Garden Fling 2024: Halstead/Robinson Garden

 

What I loved about the Halstead-Robinson Garden was that it had whimsy and accessibility with old fashioned perennials and fun stay-a-while and enjoy garden elements. 

We were greeted by Anita Halstead, artist and topiarist, who welcomed us to explore her imagination as expressed through plants and paths.

A Labarinth Walk with Guiding Cards

The card I drew was about using the walk to release a need for control. *sigh* Good Luck with that.

There was color chaos,

And cool shady relief. 

I thought their patio set for lunch was charming. And this pot inspired me to put my zinnia seedlings right into some large terra cotta pots on my deck. 

They have space and can be tended easily - I love it.

Real live holly hocks! Here I am posing with some celebrities.

This island garden had the charm of an old fashioned story, highlighted with an artist's touch here and there. We were lucky to be able to absorb the delights of this Vashon island garden. Chess anyone?

Flower Ring - Glue & Glory

This is exactly how I want to spend my free time. Making accessories with stray flower petals. I mean, this could be a thing, right? Have a table at a bridal shower or girl's night and let people make their own accessories for the evening. Think of the photos! It was my husband who said, that would be a great earring. Ha! I just need an earring with a large disc/surface area. August is going to be fun.

I ordered this Oasis floral adhesive a few years ago when I learned that florists use it to manipulate bouquets and corsages. I think I secretly want to be a florist. In my speech about Delight recently, I mused that in terms of my garden, I was more like a florist trying to grow my own supply. I really plan less for the landscape and more for what I can cut and arrange. 

What do I find ridiculous? That yesterday was the first time I used this glue for the jewelry I've had in mind for ages. I need to prioritize my creativity more. I'm definitely going to make another ring for myself today. A new kind of wearable art!

#floraljewelry #wearableart #flowerring #oasis #flowerjewelry #beautyofeverydaylife

 

Sol Soils: A Gift of Performance Potting Mixes

I’m SO ready to try @solsoils line of potting mixes! I met my new friend Leah at @thegardenfling and as part of being an event sponsor, they gave everyone a bag of  their #houseplant chunky potting mix and a super cool narrow soil scoop. 

I was telling her that my houseplants are doing okay but that I was excited to learn more & try Sol Soil. I said repotting was an urgent need for some of my plants - particularly a gifted to me celosia that was currently growing in a cute birch box without drainage holes (gasp). Leah said, have I got some products for you to try. I grow succulents and orchids and violets in addition to the mélange on my sideboard. I'm also propagating a hoyo that was my grandmother's. Leah sent me potting mixes that can work with so many different indoor plants and it is time. Thank you Sol Soils. I’ll take pics and show the progress.

 #solsoils #gardenfling2024 #pugetsoundfling #beautyofeverydaylife #indoorplants #learneveryday
 

Garden Fling 2024: Carhart Garden on Vashon Island

 

We arrived at Carhart Garden and were met by the kind and enthusiastic owners, Mary & Whit Carhart. I've linked an article from the Seattle Times to the garden's name above so that you can read more about the property from someone that interviewed the couple. When I walked around their expansive 3-acre garden property, I felt like I was dropped inside terrarium. A closed system where everything was thriving and working together in a beautiful world. Paths that had once been forged by deer had been covered in wood chips and made to safely take plant lovers through the huge sloping landscape. This is their hillside waterfall and pond.

The property was almost tiered as we walked down toward the house and waterfront. The shade loving plants were loving the dappled light.

Can you imagine? I was overwhelmed. It was beautiful. And was the largest personal garden I think I have ever seen. Each plant selected and planted by this lovely couple. 

Their unique garden storage building adds such whimsy to the woods. Do elves live inside? I think this would be a beautiful cover for a folk album.

The garden does have many pieces of art tucked into the landscape. I don't usually photograph garden art, but these statues of children dancing among the grass stood out to me. The palette and scale worked so beautifully in this area.

The color of these lipstick red poppies against the backdrop of Quartermaster Harbor was fantastic.

Our Garden Fling group was split between 2 buses (50 per bus) and we staggered when we arrived at gardens so as not to overwhelm. I enjoyed meeting the attendees of The Fling so much. My badge identified this as my 1st Fling and attendees went out of their way to make me feel welcome.

Mary Carhart wanted to make sure we walked up to her wildflower meadow. It was a riot of color and it really reminded me of cupcake sprinkles. Every photo was better than the next and each had a completely different combination of flowers in bloom.

I mean, Ka-Pow! 
 

I'm including this photo because it lets you see the rise where the wildflower meadow slopes down to the house, with Quartermaster Harbor in the distance. Just look at the beautiful trees. What an incredible piece of PNW property. We were so lucky to be able to tour it at our leisure with the owners on hand to answer questions and encourage exploration. 

Here I am with Seattle Times journalist Erica Brown Grivas and NW horticulture expert Marianne Binetti on the start of our amazing Garden Fling 2024.

#gardenfling2024 #pugetsoundgardens #pugetsoundfling #carhartgarden #beautyofeverydaylife 

Ferry to Vashon Island

Day 1: Erica & I had breakfast at the hotel and made it to the bus on time with snacks, extra phone batteries, sunblock, a cooler of sparkling water/cold brew with cream. We were ready. We rode our giant Garden Fling bus onto a Washington State Ferry and went from Seattle to Vashon Island. The trip only takes about 15 minutes but it felt like a big deal and I was reminded of Lyle Lovett's lyrics about riding a pony on a boat. A bus on a boat felt as foreign. I took at 4 second video to show the adventure of it - sitting in a bus with water right in front of us.

The day was beautiful and in fact, we heard a few gasps at one point and worried something was wrong. Then a seasoned Seattleite said, "The mountain is out." That's what we say when you can see Mount Rainier. You see, often it's misty or cloudy and the mountain can be not visible for days. When the vantage point changes and the mountain comes into view, a gasp is not uncommon.

Tah-dah...Mount Rainier

#pugetsoundfling #gardenfling2024 #ferry #pugetsoundadventure #vashonisland

Garden Fling 2024: Puget Sound Gardens

I was thrilled to attend my first Garden Fling this past weekend! The Fling is an annual meetup of garden social media personalities (bloggers, Instagrammers, YouTubers, video-makers, podcasters, garden writers) from all over the country. This year they came to the Puget Sound Region to tour gardens, network with one another and marvel at plants and their positioning.

It was exhausting and exhilarating. I had intended to post a few pics and videos to @FindDelight along the weekend but the Wi-Fi wasn't great and as always, I chose to talk to people rather than look at my phone. So now we all have the monumental task of sorting through for the best shots from thousands of photos to summarize the fun. It was awesome and I will enjoy re-living it all as I share my 1st Fling experience with you. I can't overstate how lovely it is to arrive at an event knowing maybe 10/100 people and slowly meeting, sharing stories, experiences, and realizing that we all have so much in common. I felt very welcomed. 

I try not to make a big deal about it, but I have a brittle bone disease (which means I fracture my bones easily and my joints and muscles aren't strong) and big bus trips and walking on uneven ground (= all gardens) is more than a little risky for me. But I can't sit home; I need to keep participating and when I need to alter a situation or sit something out, I do. Well I was so excited to see these incredible gardens and meet these extraordinary plants-people, I was going! I must tell you that this group was fantastic. Very sweet. Very supportive. They didn't know me from Adam, but they could tell that I needed a little help now and then. Was it me pushing the wheelchair for support that clued them in? Or maybe it was my ankle braces that gave me away? Different people offered a hand or took my bag before I climbed into the bus. One dear person said, "If you decide you want to ride in that thing, I'll push you, no big deal." Just having that safety valve made the day go easier for me, I think. My friend Erica had already told me she was there for me, but having a stranger chime in was very reassuring.

Today's mention of delight is about being someone's safety valve. Can you offer someone assistance even if they probably aren't going to take you up on it? Sometimes knowing that someone could help gives an emotional boost. It helps take some of the pressure off.

Okay, back to this amazing Garden-centric Event. I want to say a big thank you to Camille Paulsen & Paula Rothkopf, the 2024 Garden Fling Organizers. The event was jam-packed with garden content. Bravo.

I want to share the itinerary, so you know what I will be posting in the upcoming days.

Thursday July 18 (Tacoma):

Evening Welcome Reception at Farrelli's Pizza at Point Ruston (rooftop view of the South Sound waterfront on a gorgeous night)

Friday July 19 (Vashon Island):

Ferry to Vashon Island: Carhart Garden, Halstead/Robinson Garden, Froggsong Gardens & Lunch; Ferry back to Seattle: Point Defiance Park, Gray Garden & Happy Hour

Saturday July 20 (South Sound): 

Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden, Pacific Bonsai Museum, Anderson Garden, Risdahl-Pittman Garden, Lunch at Sorci's Italian Cafe, Sage/Richards Garden, Paulsen Garden, Banquet at Lakewold Gardens.

Sunday July 21 (Kitsap Peninsula): 

Heronswood, Heckler Garden, Brindley Garden, Windcliff (Home Garden of famed plantsman Dan Hinckley)

I also want to share that in an Instagram post after the Fling, Angela Judd of @growing.in.the.garden very generously shared all of The Fling attendees Instagram handles. She effused that gardens and growing was an enormous topic and that there was room in this online writing space for everyone and she wanted her audience to know about all the great people she had met. What a lovely thing to do. 

I find that I have more readers here on my blog, so I am following her lead and posting all of the participants below. Please look them up  - I know these individuals to be very knowledgeable and very kind.   

@thegardenfling 

@growing.in.the.garden

@shady_acers

@5th_ave_flower_farm

@laughinggoatflowerfarm

@garden.girl.seattle

@fashion_plants

@heathra_t

@mulchmaid

@digsportland

@fuchsiarius

@greatgrowalongevent

@lindawisneroregon

@lois.moss.garden.tours

@lawnifi_chs

@experiencememphisgardens

@tahomaflora

@emilygjoseph

@acozzigarden

@beeskneesdesignllc

@prettypurpledoor

@pamdigging

@pilarysusplantas

@CreativeGardener

@cascadia.kitchen

@gardenrevelry

@gardeningwhileold

@bonneylakeplantlady

@GreenArtisans

@hellogardendesign

@boltlandscapedesign

@americansinthegarden

@succulentsandmore

@microbotanica

@kayess100

@floradoragardens

@krispeterson591

@mikesurbangarden

@michellederviss

@Tz_Garden

@musabasjoosue

@GardensByBecca

@Southern_Meadows

@gardeningintherockies

@thecapturedgarden

@angelinapepperoni

@Bold_North_Home

@gardenrant

@Gardenfix

@janetspaintbox

@thegardeningme

@ovanna11

@GreenArtisans

@dangergarden

@chickadeegardens

@flower.sommelier.dotcom

@wyattemig

@glen_villa_garden

@janetledebuhr

@crescentgarden

@gailaeichelberger

@grwhryrpltd

@cat_jones_atx

@dianasdesignsaustin

@jean_mcweeney

@avrilingram

@pegplant

@FindDelight

@annettespnwgardenlife

@olygardenaddict

@ebgrivas

@joanie_reveleleven

@kendallsgreenhouse

@mauryterracegardens

@sound_gardener

@camano_island_gardening

@nutsfornatives

@CobraHead

@foodflowersfabric

#gardenfling2024 #pugetsoundfling #pugetsoundgardens

Garden Fling 2024: Proven Winners Welcome Reception at Point Ruston

Thank you, Proven Winners! The 2024 Puget Sound Garden Fling began on Thursday night with a wonderful Welcome Reception and Dinner at Point Ruston sponsored by Proven Winners, The #1 Plant Brand. Look at the incredible rooftop party space we had at Farrelli's overlooking Puget Sound. This is how you welcome a group of 100 to the Pacific Northwest.

We had a wonderful meal outdoors and thank heaven for our name badges because there were so many people milling about. In addition to my roomie, Seattle Times journalist Erica Brown Grivas, I think I knew about 10 other people so it was a great opportunity to mix & mingle. 

Natalie Carmolli, Marketing & Public Relations Specialist for Proven Winners ColorChoice addressed the attendees at the Welcome Reception and said that Proven Winners was pleased to be a longstanding sponsor of The Fling and that she hoped we enjoyed ourselves on this beautiful evening. 

Thank you! It's going to be an amazing Fling.

#provenwinners #pwcolorchoice #gardenfling2024 #pugetsoundfling #pugetsoundgardens 

Flavorette Honey-Apricot Rose by Proven Winners

My edible offerings are expanding! This is the new Flavorette Honey-Apricot rose by Proven Winners - isn't she pretty? Imagine those petals scattered on a cheese plate or mixed into a salad with melon balls and mozzarella balls? Infused into a salad dressing? You know I am going to try it all different ways.

This plant was sent to me by Proven Winners to grow and write about and I am grateful for the opportunity. It arrived in August and it was found by a deer so I had to move the pot strategically to protect it as it got established. This year she is doing great. I've got garlic clips nearby to deter any deer (who usually don't walk through the neighborhood until fall, thankfully) and she is off to a great start. 

I love growing and using edible flowers in entertaining (and in ice cubes, sometimes just for me). Stay tuned. These blooms are the first to open on this rose this year and I know it is going to be a great summer.

#provenwinners #ediblerose #flavorette #edibleflowers 
 

Hydrangeas Are Thriving

I had no idea how much I could love hydrangeas or that there were so many different hydrangeas until I moved to the Pacific Northwest. Nine years ago I lived in Michigan with a bunch of Nikko Blue hydrangeas and I thought I was perfectly happy. Then I saw this:

a pink and white hydrangea called Sensation by Hydrangea Plus in Oregon. Whoa. I bought it and planted it immediately in my new empty backyard.

As a garden writer, I am occasionally given plants to grow in my garden before the come to market. I can see how the develop and if they thrive in my area. These Proven Winners Rockin' Blue Suede Shoes Salvia and Invincibelle Ruby hydrangea have really come into their own after being in the ground a few years. 

I can't find the tag for this beautiful hydrangea. I'm sure I bought it while the house was still being finished, I was so excited. The petals look like they are made of porcelain. White and blue and curved up like little bowls. I absolutely love it. 

#hydrangeas #pnwgardens 

Whale of a Good Time

Do you recognize this as the Vineyard Vines logo? When they partnered with Target a few summers ago, they had a wooden wall hanging in the collection. You say wall hanging, I say charcuterie board. Right? It was perfect and it was loaded with deliciousness. And embellished with some pansies, so you'd know that it was made by me.

#charcuterie #char-cute-erie #cheeseboard #vinevardvines 

Delight on the Deck: Self Watering Containers are Incredible

I am so very happy with the Crescent Garden self watering pots and sliding discs. Wow - what an improvement in my daily life. They are good looking - that is very important to me. But they are also invaluable in their ability to water my precious pots for me and reduce how I need to fuss over them.

I was gifted 2 Rim Tru Drop Modern Planters and Pebble Caddies this year and I couldn't wait to try them on our deck. I always have pots loaded geraniums, verbena, lobelia and this year I added scabiosa for a little thriller. There is an indicator on the side of the Tru Drop pot that shows water levels - when both the center dot and the outer ring appear, the pot is full. When only one ring shows, that indicates that the pot is about half full. When both disappear, it is time to refill. I love them. I drop a little Bloom Booster into the watering opening too and that lets the fertilizer get to my plants throughout the week. I can't say enough good things about this easy watering pot system. 

I also love the sliding pods called Pebble Caddies. It sound silly, but the greatest example of when I used them was when my book club was taking a group photo on the deck and we needed more room. I just leaned over and easily slide the whole thing giant out of the way. Everyone looked at my like, whoa, that's amazing. Which it is. You can buy Pebble Caddies to match the material of your pots, so they blend right in.

Crescent Garden pots and inserts are a system that works for maintaining your deck life and I can't go back.

#containergardening #watersystems #deck #gardeningonthedeck #kitchengarden

Tea at Saint and Scholars in Snoqualmie

After a Mother's Day luncheon and gardening with my mom, Dan and I ended the day at our friends' Irish pub, Saints and Scholars for their special occasion High Tea.

Everything was delicious and we happily ate through all of the options. Two standouts were the salmon rosette and the salted chocolate pot. It was so nice to slow down and enjoy ourselves at this little tea party.

#hightea #snoqualmierestaurant #irishpub 


 

Yuja Wang in Seattle

I have been hearing about "classical piano-rocking virtuoso Yuja Wang" for years and years. My mom is been a big fan of hers and has listened to her CDs and watched her performances on YouTube for ages. Our first chance to see Yuga Wang perform was thwarted in 2022 by a major health incident with my mom just 10 days before the concert. So needless to say we were thrilled when Seattle's Benaroya Hall announced that Yuja Wang would bring a solo recital back to the city in Spring 2024.
 

We made it downtown, ate in the lobby cafe and were all set in our seats for the big event. 

I must confess; I did not recognize any of the pieces. They were certainly chosen to highlight her skill, speed and precision. It was a triumph of accuracy and energy, that's for sure. It was wonderful to be there in person and show her our appreciation with our live applause. She reciprocated with 7 encores. Seven. It was phenomenal. 

#yugawangseattle2024 #classicalmusic #classicalconcerts 

Faux Gems bring Unexpected Color & Sparkle to Glass Jars

Of course I love flowers and making bouquets. A few years ago I decided to add a royal touch to some of my arrangements. I found it really relaxing to create patterns with acrylic gems (you know, something that would look good on a crown) and gluing the design onto a mason jar. You would be surprised how striking this simple embellishment is. Here is a lovely example with stalks of purple iris.  

Christianson's Nursery & Greenhouse: A Must Stop in the Skagit Valley

It is always a good day when I can visit Christianson's Greenhouse and Nursery. It's a little wonderland of plants and possibilities in the Skagit Valley.

So on this particular day last year, my friend Amy and I had driven up to the area  with no set agenda. Our goal was to see tulips and have a chance to talk; the best kind of Spring afternoon. We drove to Christianson's to get in the mood for spring. Everything looked beautiful. And this is where Amy found some wonderful chocolate tile "paint" sets. I'll write about them soon.

At Christianson's, they have a lovely gift shop full of unique housewares, beautiful books and special antiques. Guess what I found? I actually made squeaking sounds when I noticed it on the shelf...

                                          
A covered casserole in my beloved formal china pattern Lavinia by Spode (covered with black raspberries)! Cab you believe it? I did not have this piece and I was over the moon. What a thrill. To my knowledge, my pattern was never sold in the United States, so we had to order pieces from Canada for our wedding registry. I've only seen the full collection on display in Bermuda; that's how rare these dishes have been for me, so finding this piece in my pattern was shocking and wonderful.

This casserole is oven-safe and I will bake my heart out with side dishes galore. 

My china pattern AND tulips, this was a delightful day.

#skagitvalley #gardencenter #lavinia #antiquefind

Phenomenal Northern Lights in Seattle

 

This is a view East toward the Cascade Mountain range 

Much of the country experienced Northern Lights last night, but only Seattle had the lead singer of the band Death Cab for Cutie watching it with them. I'm sure their famous song Northern Lights was sung by thousands last night as we witnessed something extraordinary. 

Below is a link if you'd like to listen to this dreamy song from 2018. Lead singer and songwriter Ben Gibbard grew up in Western Washington and currently lives in Seattle where he too, no doubt, saw these dramatic northern lights.

Looking up

Incredibly, this is the roof of my house with the northern lights streaming over it. I purposefully framed the photo to include the house to add some perspective. It looked like the sky had cracked open and let the color stream into our dimension.  

#northernlights #seattle #deathcabforcutie #springnights #celestial #summersky