plant

Puget Sound Gardeners Fling – People, Plants, and More

Last month 100 garden social media influencers met in Puget Sound WA to tour gardens, share meals, and make new friends.  This was the 15th such annual gathering, called the Gardeners Fling.  We meet in a different city each year (except for 2 Covid-fraught summers) and the host city gardeners plan a 4-5 day outstanding garden experience.

Our time in Puget Sound was magical.  Each garden, private and public, wowed in so many different ways.

I’ll start my virtual tour with the garden of one of our hosts, Camille Paulsen, @tahomaflora .

She has crafted her space to frame and enhance the many gorgeous views of Mount Tahoma, also known as Mount Rainier.   The mountain enjoys almost mystical status around Seattle and Tacoma.  The days start with an assessment about the visibility of the mountain and end on the same note.  How fortunate her family is to have this National Geographic-worthy sight from their deck, their paths, their hills, and so many other vantage points.

We were there on a clear day, and the mountain was glorious.

This little secret seating area on the edge of the hillside had a special view, too.

I can imagine sneaking away to to escape here.

Several paths wind through the property, all of them welcoming and interesting.  And many of them with an eye to the view.

On the back deck, a bit of whimsy highlights the distance of treks to similar mountain hot spots.

The light was striking as it poured in between the leaves of a collection of Japanese maples and other wispy trees.

Camille’s artistic flair extends beyond the curating of plants to include an interesting assortment of art in the garden.  Various carefully crafted vignettes were tucked throughout.

Sharing the adventure with so many long-time and new gardeners was as fun as discovering the garden itself.

So many unique details caught my eye.

Sweet spaces scattered everywhere.

 

 

 

The pool area was a lovely gathering spot filled with interesting pots and plants.

Tucked down the hill in the forest, koi languished in a beautiful pond, suprised by all their guests.

Enjoying some pats, Camille’s cat seemed unfazed by all the garden gawkers.

Thanks, Camille, for a great tour of your lovingly created garden.

Another post to come soon highlighting other beautiful sights from the 2024 Puget Sound Gardeners Fling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tillandsias – Get creative with color and texture

I spent some time out in the dreaded cedar pollen yesterday cleaning out and redesigning another tillandsia globe.

All the previous black sand, rocks and lichen came out and I washed the globe.  Then I went to my tumbled glass pile and collected some beautiful green, clear, blue and gold pieces of glass to form the floor for my arrangement.

Then I wandered around the garden looking for some more interesting elements to add into the mix.  I saw some lichen up high in the cedar elm tree.  With the help of some high jumps and the broom, I was able to knock a few little bits of branch off onto the ground.  Then I stole a piece from the fairy garden and took it all to the greenhouse to clean and assemble.

One piece of advice if you get yourself a big load of tumbled glass — don’t pile it up in the woods where it can get little bits of leaves and twigs in it — it’s a bear to get out of that glass.  After a long spell with the colander and the hose, I finally called it good enough and made sure what was left was buried.

Another tip – have your tweezers and a paint brush on hand for manipulating things.  Once I put the beautiful red tillandsia into the globe, it was difficult to position the lichens exactly as I had envisioned them. 

I convinced myself that it looked natural this way!

Now to find the fishing line!  I’m going to screw a hook to the back side of my desk hutch and hang it in my office. 

Now I’m on the lookout for a container to make one for my daughter.  And this, on a smaller scale, would make a great teacher/school office staff end-of-year gift, too, wouldn’t it?  Or a hostess gift.  Or…

Heat-loving stunner a must-have for hot gardens…

One of my favorite heat-loving plants, Duranta erecta is a show-stopper for most of the summer here in Central Texas. 

I grow four different varieties:  Alba-white, Sapphire showers-deep purple, lavender, and gold mound-with lime green foliage.  

Bright yellow berries, about ½ inch in diameter, spill in long, trailing clusters in the summer.  (The berries are poisonous to humans.)

My favorite is the sapphire showers – it’s vibrant purple – white-edged blooms are dramatic in my tropical garden. It also attracts bees, butterflies and birds.
My white Duranta has special sentimental meaning to me. It was a gift, given to me by two dear friends at my office, when my dog, Sami, spent 11 days in emergency vet care for the worst case of pancreatitis my vet had ever seen. We didn’t think she was going to make it. So my friends brought me this amazing tree. It was such a loving, generous gift. Against all odds, Sami recovered and went on to live another 5 years, even surviving cancer after that. After the passage of 19 years, and the passing of my sweet Sami almost 14 years ago, their kindness and my miracle still bring tears to my eyes when I look at the Duranta.

This is my miracle Duranta. For me, the white blooms will always represent the hope in my heart.

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