Day Two of the Puget Sound Fling in mid-July started off with our arrival at the Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden (RSBG). The site is twenty-two acres in size and contains the largest Rhododendron collection in the world. The Pacific Bonsai Museum occupies a portion of the RSBG's grounds, which was also on our agenda, so the visit was a two-fer.
The RSBG Conservatory was just ahead so that's where I started.
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| The Conservatory was remarkably large and even contained a water feature |
Just outside the conservatory, I came across a few artwork pieces before plunging ahead along the main path through the garden, surrounded by massive trees.
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| Among the art, there was a series labeled as "Rock Hoppers" |
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| A seating area outside the Conservatory featured a beautiful Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) in a pot, which had me wondering if I could try that to expand my personal collection of 2 of these maples |
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| I took a few shots from a distance to show just how tall the trees are. According to our Fling brochure, trees include Douglas firs, western red cedars, and hemlocks. |
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| This photo is marred by at least 4 sun spots but I included it because the figure wearing a blue t-shirt in the distance on the left puts the size of those trees in perspective |
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| I thought I heard someone identify this tree but I couldn't remember what it was. As I know that Loree of danger garden has visited RSBG often, I scanned some of her posts and concluded that this is probably a Mahonia tree. Honestly, if you'd like more extensive coverage of RSBG, search Loree's site! RSBG should consider paying her to provide photos for their website. |
During Day One, I'd already acknowledged that many of the plants in the Puget Sound were foreign to me. That was even more evident in the woodland environment of RSBG. I decided to just appreciate the plants for their own sake without investing a lot of time and energy in trying to identify them.
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| Other than western sword ferns (Polystichum munitum) there are very few ferns I can grow in my own garden. I can't identify those on the left. I can only identify the one on the right (Blechnum chilense) because there's a label in the photograph. |
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| Before I became acquainted with Loree (danger garden), I valued Rhododendrons purely for their flowers but I've since grown to appreciate the foliage of many of them, not that that changes the fact that most can't be grown in my climate. I can only identify the one on the upper right (Rhododendron asterochnoum) and the one on the lower right (R. 'Golfer'). |
In addition to the Conservatory, our guide recommended checking out the garden's Victorian Stumpery.
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| I consider this my best shot from the Stumpery but that didn't mean I didn't take more photos as shown below |
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| Kathy of GardenBook is admiring the Stumpery here. Her own post on RSBG can be found here. |
After leaving the Stumpery, some of us came upon a large pond.
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| That flat green area in the middle of this photo isn't grass |
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| Here's a closer look at the pond, which is covered by mat of tiny aquatic ferns (Azolla filiculoides) |
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| This sign made me laugh but I suspect it was there for good reason! |
I'm no expert on shade plants (as there's precious little shade in my garden) and summer isn't the peak season for floral color in the Puget Sound area but among the plants all around me, I was able to identify some. In some cases, others on the Fling tour threw out identifications, or at least suppositions.
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| Clockwise from the upper left, to the best of my knowledge, are: a Begonia I once killed (and can't identify by name), what others thought was a Himalayan lily (Cardocrinum gigantea, not in bloom), noID Hydrangea, Inula magnifica, Primula prolifera, and a vine that might be Hydrangea anomala |
We were allotted approximately ninety minutes at this location so, with less than half that time remaining, I checked out the Pacific Bonsai Museum. I've considered trying bonsai a few times but, fearing that I lack the patience the practice of bonsai takes, I've yet to take the plunge.
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| This bonsai is a compilation of an Acer palmatium, Cotoneaster, and an azalea. The label on the plant showed its origin date as 1979. Each label also included a "training start date," which was usually different, sometimes dramatically so, but I didn't record the latter date. |
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| This one is a Chinese elm with an origin date of 1970. Based on the online references I consulted, origin dates may refer to the date the plant material was selected or the date it was first placed in a container. Training start dates refer to when human manipulation of the plant material began. |
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| Chinese juniper x Sierra juniper, origin 990! In some cases, newer plant material was grafted onto an older specimen, as I believe was the case here. |
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| Eastern white cedar, origin 1770 |
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| Japanese white pine, origin 1945 |
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| Korean yew, origin 1500 |
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| Shimpaku juniper, origin 1972 |
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| Subalpine fir, origin 1945 |
Given the amount of time I spent photographing individual bonsai plants, I was chagrined to find out I'd missed some of the best specimens, including one tree that had a face carved into its wood base. That's all the more reason to refer you to posts other Fling participants have published. Some can be found here and others on Instagram and YouTube sites. If you're interested of Instagram posts, you can check out posts labeled #2024gardenfling, #gardenfling 2024, or #pugetsoundfling.
All material © 2012-2024 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
I loved this garden, I wish we had double the amount of time. The stumpery was fantastic! My I.D.ing plants was less than yours, still I fully enjoyed the 90 minutes. I can't imagine the amount of patience required for those exquisite bonsai, 1970!?! I agree wholeheartedly, Loree is a huge positive influence, she should be on salary at several gardens.
ReplyDeleteI almost always feel there's not enough time to explore the gardens on these tours, especially the larger ones. I'm still dismayed by the limited scope of my ramble through Heronswood. I should have skipped lunch!
DeleteOh wow, I really regret missing this one! The scenery and the shade plants...lovely. :)
ReplyDeleteI've always wondered how fate placed me in Southern California (where I've spent my entire life) when I'm so obviously meant to have lived somewhere in the coastal Pacific Northwest! My husband and I've often talked about a move north but careers and family issues kept us here for many years and, even now when we have more flexibility, the ties are deeply embedded. Starting over isn't easy.
DeleteLike you, I felt a bit like a fish out of water, but it's impossible not to be in awe of these trees and shrubs. And the bonsai! I loved those.
ReplyDeleteI was enamored with the Stumpery. I love the idea of rotting wood feeding and supporting a wide mix of plants. I tried a simplified form of hugelkultur on my back slope at one point but, without sufficient water to help the materials form an integrated mound, it never amounted to much. I think only the ants were happy with it. I planted a Yucca in the middle of a rotting stump elsewhere too but the raccoons defied me and continued to use it as a sort-of onsite port-a-potty.
DeleteThere's always so much to see and such limited time at the gardens, especially public gardens. But I enjoyed the scenes that caught your eye, Kris, and especially your notes about the ages of some of those bonsai, which I missed in my rush. Wow, year 990!
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid that seeing the ages of those bonsai trees reinforced my apprehensions about taking on bonsai trees as a hobby at this stage in my life, Pam ;)
DeleteYou did better way than I did--never even made it to the bonsai (or the plant sale). There was some sort of meadow, too? Spent the too-brief visit "forest bathing"--luckily not in the Azolla covered pond!
ReplyDeleteWith this Fling, I never developed a good strategy to tackle my photo-taking. But, with a lot of other people viewing the same places, at least we can fill in the blanks virtually :)
DeleteI visit the RSBG a few times every year, and occasionally stop to look at the bonsai exhibit. The age of some of trees on display is mind blowing and I feel it's best to consider it a multi generational hobby, and definitely an ancestral heirloom. Once during a spring visit, both an azalea and wisteria bonsai were in full bloom: stunning!
ReplyDeleteChavli
That's a good way to think of a bonsai hobby, Chavli! If only someone in the next generation of our family had any interest in gardening!
DeleteYou're right about the unknown small tree, it is a mahonia. I must say that as a lifelong PNW resident I'm finding all the comments about how tall the trees are very interesting. I have always been surrounded by them and so I take it for granted.
ReplyDeleteI also have to share a story about Flingers and seeing plants foreign to them. When the Fling was in SF in 2013 I read a comment from a local garden designer who thought the fact people posting Fling photos couldn't identify most of the plants they saw was clear evidence they were not real gardeners. Obviously the flora of the Bay Area was known to everyone! What an attitude!
Ah yes, the gardening crowd does have its fair share of plant snobs. One of the things I've appreciated about blogging is how much exposure it provides to people who garden in climates notably different from mine. Interacting with people in different parts of the US and overseas is a large part of the reason I make a point of using botanical names when posting about my own garden. Common names can be close to useless even when dealing with gardeners in the US but they're often nearly worthless when communicating with gardeners overseas. I know some people find the use of botanical names pretentious (even when paired with their local common names) but I find them useful when it comes to having an exchange about specific plants. The plants I grow are often labelled "exotic' but then I think the same thing about peonies ;)
DeleteI'll glom on to this conversation. I've heard the same comment about our PNW trees being very tall over the years, especially when compared to most of the flowering/shade trees present in the rest of the country. It is easy to forget how tall conifers can get. The bonsai were impressive. I would love to be able to do something like that. There, we have the impression of great size, but on a much, much smaller scale. I would have liked to talk with the docent a bit more to learn more about them.
DeleteWell, of course there are some really big trees in Northern California but redwoods are hard to find in the southern part of the state. Our local botanic garden has even lost some large trees during the roughest patches of drought. There are some decent-sized trees in my own neighborhood, although nothing akin to those we saw at RSBC. In my immediate area, we have a "view restoration" ordinance I knew nothing about when we moved here in December 2010. Adopted in November 1989, it applies to any tree or other "impediment" over 16 feet tall that blocks another homeowner's "primary" view. I believe there are some exceptions for trees that were taller than that before the law went into effect. One of my neighbors pressed the point after we moved in and we took out 2 trees before I turned my back on her subsequent requests - luckily, she moved and never pursued a complaint with the city. In my opinion, the ordinance is completely out of sync with our climate change concerns. I celebrate every tall tree I see here!
DeleteThe bonsai are amazing... if I ever get out there, it's on my bucket list. Eliza
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of bonsai trees being handed down through generations. If only I'd started that hobby long ago and had next-generation family with an interest in gardening to pass a tree or 2 along to.
Delete