Making the most of limited space: The Heckler Garden

The last day of the Puget Sound Garden Fling was notable for its inclusion of big, well-known gardens.  It included stops at Heronswood and Windcliff, both famous gardens designed by Dan Hinkley.  But between tours of those two venues, we visited the Heckler Garden, which despite its relatively small size held its own.  In fact, it was one of my favorites stops during the three-day Fling.  My only disappointment was that I didn't get enough photos - I could have used another few hours there to see everything and capture all the gems with my camera.

Our bus pulled up at Nancy Heckler's home, a 1934 restored cabin according to our pamphlet's summary.  The house was surrounded by tall trees and mature shrubbery and I never managed to get a wide shot to place it and the garden in perspective - other Flingers, some of whom I've noted at the end of this post, did better than I did on that score.

I entered via a gravel-covered driveway following others in our group.

Virtually every shot I took as I rambled through the garden captured artful vignettes like this one

As was the case in other Puget Sound gardens, colorful Hydrangeas were everywhere.  Heckler noted that she's planted more than 100.

Side door with its own unique touches

We entered the garden proper through a narrow passage adjacent to the garage that was nearly invisible from a distance

Around the corner, another fabulous Hydrangea.  (I love green flowers.)

The narrow passageway meant you had to slow your pace and watch your footing.  That in turn gave you the opportunity to appreciate the plant combinations at ground level. 

The narrow pathway opened up into a sunnier lawn area surrounded by dense borders.

Heckler previously had a 2-acre garden with both sun and shade areas. In contrast, this smaller garden is heavy on shade, with just a few hours of sun in certain areas.

She uses flowers on a limited basis in the brighter areas

My phone's plant ID app says this is a Japanese snowbell tree (Styrax japonicus) but I remain uncertain

More Hydrangeas, gracefully combined with trees and large shrubs

That looks like peony foliage below a massive Hydrangea

The trees soared above the garden, providing a feeling of safety and comfort within the natural enclosure

There were many narrow paths stemming off the back area, all embroidered with interesting mixes of plants, most of which emphasized foliage and textural contrasts.  As I weaved my way through those paths, I felt like part of the garden rather than a dispassionate observer with a camera.

I'm not even going to try to identify most of the plants but I think the variegated specimen in the middle of this shot is Brunnera macrophylla.  (I tried to grow it once in my former shady garden.)

A delicate vine weaved itself through a variety of foliage plants.  I believe the red-flowered vine is Tropaeolum speciosum.

A lot of plants were growing in pots or, as in the case on the right, artfully growing around one

The purple smoketree (Cotinus) contrasts beautifully with the chartreuse shrub below it

Heckler cleverly used parasols in various spots to highlight plants and possibly to shade some from sun scorch (or perhaps I'm just projecting what I'd do with them in my garden!)

More parasols alongside raised planters originally intended for vegetables but currently used as a holding area for new plants

Seeing Senecio 'Angel Wings' used as an accent among other foliage plants left me thinking about trying it again.  (I've only killed it twice.)

While there was a pronounced emphasis on foliage in the Heckler garden, there were flowers here and there in the sunnier areas.  They stood out brilliantly against all the greens.

Lots of Hydrangeas as already demonstrated

Lilies too

And plants that flaunt attractive foliage yet also flower like Epimediums, Podyphyllums, and Rhododendrons

There's a very inviting porch attached to the house.

Regrettably, I didn't manage a wider shot of the porch, which included a table for use in enjoying outdoor meals.  Note the "see through" chairs that provided a comfortable space to sit and enjoy the space without the furniture dominating it.

I didn't get a good shot of the back door either

But I did capture views of the potted plants neatly organized in different spots

Just before I headed back to the bus, I passed a workshop filled with other Flingers checking out another of Nancy Heckler's artistic endeavors.

Nancy Heckler designs made to order lamps using a wide variety of bases (which I'm guessing she's collected over time) and fabrics for the shades.  They were unique and wonderful.  Her workshop may also be the neatest, best-organized work space I've seen in a long time.

Once again, there are other social media posts featuring this garden in more detail than I have, which you might consider viewing:

• Kate David of Hello Garden - YouTube video coverage at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hW4V8lUX7zI (combined with coverage of Heronswood)
• Pam Penick of Digging - blog post at https://www.penick.net/digging/?p=95120
• Loree Bohl of danger garden - blog post at http://www.thedangergarden.com/2024/09/nancy-hecklers-garden-during-puget.html

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

Bloom Day - September 2024 (Late, late edition)

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, the long-standing meme created by Carol of May Dreams Gardens, didn't fall neatly into my schedule this month so this post is three days late.  My garden is usually at its lowest point in late summer and this year is no exception.  A recent heatwave didn't help matters either, although with extra infusions of water my cutting garden still shines.  The Dahlias, Rudbeckias, and Zinnias planted there are the clear stars of my garden again this month.

This is Dahlia 'Brown Sugar', which is new to my garden this year.  The 2 tubers I planted bloomed later in the season than the majority of my others.

In contrast, Dahlia 'Creme de Cognac', also new to my garden this year, was one of the first to bloom and continues to be one of the 3 most prolific, especially as I planted 2 tubers of this one too.  My only beef with this plant is that the flowers generally have short stems.

I planted 2 tubers of Dahlia 'Catching Fire' saved from last years crop.  Both have flowered very well, especially given that my husband accidentally broke a large step off one of the plants.  They both responded to our 6-day heatwave with significant flushes of fresh flowers.  It gets my silver award for prolific blooms.

Dahlia 'Excentric' is another new addition this year.  It's pretty but I haven't decided whether it's worth saving the tuber for planting next year.  I only have so much room...

Dahlia 'Fairway Spur' is a late bloomer that produces very large "dinnerplate" flowers.  It's another tuber I saved last year and will definitely store away for use next year too.

Dahlia 'Labyrinth' didn't impress me last year but then I didn't provide it enough breathing space to thrive.  This year I put the tuber in a half-barrel with some smaller plants (not dahlias) and it's done well.  It's a keeper.

This is Dahlia 'Lady Darlene' and I'd swear she's changed her appearance this year.  The yellow in the bloom was far more pronounced last year and the flowers were smaller.  This year, I'd describe it as red with cream accents rather than red and yellow and the blooms are huge!

Dahlia 'La Luna' grew from a tuber I planted in 2022, which didn't appear or bloom until 2023.  I saved 2 divisions of the original tuber and planted both out in 2024.  The color of the blooms varies from pale yellow, to white, to white with yellow streaks.  Some flowers are multi-petaled like those shown here and some are single-petaled.

I planted a single clump of Dahlia 'Summer's End' I'd saved from the prior year.  The plant is over 5 feet tall and barely contained by my largest tomato cage.  This one wins my gold prize as the most prolific dahlia of all.

'Vancouver' is the only dahlia I purchased as a potted plant this year.  I cut its first flush of blooms shortly after purchase.  After a brief hiatus, it's just produced its third flush of blooms.  The blooms get more spidery as they mature.

My other dahlias include: Dahlia 'Break Out' (hit hard by the recent heatwave), D. 'Iceberg' (which the resident grasshopper seems to love), and D. 'Mikayla Miranda' (one of my favorites).  Two other dahlias have yet to bloom, D. 'Hometown Hero' (which has buds at last) and D. 'Belle of Barmera' (which is still bud-less).

I purchased 6 plugs of Rudbeckia hirta 'Sahara' by mail order as the plants aren't commonly offered by my local garden centers.  Every one of the plants is at least slightly different from the others.

Clockwise from the upper left, the Zinnia elegans varieties currently in bloom include: 'Benary's Giant Coral', 'Benary's Giant Wine', 'Golden Hour', a noID orange variety (picked up as part of a 6-pack to fill in some empty spots), 'Raspberry Limeade', and 'Zinderella Lilac'.  All but the noID orange variety were planted from seed and have proven to be much more vigorous than those planted later as plugs.

There are a few plants elsewhere in the garden that are putting on a good show, at least by our hot, dry summer standards.

Clematis terniflora is the only member of the genus that's ever survived in my garden.  This year more of the vines are weaving through the plants surrounding the arbor than are climbing it because I left it to its own devices.

Two of my 3 Cupheas are blooming: Cuphea 'Honeybells' and C. 'Starfire Pink', although the latter was hit harder by the heatwave.  I cut back all the C. 'Vermillionaire' a month ago and they haven't yet rebounded.  Cupheas are short-lived perennials in my Southern California climate.

I don't call Grevillea 'Superb' my standby flowering shrub for nothing.  The flowers look lighter to me after the heatwave but they keep on coming.

Polygala myrtifolia (aka sweet pea shrub) flowers more lightly during hot weather but it persists.  One plant was badly burned and others were scorched in spots but, as it self-seeds like crazy, their are plenty more to serve as replacements.

As is true most months, there are also a few surprises.

This Digitalis purpurea (foxglove) doesn't look great but the fact that it's still producing endless bloom stalks in September is extraordinary

I missed most of the blooms of Pelargonium schizopetalum earlier this year but was thrilled to see a few more of the unusual flowers this month.  They seem to appreciate a little shade in my climate so I'm looking for an ideal spot to suit all those I currently have in pots.

This is the first time this Yucca gloriosa 'Variegata' has bloomed

Other flowering plants waved their petals goodbye as they exited for the season.

Clockwise from the upper left: Agapanthus 'Elaine', Amaryllis belladonna (white form), Eustoma grandiflorum (one of few that survived the heatwave), and Hemerocallis 'Persian Market'

That's it for the main show.  As usual, I'll end with the best of the rest, swept up into color-coded collages.

Clockwise from the upper left: Ageratum houstonianum, Liriope muscari, noID Scaevola, and Tulbaghia violacea

Clockwise: Alstroemeria 'Claire', Fuchsia 'Windchimes White', Pandorea jasminoides, and Tanacetum parthenium

Echinacea purpurea, Pelargonium hortorum, and Pentas lanceolata

Echeveria 'New Black' and Leucadendron salignum 'Blush'

Clockwise: Alstroemeria 'Inca Sundance', Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream' (not as robust as its cousin 'Superb'), Lantana 'Lucky Yellow', and Pennisetum advena 'Rubrum'

Enjoy those late season blooms, whenever and wherever you find them!  If you're posting late like I am, check in with Carol at May Dreams Gardens to see what blooms she and other GBBD contributors are celebrating this month.

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