Tuesday, July 16, 2019

Flicker Farm on Sauvie Island

As part of the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon's Study Weekend event in June I visited Flicker Farm Gardens for a second time, my first visit was back in 2016. This is a large garden, one and a third acres, began by Linda Wisner in 2003.

I grew up on acreage in a rural setting, I got my fill of that life and have no desire to ever live in the country again. Still, I do have to admit, that I sometimes fantasize about living on Sauvie Island. It's close to the city with room to spread out and has a killer neighborhood nursery. This garden has a special place in my imagination.

Mossy logs! Wouldn't it be great to have a stash of mossy logs just hanging out under the trees waiting to be put to use?

The first part of the garden we'll walk through is a shady woodland, I think this may be Polystichum setiferum v.‘Divisilobum’.

This stacked concrete bench looks like a great place to sit for a bit.

Dryopteris sieboldii

Asplenium scolopendrium and another nice mossy log.

Astrantia, as we work our way back out into the sun...

I do love a densely layered planting.

Punctuated with colorful flowers.

Schefflera trevisioides

The grapevines strung out over the courtyard seemed so natural, I swore they were there on my first visit (they weren't).

Many of the yuccas around town started blooming at the end of June, mine came a little later.

This rusty metal piece is part of the enclosed veggie (and flower) garden. Island living means sharing (or not) with the wildlife.

Linda made several signs—"Flicker Farm garden stories"—which she placed around the garden. They were a great way for her to share what she would have told her many visitors that day, if she could have walked the garden with them.

Ochagavia carnea, I believe

That's a fabulous little rock.

And I wanted to take the piece with the cylindrical cut-outs home with me.

Walking on...

I managed to resist temptation.

There were several places to sit and relax in the garden.

I didn't wander this far back in the garden on my first visit, so this was new to me.

What fun!

Walking back towards the house now...

It appears to be a great year for Acca sellowiana flowers all over town.

While I love tall Tetrapanax, there's something about looking down on the large leaves that's super appealing too.

I'll share a little more from this garden tomorrow and Thursday.

Weather Diary, July 15: Hi 77, Low 64/ Precip .03"

All material © 2009-2019 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

15 comments:

  1. I have great memories of vacationing on a family farm in Canada when I was a little girl, so I would have loved seeing this place on Study Weekend, if I had gone. I just wasn't up for it. Thanks for sharing your photos! You never know, I might get a chance some time in the future, and if not, there are so many great gardens in this part of the country, I'll never run out of wonderful places to visit.

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    1. Are you a HPSO member? Linda has opened the garden to members on numerous occasions, dates in the open gardens book.

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  2. Mossy logs just waiting to be used; I would be in heaven. I have a couple of Hart's tongue ferns but they will never look like they do in your climate. But I do have white pine needles. I rake them from neighbors' gardens and use them for paths. They are wonderful to walk on but maybe I will try a little sky gazing when it cools off.

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    1. I was surprised at how soft those needles were, the Ponderosa pine needles of my youth are definitely not soft.

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  3. I've always dreamed of having a woodland garden. I'd love to live in a place like this. Although, as I've struggled to care for the half-acre space I now have, that dream is probably delusional.

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    1. It would be fun to find out though! (delusion or not)

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  4. I love all the seating. It's an invitation to relax and enjoy the fruits of one's labor... Something that doesn't come naturally to me! ;)

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    1. I don't think you're alone in that, a lot of gardeners forget to take the time to sit.

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  5. I'm so glad you posted this Loree-I didn't make it to this garden. I had to be in Lake Oswego by a certain time Sunday evening and had to make choices-I would have enjoyed this though. Hopefully there will be an opportunity in the future.

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    1. I skipped a couple of other gardens so I would have time to visit here and Cistus, since I was on the island. Life is all about choices isn't it?

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  6. Lovely and serene. Curious that you don't yearn for more space to garden.

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    1. Having been away from the garden for a week each in April, May, June and now July, I am feeling quite overwhelmed with my small garden.

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  7. The "Fort" structures is adorable! I'd be napping there often! Shady woodland gardens are my favorite. I have a few logs that I intended to place around my garden. In no time at all they'll be covered with my favorite soft moss. (I admit to sometimes placing bits of moss where I want to encourage it to grow).

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    1. Me too, I'm thrilled when moss grows on my lawn edging bricks, then I can easily pry it free and move it to another part of the garden.

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  8. Oh man, I would love to see their garden. Maurice speaks of it often, it looks amazing. Thanks for the tour!

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