Puget Sound Garden Fling: Brindley Garden

 Dark days of late can lift for a moment with a touch of summer magic. Let us return to a warm July day on Puget Sound full of sunshine and friends. The Brindley garden, effectively the last stop on the final day of The Garden Fling, is fairly remote, tucked in to the southern edge of Indianola on the Salish Sea. Lucky them, living next door to Dan Hinkley and Robert Jones' Windcliff. What a setup! They even have a gate connecting the two gardens. Let's jump in and feel the warm summer breeze and dream of sunnier days.

Sam and Karen Brindley moved to this three-acre property in 2010. With literally a blank slate of just grass, they set out to transform it into the garden of their dreams. They struck gold when they realized their neighbors to be Dan Hinkley and Robert Jones. With Dan's recommendation they hired landscape designer Shayne Chandler to help realize their garden goals. Both Sam and Karen were able, with this much garden, to create a few differing garden styles in distinctly different areas. While many gardens that attempt to combine multiple styles often look choppy, this garden flows seamlessly.

The bus dropped us at the top of the driveway where a colorful sign welcomed us.

A very Pacific Northwest entrance with towering fir trees and lush undergrowth in the shade. This much plant material and these huge trees help obscure the view of the home from the street.

You can just make out the Salish Sea beyond the house. I was excited to do some serious exploring.

A look at the front of the home as approached from the driveway.

Going around the side of the home, moving through the lush borders before heading to the more open sunny views towards the back of the property.

The edge of the property spilling down towards the water. 

Now we are in the back garden, a large open and sunny area with the incredible backdrop of Puget Sound. These borders are primarily made up of summer dry-adapted plants although I did spot a few that likely require some kind of summer irrigation. Here, a dry creek bed and bridge in a border near the back of the home gives contrast to surrounding plants. Yucca, phlomis and other summer dry-adapted plants are abundant here, quite a different plant palette from the lush green near the front.

Hebe (Veronica) likely 'Sutherlandii' and phlomis.

Phygelius or cape fuchsia in the mix, a very vibrant and dark-stemmed cultivar. I was surprised to see this here as they do like a little summer water to stay looking so good, at least in my very dry garden that is the case.

Tidy grass paths edged with precision. The silver foliage is Epilobium (syn. Zauschneria) or California fuchsia, a very drought-adapted West Coast native with red or orange flowers later in the season. There's a lot of dense foliage beyond which is the direction of Windcliff.

Contrasting shapes with similar foliage and flower colors make this vignette come alive.

A sea of sea holly, Eryngium, that was positively swirling with pollinators.

Lest we forget this is a summer dry climate: Lawns go brown here, especially in full sun, unless heavily irrigated. 

Dierama among the mix, bobbing along in the breezes.

More leaf shape contrast.

Lavender and Puget Sound beyond. There is a lot of flower color in this garden, giving it a cheerful vibe.

Crocosmia adding a red hot color to the mix.

Around the side of the home a few shade-loving treasures. I love that container.

A moveable sculpture with Kniphofia, Inula and white flowers of Yucca in the background, playing off of the colors of the sculpture.

A wider view with Pennisetum in the foreground.

Lovely dark-colored hollyhocks add height to this border.

More foliage texture contrasts with Agapanthus growing up out of what looks to be Hebe (Veronica) 'James Stirling'.

That fabulous duo of the Fuchsietum, Theo and Kevin. Theo will be speaking at the Northwest Flower and Garden Festival on Saturday, by the way. If you are a fuchsia lover I highly recommend conversing with them.

Bright plumes of what looks to be Agastache with Yucca gloriosa 'Variegata' by its side for contrast.

Gaura floating at the edge of a path with a birdbath behind.

Iris foliage poking through shrubberies, an interesting look. I appreciate the contrast in textures.

Restio with its feathery foliage in a bed of sun loving perennials and shrubs. Silvery Helianthemum growing along the ground and a lovely rose on the right in sunset shades.

Stipa gigantea and Pennisetum grasses looking perfect on a July day.

Lobelia tupa, a plant that was repeated in this garden and at Windcliff next door.

Here in the front of the home, two forms of persicaria make a colorful groundcover. Left is Persicaria runcinata 'Purple Fantasy' and right Persicaria 'Painter's Palette'. Both of these, in ideal conditions, will spread like crazy and might be too much.

Moving around to the front of the garden and home which has elements of a shade garden but also a lovely greenhouse and edibles in full sun. These areas are more traditional in feel, French country, a style that appealed to Karen from the beginning.

Lilies in full splendor. I can appreciate Asiatic lilies, though I don't grow them myself.

If I recall correctly, this is looking out the front door. The espalier circle on the left is actually a pear, I was impressed. Rosemary and other Mediterranean plants throughout this area.

Near the greenhouse, lettuce grown in a container made me do a double take. It's a great way to grow lettuce, actually - up high where it's easy to harvest and darn, it looks pretty good too.

Formal elements in a matching pair of containers flanking a path to the gorgeous greenhouse.

Closing out this visit with a romantic rose with equally romantic scent. It reminds me of 'Jude the Obscure' or some such beauty.

The Brindley garden had that same "aaaah...wow" factor as do their neighbors at Windcliff next door. Clearly there is some influencing going on here and probably a lot of plant sharing. But this was different from Windcliff; they have definitely made it their own. They do a lot of hands-on gardening, too - I chatted with Sam towards the end of our visit (he was most gracious to let me in their home and I enjoyed some amazing art), he and I shared materials delivery stories (think units of gravel, compost, etc.) and the back and forth with hundreds of loads in wheel barrows. He really does enjoy it, something I was most pleased to hear. A kindred spirit. Now only if I had a view like that . . ..

Thank you to the Brindleys who so graciously opened their amazing garden to our group and for being the perfect backdrop to our group photograph:

I have shown this before but it deserves a repeat. Plus, you get to see the layout of this garden from a chickadee's eye view. We had a blast!

That's a wrap for this week at Chickadee Gardens. Thank you so much for reading and commenting, we do love hearing from you. Let's stick together and keep on gardening.