I first visited Kyle and Iva Marie Connall's garden in West Linn, OR, during last June's
HPSO Study Weekend. I had so many other things to share though that I didn't end up writing about it until January (
here). I returned this June, excited to see the updates I'd heard about from Kyle, and seen via
his Instagram page. I was wowed!
Kyle and Iva Marie have been hard at work adding these new planting areas to the front of their property. In Kyle's words (borrowed from
this Instagram post): "...
a new garden area my wife and I have been pouring much sweat equity into this spring. We’ve completed four of the six raised beds, edged with Corten steel. We will complete the other two next spring. We’ve taken out an oval-shaped area of lawn that is 83’ long and 44’ wide. The primary emphasis for the two beds with the decorative gravel as a top dressing was to plant a variety of yuccas, agaves, opuntia and other cacti. For these beds, we blended pumice, gravel and top soil to insure excellent drainage."
I heard stories of the work they'd put in here mixing soil and hauling it to the different areas. These are two dedicated gardeners! Or wait, make that a dedicated gardener and his hard working, supportive, spouse.
Kyle shared that part of his inspiration for this new planting came from the book
Visionary: Gardens and Landscapes for Our Future by Claire Takacs and Giacomo Guzzon. Specifically the section on Coleson Bruce's garden which
I had the privilege of visiting with Pam Penick back in 2021. It was wonderful to look at this new planting and see that vision. I look forward to seeing the new areas completed and the plants filling in.
When it came time to write about my first visit I remember being very disappointed in my photos of the lavender and eucalyptus that line the driveway (to the side of the new planting area, you can see them in the image at the top of the page). As much as I tried to capture the magic this time, I'm not sure I was any more successful...
Looking back on the new dry garden...
And over to a different section of the garden, where we'll be in a moment.
Now we've walked up to the home and taken a right from the driveway. We'll head down those steps in a minute, but first we're taking the jog to the left.
Where this enclosed courtyard space greets us.
Tall palms!
I'm not the only one who appreciates a good agave and fern combo...
The tall palms are at my back now.
Time to take the steps down...
Feijoa sellowiana (pineapple guava) on the left and Bupleurum fruticosum on the right.
Lush!
More agaves and Yucca rostrata...
Ah Kyle I feel your pain! (cleaning up an agave is not fun work)
Other visitors admiring the tall Tetrapanax papyrifer (at least that's what I think they should be doing).
While there are lots of spiky plants in the garden there's also no shortage of color from a wide range of flowering plants.
Callistemon
Kniphofia
Moving on to another planting area...
Romneya coulteri
Phlomis of some sort.
And the Opuntia are blooming! This was perhaps my favorite section of the garden on my last visit, and it holds up this time around.
Metapanax delavayi and a fluffy little conifer.
More palms and Tetrapanax at the back of the house.
Heading back around to the front now... thanks so much for opening your garden again Kyle and Iva Marie. I am a huge fan of what you're up to!
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