TRIP TO KINSEY FAIR

After a very lucky run of good weather for most of our outdoor functions, Mother Nature decided to remind us not to get too comfortable before July 5th arrived - which is, as we all know, the official beginning of summer in the Pacific Northwest. Of course, this happened on a day we planned not just one, but two garden visits for our group. The first stop was Kinsey Fair, a garden I'd heard so much about but never before had the opportunity to visit. Even the wet weather could not dampen our spirits and actually may have enhanced the beauty of this lush garden in its woodland setting.

We encountered so many lovely vignettes and beautiful expansive vistas that our hearts were all aflutter with an enthusiasm that could not be dampened by the rain.

 

With jackets and umbrellas to beat back the cold and wet weather, we scoffed at Mother Nature. There was no way we would allow her to have the satisfaction of chasing us away from such a beautiful place.

After the tour, we gathered inside the guest house to eat lunch. What a treat to have a comfy, dry place to visit and refuel before saying goodby to Millie and Penny and continuing on to our next stop.

JUNE - JULY "NEWSY LETTER"

This has been a glorious year for foliage in the garden, and that is the silver lining behind all of the clouds that hung on and on and on………..seemingly forever at the time……..this past spring. We are now reaping the benefits with a much extended bloom season and plenty of lush growth everywhere. My clematis and daylilies are usually finished blooming by now and I’ve begun to cut them back, but I am still enjoying blooms on both. It could be September before I do any major pruning.

My goal for clearing the daylilies from the back lot to make room for Trillium is quickly becoming a reality. Thank you to everyone who gave the daylilies new homes. I saved a few of my favorites and will leave them scattered about to bask in the sunshine so that I can continue to enjoy them. They would never be so happy in the garden where all of the sunny spots have already been claimed by others. Having that space in back to spread out and experiment with abandon is such a pleasure.

I’m thoroughly enjoying what has been a very pleasant summer with the cooler temperatures. It is warm enough for tomatoes and chile peppers to set and cool enough to dig and transplant and just be in the garden. If the temperature never reaches ninety degrees this year, I’ll be ecstatic.

This past two months have flown by and my intentions of getting this blog totally updated by the end of July were not fulfilled. My new goal is the end of August. I guess I should be realistic when the garden calls me out and won’t let me come back inside. :-)

MEETING NOTES AND FIELD TRIPS

I'll be brief with recaps of our June and July meetings and then briefly recap our field trips to Kinsey Faire and Laurel Hedge in June and Reser's Labyrinth on August 9th.

OUR JUNE MEETING

It was a beautiful day to meet outside and enjoy gathering on Jane Coomb’s patio surrounded by her beautiful garden. Renee provided a table full of refreshments for us to enjoy. Thank you, Renee. 

Jane’s artistic talent is evident everywhere as she “paints” her garden masterpiece with plants of varying colors, textures and sizes. Her pruning methods are simple and straightforward and it is obvious that she has an eye for what needs to stay and what needs to go, creating a perfectly balanced plant that appears to have just grown that way. Jane gave us a demonstration and shared her pruning methods with us.

Next, we toured the garden and enjoyed seeing the troughs that Jane made last year - now beautifully planted and looking like they had always been that way.

We shared memories and a moment of silence in honor of Jo Manske as we retired her name tag and held her memory close to our hearts. 

OUR JULY MEETING

It was an unsettled day, so we met inside my home where the weather would have no affect. Marsha brought an array of refreshments for us to enjoy. Thank you, Marsha. We talked about valuable tips and information learned at our meetings. Several members mentioned the support from the group at this time in our lives as being most helpful. This is such a fabulous group and we continue to learn and grow both our gardens and our spirits as we share our thoughts and experiences. We are so thankful to have our fellow Golden Aged Gardeners to share this time in our gardening lives.

After the meeting, the weather was perfect for touring the garden. I was happy to see that the daylilies on the back lot were cooperating so that members could make selections while they were blooming.

Several of us also checked out the “Tomcat” mole trap with a demo on how to set it perpendicular to an active run. Hopefully, there are fewer moles around these days. Click on this link for more information:

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=tomcat+mole+trap&oe=utf-8&rls=com.yahoo:en-US:official&client=firefox&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=5735782129880567696&sa=X&ei=Xw1DTp-wAanliAKr_aTOBQ&ved=0CDAQ8wIwAg

BLOG CHANGE NOTES: You will note that the link to Barbara's column will now connect you to her blog where she continues to actively write about gardening. Be sure to visit and enjoy.

WATCH YOUR EMAIL FOR OUR AUGUST MEETING NOTICE. WE'LL BE AT DRU'S ON AUGUST 16TH

VISITING CAROLYN'S GARDEN

Just a short trip and we were at Carolyn's garden, the huge trees making it feel as though the trip from Mike's should have taken much longer than it did - it felt as though we should be in a national forest. The curbside view didn't provide a clue that there was a woodland wonderland only a short walk away. 

Carolyn gave a brief overview of how the garden evolved into what it is today, and then, the journey began. Off we went, rounding the corner of the house where ferns and foliage gave the first hint of what we were about to experience. First, it felt as though we were in a park, then in a well maintained forest. 

Who could keep such a large place in such pristine condition? The answer is Carolyn. She maintains it all herself.

It was just about lunch time when we arrived. Carolyn provided drinks and had the patio and gazebo set up with tables and chairs. 

Many of us sat down right away and ate our sack lunches while others still had enough energy to start the tour before succumbing to hunger pains.
 

Once our energy was restored, we were eager to get going and enjoy the scenery. Everywhere we looked, there was beauty to behold.

 Many plants called for a closeup encounter. 

 

 

We were fascinated by Carolyn's "Mystery Plant" and maybe one of these days, someone will be able to put a name to it.


Sometimes, we just stared into the distance, trying to soak up every morsel of the view.

Beautiful pathways under huge trees invited us to continue exploring. Imaginations could run wild in this magical setting - I expected to see seven dwarfs, or maybe Little Red Riding Hood, or Hansel and Gretel............... 

But the most memorable feature for me was the pond, so natural in its setting - making it difficult to believe it is man-made.

What a glorious day it was!Thank you Carolyn and Mike for opening your gardens to us and to Diana for making the arrangements.

VISITING MIKE'S GARDEN

   

 Another beautiful spring day – this time in early June - how lucky can we get? A morning filled with sunshine, a bright array of colorful bloom, and our host all cheerfully greeted us on our first stop of the day, the well tended garden of Mike Snyder. The colors of our country’s flag, proudly displayed at the front door, were artfully echoed in the beds surrounding the lawn. 

 

Along the street, poppies shouted “Pay attention to us!” and we promptly obeyed their command. Other beautiful blossoms and well-behaved foliage (obviously more refined) chose to politely wait their turn at capturing our attention. 

   
Heading back along the side of Mike’s house, was like entering another world – a world filled with magic and whimsy, cozy garden retreats, and a plenitude of plants in every size, shape and texture imaginable. 

Even with so much packed into a normal sized parcel in the city, plenty of sunshine reaches the garden floor so sun lovers thrive in close proximity to plants needing shady sites.

Mike has strategically placed vine covered arbors along pathways providing a gentle point of transition from one cozy garden retreat to the next. Cleverly placed garden props create a sense of peace and quiet repose.  

As always, when we visit gardens, there were many questions asked. Mike graciously answered them all before joining us for the short trip to Caroline's garden.

TRIP TO SEBRIGHT GARDENS

What a gorgeous day for touring the display gardens and finding new plants to take home for our own gardens! Thomas gave us a personal tour and then we headed for the hoop houses where most of us threw caution to the wind when we saw the fabulous selection of plants. Although they are known for having a huge selection of hostas, we found an equally impressive number of ferns, epimediums, and other shade and woodland plants. There were even some unusual trees and shrubs available. 

After touring and shopping we headed over to the gazebo for a break where we enjoyed garden talk while eating our lunches.

Our gardening hearts were all aflutter after soaking up some sunshine and packing away our treasures for the trip home. 

What a beautiful welcome!

IT’S CATCH UP TIME

The past two months have been busy ones both in and out of the garden. I hope you will forgive my tardiness in updating our blog. I’m going to use more pictures and less text so that I don’t spend so much time at the computer during the height of gardening season. We’ll journey briefly back to our May and June meetings; our trips to Sebright, Carolyn Guinther's garden, Mike Snyder's garden, Kinzey Fair, and Laurel Hedge; and any other events of note.  I'm hoping to catch up and stay current - at least for the rest of this year. :-)

I’ve tried to be diligent in taking pictures and believe that I have something to share from almost every one of our outings – having pictures is one thing, but having good pictures is another. Sometimes I capture way too many back sides and unflattering facial expressions or the weather isn't cooperative. I promise not to post anything too far out.

Without looking at the calendar, I know it is after July 5^th Oregon's first day of summer. With the sun shining on clematis flowers that are almost a month late to bloom, I am especially appreciative – both for the extra vitamin D and for the uplifting brightness of the day. I’m not even going to complain about being too warm when the thermometer passes eighty degrees. Take note, Mother Nature, the weather is great – no complaints here!

OUR MAY MEETING
 Sunshine and warmth greeted us as we gathered at Bruna's lovely Beaverton home. 

Memory of a happy day in the sunshine