Today's
Chanticleer Friday post covers four areas of the garden that to me felt like the "in between" spaces. Everything up to this point had been a collection of stunning plants and smallish spaces within larger spaces all designed to the nines. The areas we'll walk through today—the orange ovals on the map, the orange stars represent previous posts—were a nice chance to catch my breath and gear up for the parts of the garden yet to come.
As I started the zigzag Elevated Walkway down to the lower ground level, leaving the gardens and terraces around the house, I was delighted to see this Marcia Donahue installation. I have such fond memories of
pieces like these in other gardens I've visited.
The walkway ahead...
"
Constructed to improve access and safety, the Elevated Walkway glides over a steep slope that stretches from the Chanticleer House to the Serpentine. Save for a grove of quaking aspens and Persian ironwoods, much of the slope is given over to herbaceous plantings that allow for unobstructed views from the walkway." (
source)
Looking out over the lawn from one of the bends in the path.
Rattlesnake master, Eryngium yuccifolium.
Mossy cement podophyllum leaves.
This little A-frame was listed on the map as the "apple house," I'm assuming a place for apple storage back in the day.
It would be wrong to not investigate.
Lots of detail in the elevated walkway railing.
Inside the apple house...
Lonicera reticulata 'Kintzley's Ghost'
Another view outward...
Cryptomeria, there were many large cryptomeria around the garden.
The fallen bits were allowed to stay in place as mulch.
The Serpentine Garden...
"
A Tuscan countryside inspired the Serpentine – the silver-leafed willows and junipers stand in for olives and Italian cypresses, Florentine irises under the ginkgoes scent the air in May, and the stone circle suggestive of ancient terraces. The glory of the Serpentine belongs to the rotating cast of agricultural crops planted each year in the two main curved beds – one year was artichokes, another a sea of barley. The planting is an effective way of demonstrating the beauty of agriculture." (
source)
Here's where I admit I paid zero attention to the "crop" in the serpentine beds.
Nope, I was kinda warm and just wanted to make for the shade of the ginkgos and sit for a bit.
So I did just that. Here's the view over my shoulder.
And towards my sit-spot.
The bulb meadow was dotted with many colchicums, I read that there are three major bulb displays throughout the year. In spring (April and May) there are daffodils, tulips, and Spanish bluebells. From July through October, there are first spider lilies (lycoris) and then the colchicums appear.
I'm squeezing in one more area that just didn't make sense to put anywhere else, on the map (at the top of this post) it is the nameless oval below the gravel garden, maybe it's actually part of the gravel garden? There were more Eryngium yuccifolium, as well as multiple asters and zinnia.
Looking back up at the house.
It was a masterful color match that the center of the purple asters...
Worked so well with the colorful orange zinnia.
Next week we will explore the Asian Woods.
My previous posts on Chanticleer:
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All material © 2009-2023 by Loree L Bohl. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.
I always picture that little apple house as a gnome residence. The beautiful fanciful murals inside just scream garden gnome. It doesn't look like there were many others visiting while you were there. How nice to experience the atmosphere of the garden on a much more personal level.
ReplyDeleteGnomes would be very at home in that little house! You're right, during my Wednesday visit there weren't many other people in the garden, that's when most of these photos were taken. On Friday when I returned with my fellow Flingers there were lots of folks milling about, it was fun to see the garden both ways.
DeleteI wish I had "in between" spaces like those in my garden - heck, I wish my local botanic garden has anything near as good. I love the Apple House and the Colchicums. I used to see the latter for sale in local garden centers each fall but no one seems to carry them any more. I'll have to look into mail order sources.
ReplyDeleteI know Far Reaches Farm had a great selection at one point...
DeleteI absolutely loved Chanticleer (as did everyone else at the Fling, I know). ;-) I haven't gotten around to posting about it yet...I'm thinking a midwinter remembrance will be good therapy. Thanks for sharing the memories.
ReplyDeleteMy stretching out these posts over a series of Fridays is therapy for me, getting to relive the garden week by week is heaven.
DeleteThat....is a lot of flowers at the end...I'm a little shocked...the heat must have been bad! (teasing!). The little apple shed makes me think one of my 2024 projects should be to renovate a little shed of ours that has been languishing for 16 years. It's hideous. I always say I'm going to renovate it, and never do.
ReplyDeleteInteresting that you noticed that anomaly. Actually I stood right there in that spot with two blogger friends chatting with Bill Thomas (Executive Director) for quite awhile, so I snapped photos.
DeleteHeavenly garden and I love the apple house! Thanks for feeding my green obsession!
ReplyDeleteHeavenly garden indeed!
DeleteThanks for marking the garden map as you do: I find it very useful and it appeals to my love of organization :-)
ReplyDeleteThe elevated walkway is a wonderful idea, beautifully executed. Love the apples house and it's 'window treatment'.
Are all those trees around your sit-spot espaliered? So unique!
I was immediately drawn to the color match of the aster and zinnia! Stunning.
Chavli
Glad that you appreciate the map. I know that I always like to know how a smaller bit of a garden relates to the whole, so I thought some other folks would like to know as well. Yes, those are espaliered ginkgoes, pretty cool!
DeleteLove the aster & zinnia combination. The stone wall is gorgeous. What an amazing place. And I agree with anon above, the map is so helpful to keep it all straight.
ReplyDelete