Puget Sound Garden Fling: The Gray Garden

Summertime sounds lovely right now. Reflecting on summer may be the next best thing. Therefore, a trip to the Puget Sound for another Garden Fling post feels good this week. A warm July evening exploring a fabulous garden? Yes, please. Our entire Garden Fling group, some 100 of us, visited the Gray Garden at the end of the first full day of the Garden Fling and I for one was tired and ready to relax. It turned out this was a stop where wine and snacks were generously offered to we Flingers. A jaw-droppingly beautiful, contemporary garden rich in foliage while sipping a glass of wine was indeed a special experience. Tired or not, I was thrilled to have topped off an excellent day with this jewel. There is a lot to love here on what is a difficult site to garden on, a steep rocky slope with a lot of water.

Let us explore some interesting and lush foliage combinations and do a little daydreaming about spring gardening.

From our guide book in the Gray's own words: Our back garden features largely shade and water loving plants, a weeping willow, gunnera, ferns and a grove of white birches. 

I note a lot of Brunnera in there as well contributing a bit of silvery sparkle to this shade-loving garden.

In a photograph it is challenging to capture the degree of the slope. It reads as a tapestry, looking vertically onto patterns, shapes and colors. The advantage of a garden like this is that you can see most of your plants in one frame and appreciate the picture in front of you in a way that is impossible on a flat piece of ground.

More from the guidebook: Our property was acquired in 1999 and was unimproved land overlooking Commencement Bay, the Olympics and Mt. Rainier. A rock scree had to be established in order to stabilize the slope behind the property due to natural springs and water seepage. To soften this look we erected colorful fiberglass panels we install in spring and summer. 

At the top of this photo are the panels shown mixed in with Gunnera, sculptures and ferns on this steep slope.

Color-coordinated containers with harmonizing plantings are dotted throughout the garden as well as sculptures; the Grays are keen art lovers.

Hardscaping features largely in this garden and was in my opinion very well done. I can appreciate it in someone else's garden but for me, the expense is too great for a two-acre country garden, so I take it in where I can.

Not a flower in sight but rich on color. Heucheras, azalea, Acorus, Dicentra and perhaps Blechnum penna-marina combine evergreens with perennials and deciduous trees at the edge of a walkway where details can be appreciated up close.

More Dicentra (Lamprocapnos spectabilis 'Gold Heart' I believe), Adiantum aleuticum add soft foliage in the courtyard.

An abstract sculpture in black, a color that ran throughout the garden along with golden yellow, green of course, and white.

Perhaps difficult to see but there are glass hippo sculptures in there. Also on the right corner is a pond, there is also a waterfall feature in this back garden.

With this many people in a not-too-huge garden getting photos without humans was challenging. But it's fun to see all the Flingers engaged in this garden.

I noticed several Japanese maples throughout, something I frequently see in Pacific Northwest gardens.

Rock steps with river rock detailing. Every square inch is considered.

Hakonechloa macra 'All Gold' (I believe), many ferns, ligularia (yellow flowers and rounded dark foliage) and rocks in repeated patterns. The repetition of plant material is an excellent example to look toward if you want cohesion and a sense of calm in a garden space. Repetition of a plant may seem boring while on the hunt at nurseries for that fresh new find, it's a discipline I've been trying to practice for some time. In the long run it pays off.

Accents of black and white.

Ferns and Hakonechloa macra 'All Gold' framing a rock. The juxtaposition of soft foliage and rocks feels naturalistic and the foliage softens the edges of this composition.

Puget Sound, specifically Commencement Bay, is the view for these lucky homeowners.

Working my way up to the top level of gardens, I noticed a wilder area surrounding the formal gardens. Black is repeated in the foliage of Ophiopogon 'Nigrescens'.

Fern, grass, rock, repeat.

The cascading effect of the Hakonechloa echoes waterfalls. I can appreciate all of these plants, though many of them are too thirsty for my garden, the Ligularia especially. If you have very wet/boggy conditions, Ligularia, Gunnera and all of these plants for example, would like those conditions. 

Now on the top level of the garden a grove of birch trees echoes the color theme with their white bark. I believe the netting around them is to prevent deer, which apparently are frequent visitors, from damaging the bark.

A dolmen-type Neolithic rock tomb structure they refer to as Toad-henge. I could not photograph it without people, but you get the idea. It is impressive and definitely a conversation piece.

My fabulous Portland friends Heather and Anna being goofy after I asked them to strike a pose and act like they were in a shampoo commercial.

Clearly having too much fun. This is what The Garden Fling is all about, really. Friends gathering from all across the United States and beyond to enjoy what any given garden region has to offer.

From atop the garden looking down at a plethora of folks enjoying themselves in this incredible garden space definitely made for entertaining. We were told to get ready to board the busses at this point but as you can see, nobody's really busting a move.

With such an inviting space it was hard to leave. On a side note, I was so immersed in the back garden and this entertaining space that I completely forgot to snap a photograph the front which has a sunnier aspect. I don't regret having spent all my time in the back garden, however, for there was so much here to take in.

This was an exciting romp in a garden that I could only fantasize about recreating for myself. The hardscaping, the rocks, the beautiful water features, the outdoor furnishings, sculptures, outdoor bar, all of it while fabulous, is outside my budget, not to mention gardening on such a steep slope has its definite challenges. It's not a small garden and I am sure requires a lot of upkeep, Still, I can take away ideas and an appreciation for an urban/suburban garden space rich on foliage and textures and also a fabulous cocktail hour in a fabulous setting. Thank you to our lovely hosts for sharing your beautiful space with us.

On a housekeeping note, if you are in the Corvallis (Oregon) area I will be speaking/presenting at the Insights into Gardening Conference on Saturday February 8 talking about resilient plants that are both beautiful and can handle our increasingly extreme weather. Stop by and say howdy! Here's a link.

That's a wrap for this week at Chickadee Gardens. Thank you so much for reading and commenting, we do love hearing from you all! Happy gardening and happy spring dreaming.