Filling in the Gaps in my Day One Coverage of the Fling

It's been a busy week as I struggled to catch up with delayed housekeeping and garden demands.  I've made only dents in both but I decided this was a good opportunity to catch up on my Day One coverage of the Puget Sound Fling in mid-July.  I skipped two gardens, both which we visited relatively briefly.  My photographic coverage of both is also woefully incomplete but I can only share what I have.

The first of these is the Halstead-Robinson Garden on Vashon Island, which my bus visited after Carhart Garden and prior to our lunch stop at Froggsong Garden.   We had half an hour to explore the half-acre garden, located in Dockton overlooking the Quartermaster Harbor.  My own garden is just over a half-acre in size and, even knowing it as well as I do, I'm not sure I could photograph it effectively in half an hour!

I snapped this shot of the harbor and a restaurant directly across the street from the Halstead-Robinson Garden when we dismounted the bus.  I have to say that a restaurant that close to home has appeal!

The borders were full of plants I find impossible to grow, like these Astilbe

I understand that the owners lost 20 large plants due to extreme winter conditions, which required some adjustments

As we learned in virtually every garden we visited, Hydrangeas were in fine form throughout the Puget Sound

A shady vignette complete with a dry streambed

Steps leading to a deck surrounding the Craftsman home built in 1908

It was a playful garden, as exemplified by the artistic features scattered throughout, as well a two areas dedicated to involving visitors in the garden.

Anita Halstead is a mosaic and topiary artist and evidence of her work was evident in many areas.  I don't know if the metalwork black bird was her design but I loved it too.

This chess set in the middle of the front lawn invited play

This invitation to explore meditation while walking through a small maze was also intriguing, although I neglected to photograph the maze itself

There were several inviting seating areas, of which I'll share two.

A short path led to a shaded bench sheltered by tall shrubs

This shaded bench under a tree was backed by Halstead's stylish topiaries

The gardeners/homeowners generously offered plants for sale.

Tempting, but I consistently steered clear of anything I'd have to cram into my luggage and check at the airport

The garden was full of wonderful plants but these 2 caught my eye: Alcea (hollyhock) on the left and Schizanthus (poor man's orchid) on the right.  Unfortunately, the former is a magnet for rust in my area.  I haven't seen plugs or even seed of the latter in years but it's among the top 10 of my favorite flowering annuals.

Although I missed a lot, I took note of the compost bins.  They're unexciting but I consider them as evidence of a hands-on gardener.

They look well-used!

The other stop I skipped over during my earlier coverage was Point Defiance Park, which we saw after Froggsong Park and our ferry ride back to the mainland and before the day's final stop at Gray Garden.  My recollection is that we had less than half an hour there, which when faced with a 760-acre park, required severe limitations on my options.  I saw only the Dahlia Trial Garden and the Fuchsia Garden before we were hailed to load our bus.

I followed a group of locals in the general direction of the Dahlia Trial Garden, just a short distance from our bus

The dahlias were numbered, not named.  This one stood out within the group the park was trialing this year.

I liked these 3 too

These are some of the others that were in bloom

I spent some time chatting so I admittedly captured little of the Fuchsia Garden.

According to the park's online site, the garden's collection features 125 upright fuchsias

Next week, time permitting, I'll get started with Day Two of the Fling.  In the meantime, best wishes for a good weekend!

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