Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Saturday morning at the GBF…the Epping Garden

The first stop on the 2nd day of the Seattle GBF had us traveling up, up, up into the hills southeast of Seattle, overlooking Lake Washington, Mercer Island, and in the distance downtown Seattle with the Olympic Mountains beyond. Since there were 70-ish of us garden bloggers visiting the garden that day it has been well documented. The best pictures of the view that I’ve seen are from Pam at Digging. My point-and-shoot camera couldn’t quite do it justice, but I’ll try. While the home and over all garden were not to my personal taste I could still admire their hard work and dedication, and appreciate the fact they willingly opened it up to fellow gardeners, most with cameras! Plus there were plenty of gorgeous vignettes to take in. We were told that this garden had taken took 3rd place in the 2007 Pacific Northwest Gardens Competition. The owners, Michelle and Christopher Epping took a challenging site (new construction leaving less than rich planting conditions, along with a very slopping lot) and turned it into their garden paradise. This is a look back up at the house and lower garden, from the street below. Plantings and containers on the steep slope… They had a nice Schefflera taiwaniana on their patio. And this grouping of three containers accented the city skyline from the sitting area closest to the house. This container was a nice combination of Aeonium schwarzkopf, Euphorbia, and other succulents. And I loved this… If you wandered beyond the “gardened” area you discovered pottery discarded as though you’d happened on an archeological dig of some sort. Pam mentioned that there had been a “signature” plant from each of the previous GB Flings, one that turned up in garden after garden. She christened Crocosmia “THE” plant of the Seattle Fling. I’d like to think she was a little influenced by first seeing it in my garden. Other images from the Epping garden… As I mentioned this was a very steep lot. This is the view from above and behind the house. And looking back down on the garden at the back of the house…my fellow GB’ers milling about. Tomorrow we visit another private Bellevue garden…

6 comments:

  1. What a lovely garden...and wow, what a view...I guess THAT'S how the other half lives ;-) I'm sure your garden set the tone for her visit!

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  2. Nice plant mix and views....we who live on hillsides that might slide below some day get views as our reward, for sure.

    And you like Madrone from a couple pics, I see...great minds work in the same channels!

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  3. Outstanding views....wow the scenery is just gorgeous...your package should arrive Friday...I was not as timely in mailing it as I had promised..please forgive me.

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  4. For a garden less to your taste, you certainly managed to show some pretty tasty plants and groupings. Those succulent pots are great and do I see a Madrone in one pic? Not to mention the fabulous "signature" crocosmia 'Lucifer'!

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  5. scott, exactly! At this point in the "fling" the only private gardens that we had visited were those of "the other half" ... luckily before the event was over we managed to squeeze in two normal gardens, so the participants could see not everyone in Seattle is stinking rich. And I meant that about Pam's visit only as it related to the Croscosmia!!! Not my garden...it's not a show garden by any stretch of the imagination.

    DD, I love Madrone! Beautiful! So you're on a hillside? I never would have guessed from the couple of pics I've seen.

    Darla, of course! Geeze you're sending me a plant...how could I be upset about when it arrives!?

    MulchMaid, true...there were plenty of things for me to focus on and yes, that Madrone was glowing!

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  6. Yes, indeed, your garden set the tone for my entire Fling experience. And it would have SHONE and been a favorite had it appeared on the Fling itinerary as a far-south Seattle garden. ;-)

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