Denise Lane's garden, part of the NPA Study Weekend

The first Garden Blogger's Fling (now called just The Fling) I attended was held in the Seattle area in 2011. It was memorable in every way, especially for the gardens we saw and being in the company of other bloggers. One of the gardens we toured belonged to Denise Lane...

When I saw her name on the list of gardens open for last June's NPA Study Weekend I made plans to visit, what a great opportunity to see how a large garden had changed in 11 years! In case you're curious here is a link to my 2011 post.

I found this leaf peeper a little creepy...

What an impressive patch of Impatiens omeiana!

Here's part of the garden description from our event booklet: Thirty-four years ago, I bought a nearly 1-acre lot with a house on it, knowing full well that a house can be changed over time, but the location cannot. Mature native trees were retained while undesirables were gradually replaced with more exciting and unusual plants. There was no plan, just a determined weekend warrior gardener (Denise) who wanted to create a plant lovers paradise, where a floral arrangement could be made every day of the year.

No doubt you're thinking how green everything is, I know I was as I edited down my photos.

Dryopteris sieboldii 

Keep in mind I toured in June, on the tail-end of what had been a remarkably wet spring for the Pacific Northwest. In fact I took these photos with a camera in one hand and an umbrella in the other, as we were rained on that day.

Asplenium trichomanes

 

I think these may be one of the hardy ground orchids?

Blechnum chilense/ aka Parablechnum cordatum

Rather than walking through this garden and thinking about how it had changed, I instead found myself thinking about how I had changed. I've learned so much as a gardener in the last 11 years.

That is the house in the background of both this and the above photo. This photo was taken from the path you see in the above photo.

Lewisia and sempervivum are an interesting pairing. 

Oh how I wish I could have this kind of success with Eremurus!

I love this combo of the rectangular fountain with the chunky block edging and the rusted wall backdrop.

Blechnum spicant (deer fern) and perhaps Dryopteris erythrosora, the autumn fern?

Isn't the rusty color of the fronds just perfect with the rocks and moss?

During my previous visit the Little and Lewis Ruin was a natural cement color.

It of course is not up to me what color it is, but I find this terracotta tone a little jarring. Ditto for the red and blue flowers in the planters on top.

Now that's how to do rodgersia, wow!

Love the mossy bench (?) and tree fern, had to laugh at my feeling this might be a one-way mirror.

From this angle, with the dark foliage in the foreground, the color of the ruin looks much better.

I don't take many flower photos when I tour most gardens, but I couldn't resist this lily backed by the restio branch. 

It wasn't until re-reading the garden listing in the event booklet that I remembered that Denise's garden was also featured in the recently published book Private Gardens of the Pacific Northwest, along with mine and so many others. 

Now if you'd of told me back in 2011 that both this garden and mine were going to be in the same book, well I would have thought you were absolutely nuts!

In June I'd already hatched my plan to paint our neighbor's garage wall orange—although it would be a several weeks until I did the deed. I remember looking at this bright chartreuse and thinking maybe that was another color worth considering.

Dark foliage sure looked super against it! (I am happy with the orange though)

Fertile fronds of what I think is Osmunda regalis in the center there.

That moundy palm showed up in a previous photo—from the other side. I have no clue what it is, but it's fabulous right there.

Fern table!

Although the table part is completely obscured.

Also from the event booklet: Last fall we said goodbye to a 40' tall Parrotia persica that was beginning to crack and lift the terrace. A chunk of the mottled trunk was relocated and now there is a new sun filled area to plant! I think this might be that mottled trunk?

I wonder if more bromeliads were added?

Making my way back to my car now, I wanted to chat with Denise Lane on my way out but she was busy answering other people's questions. Instead I admired her Wollemia nobilis. What a specimen!

I also snuck up on the home's balcony to see if there was still an agave there, remembering how happy I was to see one back in 2011. I was not disappointed! Thank you for sharing your garden Denise...

My other posts (so far) from the NPA Hardy Plant Study Weekend: 

The view from the other side...Vangie and Daniel Pepper

Another NPA Study Weekend stop: Scot Eckley's garden 

The garden of Don Brooks and Chris Syrjala 

PowellsWood; a Northwest Pleasure Garden 

The Risdahl-Pittman Garden, my first stop on a fun-filled weekend of garden touring 

My plant haul, from the 2022 NPA Study Weekend

All material © 2009-2022 by Loree L Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.