Monday, March 9, 2020

McMenamins Kennedy School on a July morning

One of the chapters in my upcoming book Fearless Gardening: Be Bold, Break the Rules, and Grow What You Love profiles a number of gardens, and gardeners, that illustrate the concepts I write about. One of those gardens is McMenamins Kennedy School.

Last July, on a high-overcast day with sun breaks I strolled over to take photos.

I've taken photos of this garden in every imaginable scenario, yet here I was trying to take photos that would communicate the magic to people who've never seen them, or been to the garden. It was difficult to wrap my head around the idea.

Close-ups convey the health and beauty of the plants

Backing up and getting wide shots helps to set the scene.

The hardest thing of all though wasn't taking these photos, but narrowing them down to the handful that would be included in the book. Blog posts have spoiled me. I can include as many photos as I want. Print is not the same.

Agave 'Baccarat' I believe.

I think this one is an Agave parryi var. parryi.

Every time I take a photo of these window weights, I remember the first time I included an image of them in a blog post, calling their placement "art." Someone commented on that post saying: "As a professional artist, I must warn you not to give up your day job. These really are not attractive and I don't believe will bring any enhancement to the desert environment--none of them. Ouch, they are painful to look at. Visual Pollution."....hahaha. Not my work, I already gave up my day job, and ten years later, well, these are still looking pretty good...

Love this arctostaphylos, identity unknown.

A few more shots of the xeric garden...

And then we walk on...

Milkweed in the hellstrip.

The shady north side of the building.

The Dryopteris sieboldii of my dreams.

Japanese painted ferns—Athyrium niponicum—look good with chartreuse...

And purple.

The front of the "school" which for those of you who don't know, is now a restaurant, hotel, movie theater and event space.

I got lucky and was able to capture fruit on one of their loquats, Eriobotrya japonica.

Monkey puzzle tree, Araucaria araucana.

The Tetrapanax papyrifer have the room to roam here.

Acanthus mollis

I suppose this is where I should have started this post, but better late than never.

A courtyard for hotel guests.

Agave ovatifolia

And a final shot. McMenamins Kennedy School is such a gift to the neighborhood, and I am pretty lucky to love just a few blocks away.

Weather Diary, Mar 8: Hi 51, Low 35/ Precip 0

All material © 2009-2020 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

21 comments:

  1. What a lovely garden especially for a hotel. Lots of textural interest. My favourite photo is the one of the Agave Baccarat peeking out through the Nasella grasses. Can't believe someone would be rude enough to post a comment re: the iron art. Isn't art supposed to be in the eye of the beholder?

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    1. And this is one of their smaller hotel gardens! As for the "artist" the internet brings out the worst in a lot of people, emboldened by the anonymity.

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    2. Looking forward to reading more in your new book. It now has a title. Very cool.

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  2. I always forget this is not actually a school! It is just a stunning garden. Loved the photo with the Archostapllos (sp??) tree where those iron weights are in the photo. That image really gives a sense of the scale and drama. Frankly, I've rarely met a bit of rusty metal that I did not like. Also, having started as a print journalist I agree that the unlimited photos on a blog post are one of the main attractions.

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    1. It was (a school) until it was closed in 1975. And of course you would understand about the photos!

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  3. That shrub is about to eat the sign. I like this garden. It has so much going on.

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    1. The shrub is always kept just this side of engulfing the sign.

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  4. You picked the perfect lighting to take photographs of this beautiful garden, Loree. I look forward to seeing which photos you chose to include in your book (and was pleased for the brief introduction to its subject matter). As to your long ago and perhaps best forgotten commentator with the narrow the concept of art, I'm guessing he/she is a troll who lives under a bridge somewhere.

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    1. Yes indeed, the internet has given far too many trolls a voice.

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  5. Pretty remarkable garden for a hotel. Do you know who designed it and/or tends it?

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    1. Yes I do, the McMenamins company has a staff of gardeners. I interviewed several of them for my book.

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    2. Looking forward to reading it - when is the expected publish date?

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    3. Currently slated for early January 2021.

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  6. I do treasure all the photos I've taken here-even those on the occasion of The Great Heat Wave visit during Fling ! I have agoal to visit some of their other properties.

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    1. That's a great goal! There are quite a few fantastic ones.

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  7. And here I thinking art is in the eye of the beholder... what a preposterous comment, by an artist not less. Grrr. McMenamins Kennedy School is a gorgeous place and you are pretty lucky to live just a few blocks away. Their Tetrapanax papyrifer is spectacular. Have you been to the McMenamins Anderson school in Bothell?

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    1. I have! In fact I've got a file full of fabulous photos I took there for the book too. I need to get around to sharing them.

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  8. I live five blocks from the Anderson School in Bothell and consider it such a gift to the city and selfishly of course, I love how I can admire its beauty without the need to take care of it! I really appreciate the McMenamin's philosophy of supporting artists, whether they work in oils, fabric or plant material. We should all write corporate and express our gratitude. I fear with the likely hit tourism will take from Covid, that maintaining exotic plants landscapes will be the first to go.

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    1. I hadn't even thought of the Covid connection. Hopefully it will be a relatively short blip. We ate at their Edgefield location over the weekend. Every bit helps, right?

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  9. Wow - this is all new to me as someone who has never been to Portland... or even Oregon :( It's hard to imagine that such things can exist. And... you are writing a book?! I'll be sure to get a copy.

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    1. They can, and they do! And yes...the book is in the hands of the publisher now. Estimated publishing date is Jan of 2021!!!

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