Monday, March 23, 2015

The Green Door Gardens

I came up with a few different titles for this post, another being "Saying Goodbye." Today we'll look at a couple of gardens put together by my friend Bridget. You may remember her from this post, where we toured her garden. Or maybe this one, when she re-homed my hydrangea. Sadly she's gone and left the city, state, even the West Coast. Louisville, Kentucky gets a great plants-woman, and I've got one less plant-nerd friend to hang out with. Over the last year or so I'd heard much about these two gardens she was building for friends, before the big moving day we spent a sunny (chilly!) morning checking them out...

Both gardens belong to people who are not gardeners. People who's idea of a perfect day doesn't involve trips to a nursery or time spent digging in the soil, yet they still want to surround themselves with the beauty of a garden. The clean, modern (and substantial) lines of this house demanded something larger than your standard 24" x 24" pavers, Bridget designed these large poured-in-place pavers as a path to the front door and again around the side of the house to the back.

Large gravel stays in place much better than pea gravel..

Here's green (chartreuse) door #1, with a Fatsia japonica at its side. The grasses were recently cut back in anticipation of their spring growth.

The property borders a park, and includes a bioswale (against the fence) which was required by the city.

The large container in the corner holds a yucca, which is joined by bright blooming annuals in the summer. The tree behind it is one of a pair of Stewartia monadelpha. Interestingly, considering it's a relatively small lot, the city was adamant that four trees had to be planted. In the backyard are a pair of Quercus robur 'Fastigiata'.

As you walk around the side of the house, pow, the view! This is looking towards downtown Portland, just visible behind the Fremont Bridge over the Willamette River.

The park next door gives way to a natural area...

The small back yard is dedicated to relaxing (space for chairs), growing herbs and other edibles (in the raised planters), and eventually playing bocce ball in the long court on the left, which is not quite finished.

Does that fence look familiar? Seems to be inspired by ours! (Bridget was the one who introduced us to the guy who built our fence).

Love all that entertaining space, what an amazing view they must have from the top floor...

The view from the bottom deck, as we leave this garden and...

...travel north, to the suburbs of Vancouver, WA. Whereas the first garden was on a small lot, with very limited space for plants, this one is huge. A dozen of just about any plant can quickly disappear.

There is a bit of a hedgerow along the side of the front yard, creating privacy from the street.

I love the bright apple green of the cupressus.

Older plants were allowed to stay, but given a nice pruning to raise and open, allowing light and planting space underneath. Bridget's a pruning wiz.

A pair of extremely happy Fatsia japonica flank...

Green door #2! Pretty fabulous right? Almost the same shade, and no, the homeowners don't know each other.

A row of Astelia nervosa 'Westland' are planted in a long, low, brick planter along the side of the garage. These plants battled back from near death due to the cold winter of 2013/14 to look this good!

They're interspersed with Trachelospermum asiaticum 'Theta'.

Heading around the side of the house you discover a tremendous amount of rock work...

The rocks buttress a slope and frame a staircase down to a lower grassy area. The whole area is softened by grasses, groundcover arctostaphylos and other low growing plants.

At the bottom a round patio and fire-pit. If it were later in the season there would be chairs all around I'm sure.

I couldn't help but imagine this area planted with monster agaves. However I realize not everyone shares my love affair with the spikes.

So that's it for the garden tours. I hope to someday visit Louisville and share how Bridget's bringing her style of PNW gardening to that part of the country!

All material © 2009-2015 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

23 comments:

  1. What a shame to lose a gardening friend. I hope she enjoys her new gardening climate, and I hope you get to visit her there one day. I'm still inspired by your post about her Portland garden.

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    1. I am confident she'll go on to inspire many gardeners in her new home town, and since she, and her wife Mary, still have lots of Portland connections I'm sure they'll be back here someday.

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  2. Kentucky sure is going to gain a very talented lady! Sorry to hear of her departure from your area but hopefully you'll get to see her again very soon.

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    1. Andrew's dad and step-mom are in Nashville, TN. That's not too far away...I see a trip in our future! (hopefully).

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  3. Sorry that you're losing Bridget! These gardens are well designed and take into account the desires of the homeowners. So, there are people who don't like to visit nurseries every weekend? Some folks don't like to play in the dirt? Interesting.

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    1. I know can you believe it? I met one of them and she seemed like a really nice person, I just don't understand!

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  4. Lovely gardens. All that rock and a lovely slope, who wouldn't think about agaves?

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    1. Right? I knew my readers would understand.

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  5. What a surprise to open this post and see a great garden I walk past daily! I was pleased to finally meet Bridget one day when she paid a visit to the homeowner. Little- known fact: this first house gets occasional use by the Grimm production people as Captain Reynard's home ( the interior shots) and they take good advantage of the view across the river in their staging.

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    1. I met the homeowner of that first garden at Bridget and Mary's going away party. She told me the story of you walking by and the "Bridget that works at New Seasons?" question. Pretty darn fabulous. I should have mentioned the Grimm connection but wasn't thinking. If they treat her anything like they treated Schoolhouse then I'm sure it's a wonderful experience!

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  6. So glad to have met Bridget before she took off for parts east. You didn't lose a friend, you just extended your reach. Lovely work, each with its own personality.

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    1. You know I think you're right. I know we'll keep in touch and I really look forward to learning about what gardening in Kentucky is like!

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  7. It's so sad to have a gardening friend move far away! I'm nervous just losing a gardening neighbor - I live in fear that someone will buy her house and take out the giant Leucospermum in her front yard.

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    1. You need to make yourself a common sight and make it known that if that Leucospermum is slated to go then it belongs in YOUR garden!!!

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  8. You honor Bridget well and thanks for the link back to her private renovation of her own garden. What a difference!

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    1. I walk by everyday kind of afraid of what might be gone in her ex-garden. So far only my hydrangea...gone to make room for parking of the yard waste and recycling containers!!!

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  9. Will you be able to visit these houses again in a couple months? Would love to see them in season...

    That's a color possibility for my own soon-to-be-painted front door...

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    1. Only the first one, I couldn't find the second one again if my life depended on it! Oh and speaking of the owner of a green door I say: do it!!!

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  10. It is always hard when a friend goes far away, I hope you´ll get to visit her some day and show us the gardens around that city! and...I like those green doors with Fatsia next to them.

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  11. Hello from Louisville! Thanks, Loree, for a fabulous post! Everyone's kind words are much appreciated as we embark on a new and exciting time in our lives. We will miss all of our gardening friends. And we'll be sure to update you all on our new adventures.
    Cheers! -Bridget

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  12. But I want Bridget back. I didn't have nearly enough time to get to know her better. Oh sure, she has her life to live and all that, but what about me! No one ever hugs me in the flower department at New Seasons anymore. And I'm sorry to say, I didn't realize the extent of Bridget's talent. Impressive. p.s. I do need poured-in-place pavers.

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  13. Thank you, all of you, for your kind words about my daughter. Bridget, as are all of my 4 children, is a multi-talented woman.

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  14. I love that fence! Looking to build our fence now in pdx. Do you mind sharing who did it? Thx!

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