Friday, August 9, 2024

Gray Garden: Artfully Curated

The last stop on Day One of the Puget Sound Fling was Gray Garden.*  The owners not only graciously invited all one-hundred Fling participants into their garden at the same time but also treated us to wine and snacks.

There was a bee line to the wine


As we'd climbed a tall stairway to reach the deck with a clear view of Commencement Bay, it was obvious that the property was situated on a steep incline but I didn't appreciate how steep it was until I wound my way around the house to face the back garden.

This was the sight that met us upon turning that corner

This deeper view shows just how tall the back slope is.  The owners created a rock scree to stabilize the slope with it's natural water seepage.  The rectangular fiberglass panels in assorted colors midway up the slope are installed from spring through summer to add interest.

A small pond sits at the slope's base, fed by a waterfall


One of the most striking elements of the back garden was a creation the owners named "Toadhenge."

"Toadhenge" is a play on Stonehenge, the famous neolithic structure in the UK, and a commentary on the toadstool-like rocks carefully balanced in an upper area of Gray Garden's slope


Here's a closer view.  I think that's Jerry of Botanica Chaotica getting a closer look.  The trail taking visitors up there was itself sloped.

The stone structure looked a little different from every angle


As you've probably noticed, the area was densely planted.  The plants were selected for their appreciation of shade and moist soil.

Gunnera, ferns, and assorted foliage plants in varied colors and textures were everywhere.  Flowers were relatively uncommon.
 
Pops of chartreuse foliage echoed the color of the patio furniture 

Trees included weeping willows, white birches, and a variety of Japanese maples


Rock was used extensively too


This tree looked like a piece of natural art


There were small (and some not so small) pieces of art tucked into virtually every nook and cranny.

I felt a little overwhelmed with the art at time but these were some of my favorites.  The toad stool was a nod to the "Toadhenge" structure.  The little frogs sitting on the steps signaled the need for care walking up those shiny black steps.  And I simply couldn't dismiss a frog belching up flowers.

Even the back gate was artsy


All too soon, it was time to board the buses and head back to our hotel.  I snapped a few last shots of the front garden as we left.

Those big rocks next to the stairway to/from the deck indicate the height of the climb

This was a route through the front garden I didn't get a chance to take

If you look carefully at the upper left corner of this shot aimed up the street, there's another view of Mount Rainier in the distance


I can't speak for everyone, but that was one busy day! 


*I skipped two of the shorter stops made on Day One but I'll come back to them with a later post.  I think I've finally made it around the corner with COVID; however, as I was fooled once before and suffered a relapse, I've promised my husband one more test on Saturday morning before we bring down the walls of isolation we've maintained since I tested positive on July 24th.  The best news is that he managed to evade the virus throughout the process, even if it drove us both a little crazy.  In my case, I'm looking forward to getting back to my normal activities.  Fling posts will continue but may be more sporadic.


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


27 comments:

  1. Wonderful back garden, chock full of favorite PNW plants. That small pond and sitting area are fantastic and provide refuge on hot days. That sculptural tree trunk is so gorgeous.
    I sometimes wonder how the plant selection with minimal blooms looks to you...
    Chavli

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    1. Ha! While I can appreciate a green-dominant landscape (green being one of my favorite colors), I do "need" color to energize me, Chavli. Carhart's woodland garden came closer to the sweet spot for me with its jolts of floral color in sunny spots here and there. This garden felt overly curated to me, if that makes any sense.

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  2. Great photos. You even managed to photograph the smaller decorative elements - I love your attention to detail.

    This is a hard garden for me to write about. I found it visually exhausting in a way...

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    1. I can understand your reaction, Gerhard. Based on commentary I heard following our visit, I'd say that Gray Garden was one of the most controversial we visited. It was meticulously designed and presented a dramatic first impression but it lacked the personality I look for in gardens. All the small artsy pieces became a distraction/annoyance for me, although "Toadhenge" was great.

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  3. Toadhenge was epic, I totally agree. I want my own Toadhenge.

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    1. I'd have liked to have learned more about how Toadhenge was created. I don't think Puget Sound is part of a major earthquake zone but still that's come balancing act!

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    2. ( Google "Cascadia Subduction Zone")

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    3. Okay I stand corrected! I wonder if Toadhenge had to pass an inspection.

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    4. Unlikely. PNW is terribly far behind in earthquake preparedness. Besides, with the slope behind them... Let's just say I would hesitate to buy a house with that slope. Toadhenge is great, planting is lovely, but I doubt it would hold up to "the big one". I'd like to be wrong or never have to find out!

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  4. I had a slightly different take on that one. Need to get my act in gear on blogging the fling gardens. I've had various things to get through.

    Very sorry to hear you had quite a relapse of Covid, I hope it's gone away now for good. Fingers crossed for a negative test for you!

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    1. Well, Paxlovid is known for resulting in rebounds...I even asked the nurse practitioner about that when she prescribed the medication but she downplayed its frequency. Harvard Medical School said they'd seen a 20% rebound effect so I guess I was one of the the unlucky ones. The real purpose of that medication is to keep a person out of the hospital and it accomplished that so I've decided to be grateful. I probably didn't help myself by insisting on working in the garden every time I felt the slightest bit better either ;)

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  5. So glad you're feeling better, bring down those walls of isolation. You've done a great job highlighting this garden. I think I prefer it in pictures, if that's not too snippy to say. Truly, to each their own! *And Toadhenge was fabulous.

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    1. Toadhenge was unequivocally the best aspect of the Gray Garden but, having my fair share of slopes, I'm pretty impressed by the effort to stabilize and make use of that steep incline too.

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    2. Yes, you're right. Dealing with that slope seems impossible really. They did that wonderfully and I love all the rock.

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  6. That is definitely me, gesturing wildly, probably saying that there was no way I wanted to walk underneath that giant rock that was balanced seemingly precariously (and not bolted) in place. I have to admit gasping in astonishment, along with many others as I rounded the corner and saw the tiers of Gunnera going up the slope. What worked for me was the repetition in plants. As a plant collector, with one of everything, I found the restrained plant palette soothing and easy to relax in. The birch grove had me flummoxed, though. Wish I had learned more about what they were doing to give me context. This garden was the one that started me on an insecurity spiral, making me feel depressed about my own garden back home, realizing that I will never have the $ nor the water to create what I think I truly want to have.

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    1. This was just my third Fling but I think I decided early on to accept the gardens we visited for the ideas they offered and that's all. Some of those ideas are transferable in some fashion, many are not. While there have often been gardens here and there on the tours that strike a familiar or "accessible" cord, the vast majority have been large; feature elaborate hardscaping; have been designed by professionals; and are frequently maintained by professionals. The Halstead/Robinson and Heckler gardens were 2 of those that stood out for me as falling in the accessible category during this Fling. And then the climate differences are just something we have to accept. I've always said that, conceptually, I'd love to have a woodland garden but woodland gardens and SoCal aren't part of the same world.

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    2. Yes, definitely Halstead/Robinson and Heckler were much more accessible, though I came away with some ideas from the Gray's as well.

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    3. If you install a Toadhenge in your garden, Jerry, I want to see it ;)

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  7. I'm too much of a collector and constant renovator to ever have a garden like this( not to mention financial resources) but I did find it quite beautiful as sort of an art piece, a place I enjoyed spending time in. I think the Grays must be accustomed to entertaining relatively large groups and the garden is set up very well for that-probably a must-have in the design brief. I agree with Jerry that the repetition was one of the best features. We certainly had some very hospitable hosts on Fling and the Grays were right up there!

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    1. I think the Grays were very gracious to open their garden to 100 strangers - and serve wine to boot! I too felt their garden was constructed with social gatherings in mind.

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  8. This was definitely an entertainer's garden, designed to accommodate a crowd. I would have loved to see it lit up after dark. I adored the birch bosque and Toad-henge. The whole garden was beautifully put together and, to my eye, full of character, with an interesting mix of high and low art. It was truly something different, which is exactly what I want to see on a tour.

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    1. It is an interesting garden - and I imagine it'd look very different lit up after nightfall, Pam. Toadhenge was the highlight for me and I appreciated the foliage mixes.

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  9. The thing that impresses me the most is how well that woman's hat matches the patio furniture in that first image. What's the deal there, did she call ahead, have some inside scoop?

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    1. Ha! I imagine that was entirely coincidental, with lime and chartreuse greens being very popular summer colors. You didn't identify yourself but I'm very tempted to hazard a guess...

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  10. They have done textures so beautifully... textbook perfect! Eliza

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