Thursday, August 25, 2016

Wind Dancer revisit

When I signed up for the Salem Hardy Plant Society Study Weekend (held in June) I thought I'd be seeing all new-to-me gardens, so I was pleased when I noticed the garden of Carolyn and Larry Kolb on the program. After all it's always fun to revisit a great garden and see how things have gown and changed.

That first visit (covered here) was in May of 2013, back then we just pulled up and parked in the driveway. This time however I was seeing the garden on the same day as several hundred other people, so I parked just down the street and thus entered from a different side. All the better to notice the chicken coop and its plantings.

"Hens and chicks" (Sempervivum) along with various Sedums...

I was surprised to see this shady (cool) table unoccupied.

Ah the spikes! I was hoping they'd still be here.

Such a pristine collection.

And towering above them all a beautiful tree (which I believe is Robinia Pseudoacacia ‘Twisty Baby’)...

The area that had been dedicated to selling grasses (Carolyn used to run Wind Dancer, a grass nursery, from her home) is now filled with chairs and tables. Many were full of relaxing tour-goers, I didn't want to intrude by sticking a camera in their faces, thus I'll show the empty chairs...

This must be where all those lovely spikes spend their winter vacation.

Carolyn and Larry have lived here for 17 years and built up this beautiful garden from an empty lawn-filled lot with just a few Fir and Aspen trees.

The Koi pond is located right off the back of the house, perfect for enjoying while drinking your morning coffee (we should all be so lucky).

This is an idea I'll be stealing. See the water lettuce in a floating metal dish? Love it! I have a few small pieces of Salvinia minima, which get kind of lost in my stock tank with the other plants. This would be a way to keep them together and highlight them...

Moving on...

See the "ocean wave" made of grasses?

Sexy succulents.

I love these Bromeliad and Clematis features flanking the garage, what a treat to see as you come and go from home.

There is so much to see in this garden!

Including wildlife.

But all good things must come to an end. Here I'm making my way back towards my car.

Thankfully there's a lot to look at on the way...

I've only shared three of the many gardens we visited during the weekend's activities. Oh so many more to come!

All material © 2009-2016 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

18 comments:

  1. What a great garden. I love the "ocean wave"of grasses. I have an area where I could do that. The spiky area is fab. I can't wait till some of my Agaves are bigger. Next year I'm going to put all my Podophyllums in pots. Why does it seem like everyone but me can grow that orange Bromeliad to perfection? Only mine looks like a leprosy patient.

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    1. I have a Podophyllum I keep thinking I want to move into a container...but when!? Sounds like you're going to do it in the spring?

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  2. I wondered what the folks at Wind Dancer were up to these days. I remember posts from you and Scott when the nursery was still going. What a beautiful garden full of cool plants. The chicken coop hens and chicks planting is fun!

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    1. Isn't it? I wanted to bulk things up a bit, it's (the chicken coop area) is a little sparse for me, but maybe they're just getting started?

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  3. The vine at the shady unoccupied table, 5th photo, looks to be the gold-leaved jasmine that struggled (and died) here. Or maybe it's another golden hops? Love her eye for sexy leaves!

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    1. Hmm...I can't say what it is, although there's something familiar about it...

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  4. You are SO lucky to live where you live! Thanks for the wonderful tour.

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  5. So much space, especially for overwintering. I love how these great gardens always combine some open spaces with private ones. I love a winding path that leads to who knows what, especially when surrounded by tall grasses, bamboos, and other big plants. :)

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    1. Space, that's the thing I can't imagine having. I keep thinking "someday I'll have a bigger garden" where as Andrew is thinking "someday I'll get to live in a condo..." kind of a problem don't you think?

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  6. Lotsa fab foliage with only a random flower here and there...that's my kind of garden.

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    1. Funny thing is I hadn't even noticed the lack of flowers! Maybe they were there and I just ignored them?

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  7. Replies
    1. To you I say the same thing I said to Ricki (just above ^)

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  8. I love the perfect color match between that chartreuse jasmine, the chairs, and the chandelier! Oh, to have a greenhouse that big! The moss monkey is fun and creepy. I love it. I don't see a tail, so I guess technically it's an ape, but "moss monkey" sounds better.

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    1. While the chairs and chandelier were certainly planned I wonder if the vine was also part of the plan or a happy coincidence? Or maybe the vine came first and the rest followed?

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  9. Wow,what a garden! I hope you didn't get loss wandering down that trail through the tropical looking landscaping on the way to your car. At least you didn't have to deal with cobras and bamboo vipers popping out from the foliage in the real tropics.

    John(Aberdeen)

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    1. Thankfully no cobras and bamboo vipers, good god how do people deal with things like that???

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