Return to the Wonder Garden

The Hoffman Wonder Garden is a small botanic garden in Manzanita, Oregon, planted with plants that naturally thrive in that location—a sort of demonstration garden. I first visited in April of last year (post here), and couldn't wait to get back during our late July coastal getaway to see what the garden looks like in high summer...

There are no tall trees to shade the area, so the colorful sun sails perform that duty.

New labels waiting to be placed? Plants that haven't returned from last winter?

Arctostaphylos silvicola 'Ghostly'

Astelia chathamica on the far right.

Romneya coulteri and an umbel I didn't catch the name of.

Callistemon pallidus 'Eleanor'

I previously called this euphorbia E. stygiana, but I think I may have been wrong and it's actually E. mellifera.

Wow. Look at that combo! Anigozanthos flavidus and Rhodocoma capensis, dreamy! I took a video of how they were swaying in the wind but it was horrid, too much wind and too much traffic noise.

The kangaroo paw was one of the tallest I've ever seen, and the colors! Chartreuse, a cabernet blush at the base...

...and the smokey purple when the bloom opens. Almost too much, but actually just perfect.

The tall spires of the Cape restio definitely held their own.

A view of the planting mound from the back. The soil here (close to the beach) is so sandy that the plantings are all on raised mounds, an attempt to provide nutrients and moisture to the plants, instead of it all just passing thru. 

Chondropetalum tectorum (Small Cape Rush) along the side street.

Watsonia angusta hybrid

This little cutie was not labeled and I thought maybe it was a banksia...

I was wrong, it's an unknown leucadendron, perhaps L. galpinii 'Silver Cone' (thanks to Denise for that info).

A blue eryngium (no label).

Rhododendron 'Cherries & Merlot'

I've had a long standing crush on Fabiana imbricata 'Violacea' but wondered what the shrub looked like post bloom. After the violet flowers turned brown.

It's not as unattractive as I feared.

I think I might be looking for a place to plant one of these!

Callistemon 'Woodlander's Hardy Red', it's interesting how much behind my plants the callistemon blooms are here. Mine were finished weeks ago.

I'll wrap up with agaves, becasue there is always an agave—if you look hard enough. This one A. americana var. medio picta 'Alba'.

And a smattering of Agave parryi.

What a Wonder(ful) Garden to visit!

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