I felt right at home in this front garden. It has the same sort of wild feel that my front garden has, but Nat has created pathways thru the entire space, something that I didn't feel was necessary when I put together my garden, and thus visitors don't interact with the garden in the way I wish they could.
Back out street-side, this stellar combination of Eryngium maritimum and Yucca rostrata had me swooning.
My Eryngium maritimum have been shaded out, but even in their prime they never looked this good.
Fatsia polycarpa ‘Needhams Lace’
The day I visited the sunshine was shining bright, not the best for taking photos. Hopefully the beauty of this garden will still be evident.
Agave montana, I think.
Hebe and opuntia—it's a good combination.
Another hebe and Corokia cotoneaster in the foreground.
There were many unexpected wildlife sightings. Thankfully everyone was friendly.
The tall thin dinos are all from Portland artist Mike Bennett...
They look right at home here amongst the plants.
Aloiampelos striatula, formerly Aloe striatula.
Nat is growing the most amazing patch of Eryngium proteiflorum, I'd never seen anything like it and I was in awe.
On the left Genista aetnensis—a fabulous tree that casts very little shade but has hundreds of fragrant yellow flowers in it's blooming season.
So many spikes, all very happy.
Agave parrasanna 'Meat Claw'
Fronted by a sprinkling of cactus growing just like they would in the desert.
Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Chirimen' with a Euphorbia characias 'Tasmanian Tiger' doing its best to fool me into thinking it's Phylica pubescens. Yes I know the scale is wrong, but for just a moment...
Cornus sanguinea 'Compressa' in the center...
Nat is a serious plant collector and has put together a garden that shows off the specimens he's gathered perfectly. Everything is given room to shine.
Phlomis 'Sunningdale Gold' in front of a yucca.
Schefflera delavayi
Rhododendron pachysanthum
Mahonia eurybracteata 'Soft Caress'
Ilex crenata ‘Dwarf Pagoda’—a plant I really need to find a place for in my garden.
We've now worked our way through the various planting areas of the front garden and we're looking at the plants up against the house. Canna 'Cleopatra' is fantastic, with it's striped leaves and random bloom colors.
I'm interrupting photos Nat's garden to share a photo of this cactus he sent home with me, Echinopsis chamaecereus 'Arlequin' in my garden. It's a cactus version of Canna 'Cleopatra'!
Back to Nat's garden and more canna...
...and water lily blooms—Nymphaea 'Violicious'. I am jealous, the damn raccoons have taken away my ability to grow these beauties.
Have you ever seen a more successful patch of Senecio candicans. aka Angel Wings Senecio? I doubt it. Nat said he's had companies contact him asking to use his photos for marketing purposes. I can see why.
Oh... and that turquoise fellow is a friendly beaver head given to Chris by a coworker. I think it needs a name, any suggestions?
As you may have noticed, there's a bit of a party going on up near the house—we'll see close-ups of some these reptile inhabitants in a bit.
Nat kindly agreed to stand next to his AMAZING Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Wissel's Saguaro' so you see just how tall it is. My tiny 2.5 ft plant has some major growing to do!
I'm not usually a conifer fan ('Wissel's Saguaro' excepted), but this one with it's blue and green needles, sitting in front of a blue wall, well—it stopped me in my tracks.
Now we're in the back garden where Nat has stashed some inventory for The Other Side Nursery .
Callisia fragrans, aka basket plant.
Alocasia cuprea 'Red Secret'
Greenhouse treasures...
Stock tank veggie garden...
And this!
I think I successfully down-played the complete and utter joy I felt when I saw this little in-ground pond, Nat said they inherited it with the garden, and he's certainly made the most of it. When I was a kid there was a small pond like this in the yard of a house we frequently drove by. I was in love with that pond and the idea of it. Seeing this one took me back...
But really the big show in the back garden is this...
A HUGE display of happy, healthy and colorful sarracenia. Amazing!
I could have done an entire blog post on just the sarracenia but managed to (somehow) pare it down to just two images. There could have been so many more.
I turned and was lured away by beautiful ripe tomatoes.
And then spotted this, a variegated Monstera deliciosa spending the summer outdoors.
Nat, thanks for letting me visit your garden—it's pretty damn fabulous! Parting shot of a very healthy Agave americana 'Mediopicta Alba'.
All material © 2009-2022 by Loree L Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.
Just wow! Plus he has beautiful specimens of two shrubs I am growing. So it was really fun to see them and compare.
ReplyDeleteIsn't that fun? Seeing plants you grow in other gardens.
DeleteOMG, those sarracenias are insane! In fact, the entire garden is ĂĽber-cool. I have a good idea of how you must have felt looking at Nat's wonderful plants.
ReplyDeleteYa it was pretty fun, I knew he had great plant taste but it was even better than I guessed!
DeleteThat bog garden - and the Echinopsis - blew me away. In it's entirety, the garden is right up your alley - I'm surprised you didn't ask to camp out overnight ;)
ReplyDeleteI wasn't intending to deceive anyone, but realize now the way I angled that photo it looks like the sarracenia are in the ground—they're not. They're in containers. Which is even more impressive I think, that they look so good.
DeleteSome incredible plants in Nat's garden. The A. american medio picta is drool worthy as is the Echinopsis. Oh to be able to do Sarracinea in such volume. The little plants I purchase every year just don't do the genus justive.
ReplyDeleteAgreed about the agave and Nat definitely has the touch for successful sarracenia growing.
DeleteLooks like a wonderful visit, and the plants are fascinating and spectacular. The Cannas really caught my eye, and I'm a huge Sarracenia fan.
ReplyDeleteI did come home looking around my garden for where I could squeeze in a few cannas next year...
DeleteNo, I have never seen a more successful patch of that senecio! Another garden, like yours, showcasing so many fabulous plants to grow in the PNW! I've had my eye on 'Wissel's Saguaro' for a while -- what a great specimen! And the sarracenia is unreal -- it looks like a bog in the South.
ReplyDeleteDid you spot my 'Wissel's Saguaro' yesterday? It's just sitting there (in the front garden) not doing a thing...
DeleteI can't wait for my 3 foot tall 'Wissel's Saguaro' to hurry up and become the beautiful mature specimen it can be!
ReplyDeleteThe sarracenia 'meadow' is mind blowing. They couldn't all planted in the soil, could they?
chavli
No, actually the sarracenia are in containers, I didn't intentionally deceive but realize now my photo was a little misleading.
DeleteEven in containers, still mind blowing :-)
DeleteWell I must say you've taken your readers to some pretty unique gardens and this one is right up there ! And how in the world goes her keep all those sarracenias watered ? Is it just a big pond ? And of course the pangs of jealousy were upon me upon viewing Erynigium maritimum.
ReplyDeleteWe are fortunate enough to be able to use tap water here... so they're all just in those black plant trays and I just keep the water topped off.
DeleteThat is the best ever Senecio candicans, yes. How did Nat do that?
ReplyDeleteAmazing too a Sarracenia...meadow. Looks like it would in habitat in somewhere like South Carolina.
The Eryngium proteiflorum also very interesting. It does look quite Leucadendron-y.
A gem of a garden.
Thank you! How did I do it? pure Thoughts and Prayers hahaha. Unfortunately they got killed this past winter though... though I was surprised that they lasted as long as they did.
DeleteThat is an impressive Wissels Saguaro but I think there might be a larger on here in Dallas? I've killed two, perhaps third times the charm.
ReplyDeleteThe next conifer is Japanese White Pine, my favorite species of conifer, I have 4 varieties and counting.
Does Nat grow those Senecio Angel Wings in the ground, and do they stay there through the winter? I have a big specimen in a pot this summer and wondering if I can winter it somehow, either in the pot or in the ground.
Nat here. They were in-ground for several years Maybe since 2018?... 22-23's winter finally took them out... Thank you!
DeleteWow, thanks Nat. My plant still looks good in its pot but sometime in October a slug moved in and had been eating the tomentum off of the leaves, I think I got him, and will watch for more. Did you have to control slugs on your in-ground planting?
ReplyDelete