Today we’re visiting the garden of Angela O’Brien-Ruff in Seattle and looking at some favorite moments in the garden through the seasons.
The first photo Angela sent in is this very seasonally appropriate picture of her Jelena witch hazel (Hamamelis ‘Jelena’, Zones 5–9) blooming through a snowstorm that hit the Seattle area a few years ago.
But enough with the cold and snow. Let’s remember warmer times! Here’s a view of the garden lush and green, looking out under the delicate textured canopy of a Japanese maple (Acer palmatum, Zones 5–9).
It’s all about texture! This shady planting is all the better for just being shades of green, as it really shows off the mosaic of diverse textures Angela has created using plants with foliage in different sizes and shapes.
This picture is making me miss warm weather! What is better than a fresh, ripe strawberry picked warm from the summer sun?
Voodoo lily (Dracunculus vulgaris, Zones 7–10) creates these incredible, huge flowers that are unlike anything else in the garden. They are fragrant, but not in a good way, as they are pollinated by flies lured in by the smell of rotting meat. This is not a good plant to put right by the kitchen window, but it’s well worth growing for the dramatic, unusual flowers. And, of course, kids LOVE them! If you live in a place colder than Zone 7, you can dig out the bulbs in the fall and store them like a dahlia to replant in the spring.
Brilliant red Asiatic lilies (Lilium, Asiatic group, Zones 5–9)
In this beautiful image of fall, Japanese maple leaves fall on ferns overarched by Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra, Zones 5–9).
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Comments
Love it all but the witch hazel pic is amazing!
Angela, I agree with treasuresmom about that witch hazel! But all the angles on your garden are intriguing - you have an eye for combining textures, colors and shapes in a way that is very attractive. Thank you for sharing these pictures.
Your stone pathway is so handsome...such admirable fitting together of the pieces. It's looks very walkable and safe. The older I get, the more I appreciate safety for enjoying a relaxing walk about through a garden. Love the plant combinations that showcase how big a contributor texture is to a garden's beauty.
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