Postcards from the Puget Sound

I attended the 2024 Garden Fling (formerly known as the Garden Bloggers' Fling) in Puget Sound this month, my first since the Austin Fling in 2018.  It was originally slated for 2021 but the pandemic intervened and the entire Fling schedule was disrupted.  However, I remained committed to attend when it got off the ground at last.

The event with one hundred attendees officially kicked off with a welcome dinner on July 18th and ended on July 21st.  Although a one-day extension to tour selected Seattle gardens was offered, I'd opted out when I reserved my slot back in February and flew home the morning of July 22nd.  Over the course of three packed days, I took nearly a thousand photos.  I've made a preliminary survey of them, discarding those that were obviously not up to snuff, and organizing them by garden, which wasn't easy as in some cases gardens were adjacent to others on the tour and blended into one another in my memory.

This post consists of a largely random collection of photos from some of my favorite gardens on the tour.  It doesn't include photos from all those we saw but it'll provide a taste of posts to come at intervals over the next few months.

Here we go!

Day One (5 gardens, 3 on Vashon Island and 2 on the mainland)

We traveled by ferry to and from Vashon Island, which was an experience in itself.

I took this photo from the ferry as we headed back to the mainland.  That's Mount Rainier in the background.

Some of the Fling crowd on the upper deck

Froggsong Garden (Vashon) 

Froggsong is a 5-acre estate garden sitting within a 17-acre parcel.  It's owners have operated a wedding and events venue for the last 8 years.  This sunny border fronted the house.

This is part of Froggsong's "Hydrangea Walk."  Hydrangeas were seemingly everywhere in the Puget Sound area.  I've little chance of growing them in my climate and haven't even tried to do so in my current garden but views like this left me thinking that maybe I should try one in a large pot.

Gray Garden (mainland)

The owners of this carefully curated garden not only opened their space to a crowd of 100 strangers but also hosted a happy hour with wine.  The back area, shown in part here, has a steep slope that was stabilized using what was described as a rock scree.  The delicately balanced rock structure visible on the upper left was referred to as "Toadhenge." 

Day Two (7 gardens)

Risdahl-Pittman Garden

I loved this garden, described as an "eclectic plant playground" but somehow didn't manage to collect as many photos as I'd have liked.  This one backed up closely to another property we also toured.

A sunny koi pond I believe was part of the same property

Paulsen Garden

Overlooking Orting Valley, with a view of Mount Rainier, this garden is the creation of Camille Paulsen, who was key in organizing the Puget Sound Fling.  Her husband built this Torii gate to adorn an Asian-influenced shade garden.

A quiet pond near a view site

View of Mount Rainier from the garden

Day Three (4 gardens)

Heronswood (former home of famous plantsman, Dan Hinkley, currently owned and operated by the Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe)

A Little and Lewis designed "ruin"

Part of the formal gardens adjacent to Hinkley's former home, now used as an office

Flower freak that I am, I couldn't help fixating on the bounty of lilies in full bloom in many of the gardens we visited.  I saw this particular variety in several gardens and I'm obsessed with it but have yet to identify the cultivar.  This one was included in Heronswood's formal garden.

Heckler Garden

This small, relatively shady garden surrounded by huge trees was absolutely packed with plants

One of many attention-grabbing vignettes

Brindley Garden

This garden sits next door to Dan Hinkley's current garden.  The front house and garden immediately drew my attention as my dream of a home in the Pacific Northwest.

A vivid stand of Crocosmia fronting a view of the Salish Sea in the back garden

Windcliff (current home and nursery of Dan Hinkley)

We knew we'd reached Windcliff after shifting our path when Hinkley's dogs suddenly appeared.  This one carried a shoe in his mouth as if daring anyone to take it from him.

View of a section of the back garden decorated with ceramic sculptures created by Dustin Gimbel

A combined walkway and pond with the Salish Sea visible in the background.  Much of Hinkley's bluff side garden was devastated by 2024's extreme winter weather and is currently in the early stages of a complete renovation.

I arrived home mid-afternoon on Monday and fairly quickly got to work on my own garden.  That came to a relative halt on Wednesday when I tested positive for COVID.  I had a preemptive fourth booster shot in early June and wore masks on both flights and in the crowded airport terminal areas but we spent a lot of time on buses yapping on our way to our various stops and at communal meals.  The last I heard there are at least ten confirmed cases of COVID among attendees.  It was unfortunate but I don't regret the trip or the opportunity to see old friends and meet others I've conversed with online for years in person.  My symptoms are mild; I'm taking Paxlovid; and my husband and I've carved up our house into "his" and "her" areas in an effort to keep him virus free.  It's just another warning that COVID is still out there.

Best wishes for a pleasant weekend.  I should be back to my regular posting schedule next week.

All material © 2012-2024 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party