Thursday, August 18, 2011

The Lane Garden, (more glass art in the garden...)

On the second day of the GB Fling, after spending time at the Epping Garden, we traveled on to the garden of Denise Lane. Hers is a large garden (an acre or so) that feels more intimate because it’s been carved into smaller spaces. In route to lunch on the patio I was confronted with these… and yes, I liked them.Her patio space has several seating areas and a large outdoor kitchen. Along with many plants to soften the hard edges. I was very excited when I discovered a few Bromeliads tucked in around the wall. Perhaps she'd discovered a hardy variety? No, she lifts them in the fall. Several of my fellow GB'ers enjoying a little shade... When I first came around the corner and saw the pavilion (on the right) I was a bit taken aback. The lines are so similar to ours (in my own back garden)! Of course I'm sure this one was professionally designed and built. Ours...DIY. After we enjoyed our lunch on the patio it was off to explore the garden. To the left of the metal Heron can you see the green glass cattails? Here is a slightly better picture... More glass garden art...tiles hung in a metal frame work. And in what appeared to be every one's favorite corner of the garden, a ruin. What color contrast! I didn't get the name...if anyone has an idea what this plant might be I'd love to know... Looking at my photos I was surprised at how many harsh shadows the sun cast (I had to get rid of a lot of images). If you had asked me about this garden from memory I would have sworn it was much more shady. This column was carved from a tree on the property. Again with the shadows, it was difficult to get a shot of the house, but I appreciated it's angles. This grouping satisfied a little game I play when touring a garden... "is there going to be an agave?" The pink/red flowers on the left are Kangaroo Paws. This little leaf carved into a rock was one of my favorite details in the garden. When I first saw it the area was shady, but when I circled back to share it with another GB'er the sun was illuminating it... Tomorrow...have you ever wondered what the Bellevue Botanical Garden is all about?

11 comments:

  1. What a cool garden...love how lush it seems...I think the mystery plant is Diphylleia cymosa (a N.A. native) which I think is available as Dancing Oaks (if memory serves). It's a beautiful plant...wish I had the room :-( I don't know how I feel about all that glass art...I'd be worried that it would get broken (by me) or stolen (by others). Then again, I'm sure their garden is QUITE a bit more private than mine!

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  2. I think the glass art adds a lot of interest. I personally hate the idea of lifting plants for the winter, glad I don't have to do it. The ruin garden has a Greek feel to it do you agree. It is also a favorite of mine from the photos you have shared today.

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  3. that fling must have really been something. seattle in the summer is a great place to be anyway. pretty setting -- nice that you got to have lunch there. love your photo of the red glass curly things.

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  4. Now that's the way to fill up a large garden...afraid I will never get there. These posts go a long way towards satisfying my voyeuristic tendencies...thanks.
    Oh, and I think the airport plantings were done late 90's...at least that is when the parking structure went up, according to Wikipedia.

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  5. You got some wonderful pictures! So many things I don't remember. I'm wondering, what did you think of the ruin? You said it was everyone's favorite corner, which kind of gives me the impression that it wasn't yours... Can you believe I didn't even see it? Too much else to look at!

    I don't think the Lanes need to worry much about someone stealing their glass ornaments. This garden was in Medina, which is one of the richest areas in Washington. The neighborhood is under 24-hour video surveillance, so it's both private and not private.

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  6. I thought the ruin was cool (though not to my own taste), but my favorite area was the shade garden alongside the front of the house, where the little leaf and sun-basking, round head were. Like you, I remembered this garden being very shady, but I also had to discard a lot of images that were too contrasty from bright sunlight.

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  7. Thanks for sharing this Loree, I LOVE her garden, so well executed.

    And that area with the outdoor kitchen is gorgeous!

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  8. It's clear that with an acre to plant, a gardener can put almost anything they'd want. The lushness is very soothing and the glass sculpture is delightful. I don't find myself liking a lot of garden art, but these are fun and well placed, I think. I like the color of the large patio paved areas: were they stone, cement or some kind of rusted metal...it's hard to tell. Also, looks like you got some of your limited GBF sunrays at this garden - hooray for lunch in the sun!

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  9. scott, yes that's it, thank you for the id! In this case I'd have to say there is little chance of the art being stolen, it's a very private garden in a very upscale community. However breakage is a whole different issue! (and I am a major klutz)

    Darla, lucky lucky you! (no lifting). And yes I do agree about the Greekiness.

    Daricia, thanks for stopping by! Seattle on a sunny day is one of the most beautiful places on earth, she was really showing off for the Fling participants.

    ricki, glad I could help with that voyeurism thing (and thanks for the airport info!).

    Alison, I didn't know about the 24 hr surveillance, that's kind of creepy. And you know I can see how you would have missed the "ruin" it was sort of tucked up near the house. You also read between the lines quite well, I didn't care for it. For me that sort of thing is GARDEN ART capitalized. It's on par with bridges to nowhere. It was very well done and planted beautifully but I just don't get it.

    Pam, glad to hear I wasn't the only one with the sun/shade photo issue. I think my favorite part was the patio and pavilion area.

    Mark and Gaz, you guys should have came to the Fling!!!

    MulchMaid, the rusty colored parts of the patio were stained concrete. The weather for the Fling was just perfect, even the rain when we were on Bainbridge Island the final day was quite nice!

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  10. DG:
    Diphylleia cymosa is a wonderful foliage plant! It definitely needs to have room..... I have it underplanted with Syneilesis aconitifolia - the amazing ruby petioles and those blue berries - well worth adding to the garden if you have the room.

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  11. Wow, j'adore ce jardin si original et plein de charme !

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