Friday, April 11, 2014

The Nichols Garden, my last post from the SF GB Fling…

Here we are, my last garden visit from the 2013 Garden Bloggers Fling in the Bay Area. Coincidentally today marks just 3 months until the kick-off of the Portland Fling, on Friday, July 11th. What an adventure we had, and what an adventure we’ll have! I wish you could all be here with us.

This garden figures large in my memory of the SF Fling simply because as the bus drove by and I caught sight of it I was going to do whatever it took to get out and see it in person. Thankfully the bus stopped and I didn't have to resort to extreme measures.

This was one of those gardens that makes me green with envy. Can you imagine growing these plants in the ground?

And this, in the hell-strip!

Look at that tall cordyline! One of a pair, there was another on the left of the house in the first photo.

Notice the oxalis behind the bromeliad. There was too much of it for it to be an accident.

There's my fav plant of the Fling, Leucadendron 'Ebony'..

Close-up

I love a staircase lined with plants.

Ahh...

Notice the palm trunk on the right, it's covered in tillandsia!

Fabulous.

Beyond the palm...Begonia luxurians in the gound...

Mahonia gracilipes, hey I can grow that!

As if the front garden wasn't amazing enough things continued to be interesting as we started up the side garden. Lots of little discoveries to be made...

And the best koi-protecting pond screen ever!

Water followed the pathway down the side garden.

This garden showcased Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa) so well I was thankful I am able to grow it here in Portland.

Those begonia leaves were huge HUGE...

The back garden stepped up away from the house.

And up again.

This is it. The end of a fabulous garden and an amazing three days. I'm not sure if I'll be posting much about the Portland Fling but hopefully there will be many posts from the attending bloggers which you'll enjoy!

All material © 2009-2014 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

32 comments:

  1. I didn't realize that you hadn't posted your photos of this garden yet from last year's Fling! What a wonderful surprise treat for me, another look at my fave from last year. This garden was so inspiring.

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  2. Every garden on the fling became my instant favorite but this one was incredible! So many great plants and such an imaginative use of the space! Love it! Thanks for the opportunity to see it again through your lens. It was nice of Alison to wear orange to match the canna flowers. She's so thoughtful!

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    1. I would be hard pressed to pick a favorite but this one certainly was at the top of the heap.

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  3. Your pictures remind me of how much vertical gardening was going on in this hillside garden. I believe this one was my favorite of the Fling. There was so much to discover here, vignettes and little garden rooms and cascading water. I loved it.

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    1. You described the joy of this garden very well Pam.

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  4. We have a lot to live up to.

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  5. So many beautiful plants here, I really love the garden section in the last shot. Thanks for the tour.

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  6. Oh Loree, your photos are wonderful ! It killed me to have no camera here..I review bay area garden tours often, hoping for the day when this garden is open again. It was beyond fabulous.

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    1. What a compliment from you! I do hope you get to see it again.

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  7. HOLY COW. I'd be blown away if all I'd seen was the front! That Aloe polyphylla is PERFECT. No brown tips to be seen. And soooo many tillandsias - if they were here I'd be out there misting them by hand every single day. Actually, I don't think they'd even survive the sun. And those beautiful bromeliads. There are so many plants in nooks and crannies, it must be so much work remembering where they are and not forgetting to water any. I have to show that pond cover to my mum, gosh some people are clever. What a fabulous idea. Thanks for the tour!

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    1. Perfect and just right out there on the street! I was looking at mine yesterday and it's got brown tips galore. Re: the pond cover it's unusual when something like that adds to, rather than detracts from, the garden. So well done!

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  8. I need to post more of my SF fling pics! This one amazed me, in all the plants used and packed into every space...making the most of it. Or maybe the slopes and tight spaces cause better design than blah, flat yards in the SW? Not that this would be cheap, but who wants cheap? The tillandsias, etc on the date palm trunk were amazing.

    But the steps to the front door were my favorite part - I would be sitting on those sipping wine or coffee all the time, if I was so lucky to live there...

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    1. Yes you do! Indeed a bit of land with slopes and tight spaces is so much easier to make interesting than a flat one. And I'm right with you on those stairs, in spirit!

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  9. Absolutely stunning! A property and garden that reminds me of some Madeiran hotels (that's a compliment). You guys must be busy preparing for the fling. Not long now!

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    1. I think we spent more time plant shopping this last week than preparing. We'll be paying for that I'm sure...

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  10. And I missed this one, what looks like possibly the most plant-mad garden on that fling. I've draped my triangle palm with Spanish moss, and now I'm inspired to tuck some tillandsias in too. I wonder which begonia that is.

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    1. Bummer! I hope you were somewhere equally exciting.

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  11. Really, really beautiful!!!

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    1. I wish I were there again, right now...

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  12. Ever since I saw Peter post about this garden I have been lusting after it! It's simply amazing! I am in love with all the bromeliads! And if only we could grow those canary island date palms and cover their trunks in tillandsia! AMAAAZING! Thanks for sharing these awesome photos!

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  13. I'm always eager to see everyones photos of the garden flings immediately, but then I'll have to say it's nice when they are strung out a little. So thank you!

    No two ways about it, this garden IS gorgeous. I would love to be able to grow the many lush plant varieties shown here, but it's nice to know they are growing somewhere ... :-)

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    1. I just remember being so overwhelmed by the Fling (in a good way) that the idea of going through my photos right away held little appeal. Looking at them months later was wonderful.

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  14. Fabulous shots of a fabulous garden! It really says California, though, I always feel the mystique when I go there. The water features are wonderful, particularly the very imaginative screen like ripples, amazing. Thanks for the inspiration. I hope you found something interesting at Hortlandia.

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    1. I enjoyed Hortlandia but didn't really find anything amazing. Luckily we went out to Cistus afterwards and made a few more purchases.

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  15. Do you know what this one is?

    http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uFbsPKXahdo/UzzZ-oPHbDI/AAAAAAAA6kk/3SlzqXI2FVk/s1600/Nichols+142.JPG

    So. Awesome!

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    1. Oh man...I should, I know I've seen it at City People's Garden Store up in Seattle but when I search for City Peoples I don't find a photo of it. If I see one again I'll come back here and comment with the name.

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