Comments

1. 
   user-1020932 06/13/2013

   i KNEW today's photos would be a treat after seeing the preview feature yesterday. all the plants i love. get the coffee brewing, i'm coming over

2. 
   wGardens 06/13/2013

   Truly a feast for the eyes! Love it. So much to see and appreciate. I'm coming over too! :-)

3. 
   Tim_Zone_Denial_Vojt 06/13/2013

   Really beautiful and thoughtfully planned. Love the japanese maples. Those dogwood flowers look really oversized. Is it a kousa cultivar, a hybrid, or altogether something else?

4. 
   pattyspencer 06/13/2013

   So much to feast your eyes on - your plantings are lovely - really well filled in for 3 years old. The blood grass is stunning and something I've wanted to grow in my yard but it isn't in my zone.

5. 
   rwotzak 06/13/2013

   So many great details! I love it!

6. 
   tractor1 06/13/2013

   This side of the fence is even better... I love all those conifers, especially that one next to that magnificent mysterious sculptured head that looks very south seas; New Caledonia? That 5th photo down on the right displays superb composition, from that intriguing golden conifer in the foreground all the way to that wonderfully conifer lined street into the distance... looks like a great hood for botanically minded folks.

   Still pouring rain here in the catskills, my vegetable garden will be very late (if at all). I did manage to find a day to plant my 70th birthday gift, a Princeton elm, company for the Accolade elm I planted two years ago.

7. 
   meander_michaele 06/13/2013

   Today's pictures do not disappoint...no surprise!I love the placement of the buddha head...sheltered by the handsome fence and basking in the serenity of the garden this time of year.
   Hmmm, but I bet your front yard has a wonderful energy and look when the taller grasses put out their plumes and create movement and mystery...probably makes your buddha break out in a gentle smile of delight.

8. 
   GardenGrl1 06/13/2013

   I love the tree by the Buddha's head. It looks sculptured, yet carefree. I am amazed by the different textures and colors you have in your garden. You have so many interesting plants, yet have managed to prevent any from looking cramped or overplanted. It's beautiful. You and your partner have done an incredible job. Any "before" pictures?

   Oh, and I hope you don't mind, but I'm saving some of your garden pictures into my dream yard folder! Thanks for sharing!

9. 
   SweetPeaGardens 06/13/2013

   Like GardenGrl1, I am saving your photos in my Fav File. Great ideas are meant to be stolen, oh I mean shared, so thank you so much for sharing. Love that inner courtyard. Tres chic.

10. 
    GrannyMay 06/13/2013

    A classic oriental garden. So much to see and beautiful no matter which way you look! Love the continuity of the stones from the fountain area flowing into a dry river with the wooden bridge.

    This garden will keep changing with new bursts of colour to draw the eye. Michael, I hope you will send pictures from the other seasons. I can imagine fall would be extra spectacular.

11. 
    sheila_schultz 06/13/2013

    Magnificent... your yard is a textural nirvana!

12. 
    skevanston 06/13/2013

    Wow, breathtaking! In addition to agreeing with many other comments, I love the way the careful placement of color, texture and hardscape creates s p a c e...both positive space of plants and negative space (empty, but not really..., the stone, the zig zag bridge, the height of the fence, foreground and distance, etc).

    I am having trouble describing what I mean, so I will just say that I love this garden. :-)

13. 
    Redshiba 06/14/2013

    Again, thank you for the compliments and kind words. It might not be everyone's cup of tea but it suits us and our needs when it's time to vacate the stress of a busy day.

    Although not entirely maintenance free, a good mix of soft mulch makes it easy to pull over-anxious plants (what some call weeds).

    The garden is watered by drip irrigation as well as incorporating a "rain garden" concept. The rain chains capture the roof runoff which drains into the center "pond." Although it never fills up this area stays quite damp and suits the needs of those plants that are there such as Scirpus, Spirea douglasii, Japanese iris 'Frosted Intrigue', Clethra 'Sixteen Candles', Actaea simplex 'Brunette', red twig and yellow twig dogwoods, Sanguisorba menziesii, Miscanthus sinensis 'Zebrinus' and Calla lily 'Selina' (Zone 9. Apparently Selina doesn't realize she's in zone 8A Seattle).

    The natural soil in the area is quite porous and dries very quickly, therefore most areas are reached by drip irrigation that lies just under the mulch keeping things happy during summer. Many people are surprised that Seattle summers are so void of measurable precipitation.

    The gold conifer next to the Buddha head is Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Confucius' and the maple is a coral bark maple. Other maples are a lace maple and native vine maples. The dogwood trees are standard Cornus kousa. You might spot the Katsura tree in there as well (my favorite). Also; Cedrus deodara 'Snow Sprite', Viburnum opulus 'Compactum' and Viburnum davidii, Spirea 'Goldmound', Calluna vulgaris 'Firefly' and "Flamingo', Erigeron, Camellia sasanqua 'Yuletide', Western Sword Fern and a spreading Yew.

    Grasses include, Imperata cylindrica 'Red Baron', Miscanthus sinensis 'Morning Light', Panicum virgatum 'Shenandoah', Festuca glauca, Elymus magellanicus, Calamagrostis 'Karl Foerster', Helictotrichon sempervirens, Nasella tenuissima 'Mexican Feather Grass', Lagurus ovatus 'Bunny Tail'.

    The perennial list includes natives, Dodecatheon hendersonii, Vancouveria and Camassia 'Orion' bloom in late winter. Two colors of Siberian iris; purple and cream. Echinacea 'Hot Lava' and 'Fatal Attraction' grow among Stachys bizantina and Eryngium 'Big Blue' (my favorite), Leucanthemum Shasta Daisy 'Banana Cream', Dicentra 'Burning Hearts, red Nirene, chocolate cosmos, hardy orchid Bletilla striata, Rudbeckia subtomentosa 'Henry Eilers', Saxifraga 'Peter Pan' Gladiolus and Euphorbia 'Black Bird' (covered in aphids all year long, will be removed and replaced with Wiri Hebe). Annual white Nigella.

    There's even broccoli, fennel, parsley, yellow bell peppers, blueberries and leeks.

    I'm sure the list is missing something and I'm sure I'll be adding something new. The garden is forever evolving, both naturally and by our influence.

    Thanks for letting me share.