert enjoy growing much of their own food and spend the majority of their time here.

The large container grows spinach, raised beds have a variety of tasty food growing.

Elegant and large planters for more food crops. What a gorgeous way to grow your veggies.

And sweet peas! There were so many and the scent was fantastic.

With a veggie garden/potager this gorgeous, who wouldn't want to spend a lot of time here?

That color is so juicy.

The nursery itself is an area I did not photograph much of, likely because I was bouncing all over the place with excitement. While they do not offer mail order, you can go to their website (link) and order for a pick up. You can also make an appointment to visit and shop.

More fabulous plants. For my first visit with the Garden Fling, I shopped a little bit but did not buy anything as I knew I would be coming back the following week when I had more time. While with the Great Plant Picks group I did indeed buy a few things, but regrettably I don't think I bought enough. I mean how often do I get an opportunity like this? Silly me. Maybe next year I'll make an appointment and another road trip up north. 

Closing out this visit with a photo of Rick from Great Plant Picks in what appears to be his happy place, a Dan Hinkley meadow overlooking Puget Sound.

Even with back to back visits to Windcliff, I barely scratched the surface. I missed the arboretum along the drive and many nooks and crannies surrounding the house, some water features, seating areas and certainly so much more. This was one of my favorite gardens from the Garden Fling. Its spirit is strong - it felt free, warm, open, diverse, inviting and familiar. 

A bit of summer warmth on this, the shortest day of the year. It is the winter solstice, after all - one I usually celebrate quietly in my own garden. This year, however, FM and I have broken hearts and are not in a celebratory mood. It happened: Our boy Hobbes crossed that rainbow bridge on the 14th at the ripe age of 19-1/2. Not nearly long enough for my broken heart but it was his time. Perhaps someday soon I will write a post dedicated to him but it's too raw right now. Thank you to all of you who have reached out to offer hugs in our sea of grief. It means the world to us and really helps.

That's a wrap for this week at Chickadee Gardens. As always, thank you so much for reading and commenting, we do love hearing from you. Happy gardening, happy solstice, and remember, for those of us in the northern hemisphere it just gets brighter from here.