The hardscape and solid elements in the garden create an anchor for the plants and space. In the public garden I worked at, the original gardener had used stone extensively. She had a stone staircase, rock gardens with 20 and 40 tons respectively and a gully wall that was created out of stone. All were made from granite from the Cascade Mountains, the local mountain range. This brought the mountain, literally, right into the garden. When we decided to add a terrace and an alp

the trail into the winter garden Now is the time of year when gardeners in the Northwest start itching to be back out in the garden or thinking about it on those few nice days. The holidays are long gone, the days are barely starting to get longer, tons of spring catalogs are arriving daily in the mail but we are only about half way through winter. Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Diane’ It is also the time of the year when most gardens aren't looking their best. Most things are dorma

Dwarf Conifers in the garden This is a good time of year to assess your garden. Does it look good now? If it looks good in January and into early February it probably looks good year round. One way to approach the garden is to try and look at each bed. When I’m designing a garden bed I try and make sure at least one third to one half the bed is either evergreen or the bare trees and shrubs have interesting branch structure. Dwarf conifers in the nursery One of my favorite “go

Old Goat Farm The one constant at Old Goat Farm was Christmas. Gary had a passion for Christmas that was unsurpassed. He had always pulled out all the stops and decorated to the nines. It probably wasn’t a coincidence that Gary saw Old Goat Farm for the first time on Christmas Eve. He immediately started to think how cool it would be to decorate this old house. Being a Victorian type farmhouse it lends itself well to being decorated. peeking in the window When I say Gary had

Inspiration and opportunity usually don’t occur at the same time but when they do it can be quite fun. Now comes the opportunity. About 7 years ago my neighbor decided to clear a part of his lot and cut down twelve big trees to make room for a building. Rather than get upset about the trees I just asked him if I could have the stumps. He of course said yes because he wasn’t sure how he was going to dispose of them. He said he would bring them over so I cleared a space back in

Container A group of plants that I have developed a growing appreciation for over the years are ferns. I know many think of ferns as background plants or filler but for others the ferns can be the major focal plant in the garden with other plants being fern companion plants. I learned to use ferns in almost any part of the garden from sun to shade, dry to wet. Blechnum spicant When I started to build the garden at Old Goat Farm ferns became a major element particularly in the

Coleus and Begonia Annuals are a group of plants that seems to fall in and out of favor. Some years I grow several and other times I decide that I don’t want to bother with anything that is going to last for just the season. When I get really tired I think that maybe I’ll just grow trees and shrubs so I don’t really need to mess with any of those pesky plants out in the garden. This fortunately is a mood that doesn’t last long. Amaranthus and Marigold I do like to garden and

Amelanchier x grandiflora in spring This is a continuation of the blog from last week about that in-between layer in the garden canopy. I was fortunate that there were already a few nice small trees already on the property. The first one being Serviceberry, Amelanchier x grandiflora, This small tree has a profusion of white blooms in spring and wonderful dark fall color. Planted not far from it was a Spindle Tree, Euonymus sachalinensis. This also has nice white flowers in sp

Layers One of the big lessons I have learned in the garden is how to create layers. It is important not only because it makes the garden more interesting but also because it encourages a more natural habitat for birds, insects and animals in the garden. Here in my Northwest garden I have about 6 different layers, the tall trees, understory trees, large shrubs, small shrubs, perennials and ground covers. Old Apple Trees The layer I liked to concentrate on when I was building m

wreath Here on the early days of fall you can definitely feel the change of seasons. Fall color is just starting to kick in and lots of things are starting to fade. I consciously planted this garden with fall interest in mind, a lesson I learned at the Miller Garden, but signs of fall are slow to come. It will be about another few weeks before it really looks like fall. For me, this is the time I don’t always like how the garden looks so I have a few things I like to do so th

Cherry Tomatoes ‘Tis the season to be picky, picking veggies that is. One of the real treats of living here at Old Goat Farm is having the space for a large vegetable garden. Our veggie garden is about 60 ft by 60 ft. That is enough space to generate a lot of food. Before Because we have all the birds we need to protect the crops from them. The chicken coop and bird-run goes completely across the back of the garden. On both sides there are fences with espalier apples, pears a

It’s that time of year to revisit ‘Great Plant Picks’. While I was working at the Miller Botanical Garden the ‘Great Plant Picks’ program was developed as an outreach program so I had the opportunity to work on it from the beginning and still do. I am now a member of the perennial committee. I reference the program often when I do the daily Facebook posts if the plant happens to be a ‘Great Plant Pick’. I thought it may be useful to make people not familiar with the program a

Old Yellow House Color is always an important attribute to the garden. The one unifying color at Old Goat Farm is yellow. It helps that the house is yellow so that the plants have a truly big anchor. We both are fond of yellow (and Green) so we tend to gravitate towards plants that are yellow or bloom yellow. yellow new growth on Epimedium and yellow blooms on lady’s mantle In a plant collectors garden, repetition of color is one way to tie the other plants together whether i

Hydrangea anomala ssp. petiolaris Oh grow up! That’s what I tell people who say they have no more room in their gardens. What I mean is vertical. To add another dimension to the garden I like to plant tall plants that stay narrow and get good height. Dahlia imperialis Besides giving you a little more room it also adds more interest not to have all the plants about the same height. An example is, in one bed I have a Rhamnus ‘Fine Line’, a Berberis ‘Helmond Pillar’ and Dahlia i

Larger grouping One of the secrets to a good garden are good plant combinations. Sometimes they are just trial and error but there are a few rules that make it a bit easier and a whole lot more satisfying. The first thing is to keep in mind the right plant in the right place. Just because something looks good together in the nursery doesn’t mean they will grow together well. Do a little research and learn the plants soil requirements, flowering time, water requirements and ul

Seattle Garden Tour 2018 I’ve had the opportunity to escort several garden tours over the last 15 years. Usually most people accompanying me experience them similarly, taking photos and and asking questions. It is quite a visual approach to the experience. That is not always how people see gardens though, some artists look at things differently than most of us. Chihuly Garden I have had the chance to travel with one particular individual three time, Charleston/Savannah, Engla

Table One of the joys of living here at Old Goat Farm is dining in the garden. To be surrounded by the beauty of the garden and enjoying good food just can’t be beat. The sounds of all the different birds out in the pasture is something you can only experience on a farm. We have had a number of customers, that come to our Christmas event, request that we do something in the summer. Not everyone is a gardener but most everyone enjoys the garden. We host a number of garden club

Lecture hall Over the last several years I’ve had the opportunity to work on the education committee of the Northwest Horticultural Society. Most recently I helped plan the speakers for this years symposium, ‘Gardening on the Pacific Rim’. The object of the symposium was to look at some the the influences being part of the Pacific Rim has on our Northwest gardens. We had four speakers to help us better understand this connection. Checking out the plants before the lecture The

dining space defined by barn, containers and borders Whether you have a large or small garden you can add interest by creating garden rooms. You first need to decide how you want to use your garden. Is it for relaxing, dining, playing, working or a combination of these? patio area defined by house and containers Next, analyze the area. How many spaces (or rooms) do you want. Once you define the spaces, then the garden unfolds as you move through it. You also need to decide on

The Fair It’s that time of year when Agriculture, Horticulture and clowns meet. Well I can think of a few gardeners that make that happen more often but I’m talking about the State Fair. Old Goat Farm is just a few miles from the Washington State Fair so we usually make a pilgrimage there each year. Crested Polish The first stop for us is usually the barn housing the birds. It’s fun to see all the different breeds looking their best. This year Gary only saw two or three that