Windcliff, the final stop of the Puget Sound Fling

As I explained in the introduction to my post on the Brindley garden, it and the Windcliff garden next door were bundled together.  The only downside to that was that my attention was divided as I went back and forth between the two gardens.  I've never been good with spatial relations to start with so it was very frustrating when I tried to to determine which of my jumbled photos were taken where at Windcliff some two-plus months after I took them.  So I consulted the book written by Dan Hinkley about Windcliff, the home and garden he and his partner Robert Jones created in Indianola, Washington.

Luckily, I had a copy of the book on hand.  You can find the book here

This hand-drawn map is part of of the book's frontpiece

I organized my photos by referencing that map in preparing a rundown of my visit to Windcliff.  My photos don't do the garden justice but the book itself is a wonderful read should you wish to explore it further.  There are also posts by other Flingers you can consult.  I've provided links at the bottom of this post.

I'll start with the front drive coming up upon the house.

We walked in off the driveway though a bamboo tunnel

The official canine greeters met us as we approached the house

These totems signified our arrival

The plant with red and yellow flowers at the front of the house is a species of Cautleya, a plant in the ginger family

The look-alike containers are a great focal point at the front of the house, although with apologies to all those who love Pseudopanax ferox, that's one plant I've never warmed up to

I moved on next to an area northeast of the house that encompassed the greenhouse, potager, and nursery.

I just peeked into the greenhouse

The potager included flowers like sweet peas as well as vegetables

What I assume is a morning glory vine growing up a ladder

Just one section of many containing nursery plants

Lots of delicious dark-flowered Agapanthus were growing in pots.  I understand that Hinkley has been actively breeding deciduous varieties that can survive colder temperatures.

Moving to the back of the house brought me to the deck, pond and terrace areas.

Two unique containers created using harvested wood stood next to the house itself

Hinkley lost a large number of plants in this area of the bluffs during a particularly brutal winter this year.  He's solarizing the soil in preparation for replanting.

This area off the deck features sculptures designed by Dustin Gimbel

View of the house with Agapanthus and Salvia in the foreground

Humongous planters made a statement on the terrace

A pond meanders through the area between the terrace and the bluffs

A large Arctostaphylos (manzanita), bordered by a palm and Yucca rostrata, sit at the pond's edge

I'm guessing that this shrub is an Indigofera tinctoria

Carnivorous plants in a bog setting

A handsome set of circular stairs linking the terrace to a more heavily planted area

As I recall, I moved from the stairs toward the bluff.

A firepit (aka The Council Ring) overlooks the bluff with the Salish Sea in the distance

I smiled at seeing this beautiful mass of Lobelia laxiflora.  I have a much smaller clump that a neighbor once insisted I should treat as a noxious week.

These are just a handful of the lovely plants I spotted throughout the area south of the house.  Clockwise from the upper left, I'm guessing they are: Ammi majus, Grevillea 'Canterbury Gold', noID Dyckia, Salvia patens 'Deep Blue', and Nolana reichei. 

I couldn't remember where I saw the plants shown above but they were too attractive to ignore: Alstroemeria 'Indian Summer', noID lily, and Roscoea 'Family Jewels'.

This post ends my Puget Sound Fling coverage.  It was a wonderful experience and I'm glad I was able to attend.  For anyone interested in more cogent coverage of Windcliff garden, here are the additional links I promised in my introduction:

Succulents and More (Gerhard Bock) - https://www.succulentsandmore.com/2024/08/windcliff-too.html

Digging (Pam Penick) - https://www.penick.net/digging/?p=95491

Digging (Pam Penick) - https://www.penick.net/digging/?p=95541

Paintbox Garden (Janet Davis) - https://www.thepaintboxgarden.com/the-wonders-of-windcliff/

Hello Garden (Kate David) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z52SspAjXjA

 Best wishes for an enjoyable weekend!

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