By Jim Bishop, for Let's Talk Plants! September 2024.
"What is The Fling? It sounds interesting," I'm glad you asked. Since 2008, The Fling has been an annual gathering organized by local bloggers in a different city each year, bringing together garden writers and bloggers. It offers the opportunity to explore public and private gardens in the area and to connect with like-minded individuals who share a love for gardening, including bloggers, photographers, and social media enthusiasts. I first became aware of The Fling a few years ago when I noticed multiple people I follow on Facebook posting from the same location simultaneously. Upon inquiring with a Facebook friend, I was excited to learn that this year it would be held in the Puget Sound area."
To attend you need to have a social media presence. Luckily, I've have my blog My Life with Plants where I've been posting for 15 years and also a Facebook page (also called My Life with Plants) where I post mostly photos of our home garden and garden related trips and tours.
By summer I'm usually looking for an escape from San Diego's brown and dry season. Over the past 15 years, I've enjoyed a few visits to the summer lushness and gardens in the Pacific Northwest. More than ten years ago, I participated in a garden tour organized by Pacific Horticulture and attended multiple PacHort board meetings in the Seattle region, where I developed a deep appreciation for the gardens and natural landscapes in that area.
The Fling didn't disappoint...all of the gardens were wonderful with artwork, design ideas and full of plants many of which either we can't grow or grow well in Southern California.
They all looked so happy there in the well-tended gardens.
Approximately 100 individuals participated in this year's event. Like myself, many of them were attending a Fling for the first time. I am truly grateful to the organizers for their exceptional efforts in securing gardens and sponsors, coordinating schedules, organizing lunches and parties, and arranging transportation. Having been involved in running various local garden tours and guiding others, I understand the immense amount of work involved. Everything was executed flawlessly, with even a pamphlet published containing details about each garden.
I've visited a few of the gardens on previous visits but it was interesting to see how much they had matured and changed. Others were classics like Heronswood and Windcliff, Dan Hinkley's and is partner Robert Jones private garden. Many also had outstanding views of the Puget Sound, Seattle, and Mt. Rainer.
Several attendees have already shared detailed articles about specific gardens from the tour. Given that this is a group of bloggers, their research, descriptions, information, and photos are truly remarkable. They are a highly skilled group. To avoid repetition, I have opted for a different approach. I will showcase a photo, provide a description, and share a video of the photos I captured at each garden, along with a few personal reflections. The green italic text is the garden description from The Fling Brochure.
Vashon Island
Halstead/Robinson Garden
Our first garden of our tour included a Ferry ride to Vashon Island and a visit to a cute cottage-style garden.
The half acre garden is locate in the historic town of Doctor on Quartermaster, a harbor where WorldWar I ships were once built. The Craftsman house was constructed in 1908 by immigrants from Croatia who were shipwrights, blacksmiths and carpenters. This current garden has several perennials that originate in Coratia/Yugoslavia: Rose Campion, Voodoo Lily and Knautia, to name a few.
Anita is a mosaic and topiary artist. You will find a menagerie of whimsical boxwood and Lonicera shrubs, balls and hedges. When she and Kelly moved here in 2000, there was nothing but dead fruit trees and blackberry bushes surrounding this "neighborhood haunted house"! After clearing the property and with generous family and friends helping, the garden began to take shape with a more formal hardscaping in front and a relaxed back yard with wandering paths. It has become an eclectic mix of traditional perennials with various garden rooms for small groups and personal meditation. It is an interactive garden with a creative labyrinth and lawn chess board.
Carhart Garden
I'd visited this garden about 10 years ago. It has some wonderful manmade pools cascading down the hillside approximately giving it a feeling of the nearby Cascade mountains.
Our three-acre garden property was carved by the receding Vashon Glacier making our upper garden on a woodland slope with unusual shade loving plants. Garden paths lead downward to a hillside waterfall and pond as well as a sunny lower garden around our home, overlooking Quartermaster Harbor. The garden is surrounded by fifteen acres of Stewardship Forest.Multiple sculptures and creative artwork accents the garden with diverse woodland pants, Japanese maples, Rhododendrons and unusual conifers. Paths offer sitting places to reflect on naturalistic plantings while enjoying the peaceful nature and beauty of this garden.
Froggsong Gardens
I'd also previously visited this garden too. It was our lunch stop with lots of time for strolling through the well maintained beds and garden features.
A five acre estate garden, set in 17 acres. It is a blend of formal and informal design. A rose pergola, Roundel Garden, a stone ruin, and Sunken Garden, all share a space that frames and defines the senses. I call this type of garden Northwest Formal. The Queen's Garden, with arches of repeating horn beams is edged with roses. The Hydrangea Walk is not to be missed. This garden has been featured in Fine Gardening, Beds and Borders and Better Homes and Gardens.
I finally met Canadian and fellow blogger Janet Davis. We've known each other online for at least 10 year.
Point Defiance Park
One of the largest urban parks in America, it is the crown jewel of the Tacoma Parks Department. This 760-acre treasure encompasses lush forests, beaches and numerous themed gardens. Highlights include the Rose Garden, Dahlia Trial Garden, Fuchsia Garden, Herb Garden and the Northwest Native Plant Garden, which was created by the Tacoma Garden Club in 1963. The lovely Duck Pond at the entrance to the park is surrounded by a canopy of mature trees, including giant Sequoias. If you have extra time in Tacoma, consider visiting the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, which is located within the park. Boasting stunning views of Puget Sound and Mount Rainier, the zoo is a botanical garden featuring a diverse array of plants from around the world.
Gray Garden
Our last stop of the day was a bit of an unexpected surprise. Besides the incredible over the top hardscape with large boulder and lots of garden art we also had wine and snacks.
Toad-henge sculpture overlooking the garden
Our property was acquired in 1999 and was unimproved land overlooking Commencement Bay. We are fortunate to enjoy a sweeping view of the Bay, the Olympics and Mt. Rainier. A rock scree had to be established in order to stabilize the slope behind the property due to natural springs/water seepage. To soften this look we erected colorful fiberglass panels which we install in the spring and summer.
Our front yard, which gets the morning and afternoon sun features large rock columns (a water feature), one tall maple that the hummingbirds love to inhabit and many smaller evergreens, yews, azaleas and maples. Our back garden features largely shade/water loving plants - a weeping willow, gunnera plants, plenty of ferns and a grove of white birches.
We have a water feature and fire pit on our front deck and a small waterfall/pond and fire bowl on our back patio. Alas, deer are all too frequent - and hungry - visitors. Sprinkled throughout are stone sculptors (one that we call Toad-henge as it reminds us of an enormous toadstool) as well as glass and metal artwork.
East "South Sound"
Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden
Our first stop of day 2 was the naturalistic forested setting full of Rhododendrons.
The Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden is an award winning 22-acre botanical garden home to the largest collection of Rhododendron species in the world. The garden's awe-inspiring landscape provides year-round appeal for visitors to explore lush trails and discover where the wild and untamed meet the beautiful and serene.
Visitors will experience a diverse collection of native plants like Douglas fir, western red cedar, hemlock, as well as stunning companion plants, including the famous Himalayan Blue Poppies, Camellias, Magnolias, Japanese maples, and many rare plants. Guests can tour 13 unique garden features including a tropical conservatory, Victorian stumpery, visitor center, gift shop, and nursery sales pavilion stocked with many of the plants curated in the garden.
Spring is when the garden is the most iconic and colorful with rhododendrons, blue poppies, and other companion plants in bloom. Summer is the season of azaleas, hydrangeas, and giant Himalayan lilies, and is a fantastic time to visit the Victorian Stumpery, a lush and green world full of surprises.
In the fall, the garden glows with golds, reds and oranges from brightly colored Japanese maples. On misty snowy days in winter, the garden becomes a woodland retreat and it's a fabulous time to visit the Rutherford Conservatory, home to tropical rhododendrons and other vibrantly colored plants.
Pacific Bonsai Museum
Right next door to the rhododendron garden was a museum filled with an outdoor display of bonsai.
Pacific Bonsai Museum inspires a closer look at nature through the living art of bonsai. Nestled amidst a peaceful forest in Federal Way, Washington, Pacific Bonsai Museum offers visitors an opportunity to experience the powerful presence of bonsai and be moved to cultivate a more intentional relationship with nature.
Pacific Bonsai Museum is one of two public collections solely dedicated to bonsai in the United States, and one of only a handful worldwide. Through the presentation of thought-provoking exhibitions that embrace innovation as well as tradition, plus tours, field trips, classes and more, Pacific Bonsai Museum engages a diverse community and serves as a living repository of cultural heritage.
Learn more at pacificbonsaimuseum.org
Andersen Garden
The Andersen garden had a bit of a Southern California feel to it...perhaps because it was designed as Mediterranean garden.
After living in Italy for a few years working and traveling throughout Europe, Donna wanted to bring home a piece of her beloved Italy and European flare, including some of her mother's British heritage. A mix of formal box hedges, framed "bowling lawns, statuesque Italian cypresses & statuary, and a smattering of whimsical English and Pacific Northwest-inspired plantings, the property lends a formal & elegant style while still exuding a comfortable & whimsical attitude.
Along the South side of the property you can't help but notice the massive custom made iron pergola draped with glorious wisteria. This parallels a shared berm leading back to the shaded Remembrance Garden in honor of Donna's mother where each plant was carefully chosen for its name, variety, or color. Connecting with this is the St. Francis Garden in memory of our many lost fur-babies.
The East Back Garden consists of two bowling lawns with tall trees & shrubs to act as a lush greenbelt & bird watching oasis from the cozy & welcoming back patio. Here you will also enjoy the custom designed water wall adjacent to the falls & creek which meanders into the Secret Garden on the Northeast side.
One last stop before the sport court on the North side is the Italian Garden highlighting a beloved Italian fountain.
Throughout the gardens you will find dedicated seating areas to relax, meditate, and enjoy all the beauty nature bestows.
Adjacent to the magnificent wall of grand magnolias along the front street side is the newest addition, the Kaleidoscope Garden, where varied colors, heights, & textures work together to camouflage an awkward topography. The Western front of the property is flanked with an eclectic mix of formal hedges, whimsical shrubs, pops of color, various bright white statuary & pots that complement the Mediterranean-styled home.
Welcome to our Italian Oasis hidden in modest Milton, WA. Our little gem has been in the making for 27 years. And, as with all things "nature, death is part of life and the work is never finished. Enjoy!
Risdahl-Pittma Garden
New door was denser garden with more architectural garden features.
An eclectic plant playground, our garden features hints of formality and collections of various genera. Fastigiate evergreens, tall and short, march and nestle around the yard. Short hedges and balls of boxwood serve as accent points.
Concrete balls, trellises and benches are found growing amongst the plants. Varying degrees of sun and shade create a companionship of diverse trees, shrubs, grasses, bulbs, ferns and perennials. Large pots are placed to show off plants though out the garden. A number of sitting areas and a pond beckon you to take a minute to immerse yourself in the peace the garden provides.
Erica Sage & Aaron Richards
This mature garden, 1/2-acre in size, celebrates the Northwest's natural colors and textures. Guests enter the property through the red gate next to a little library. (Of course you can take a book!) After you make your way along the flagstone path between the walls of colorful rhododendrons and blueberry bushes, stunning views of Mt. Rainier and the Orting Valley await. Take a peek at the fenced-in vegetable garden, or continue down the stairs under the cool canopy of trees, including cherry, magnolia, Japanese maple, and myriad others. This tranquil garden boasts beautiful stonework and a multi-tiered waterfall that eventually cascades into a koi pond, by which one might spend the rest of the day. (Please feel free!) Follow the trails around the hillside of heather and enjoy various shrubs, ferns, and grasses. Stone and wooden benches offer places for our guests to sit and take in the serenity of this park-like setting.
Paulsen Garden
The Paulsens were one of the organizers of the Puget Sound Fling. With all of the work involved in the tour, I'm not sure how they also managed to everything in their garden looking picture-perfect. We were able to spend lots of time here relaxing, chatting and enjoying the view of Mt. Rainier as well as an outstanding garden with several large ponds and even a swimming pool.
Located on a ridge above the Orting Valley, our garden encompasses many styles while retaining a strong Northwest feel. Mature Japanese maples, conifers and other trees add beauty and privacy, while container plantings add pops of color throughout the garden. The loss of a beloved Doug fir in 2015 led to a redesign of our front yard to create a more interesting and welcoming space. More plants! We removed most of the lawn and replaced it with a pergola, pond, waterfall and an array of sun-loving plants such as sedums, yuccas and dwarf conifers. In 2017, we transformed a patchy side lawn into an Asian-influenced shade garden, with Dirk's hand-built cedar Torii gate gracing the entrance. Features of our back garden include a woodland pond & waterfall, shade pavilion, greenhouse, raised vegetable & flower beds and a tropical area. Ferns and other shade plants line an arbor walkway while a massive log serves as a mini-stumpery near the driveway. Stone paths link the various "rooms" and add a unifying feel to the garden. We hope the mountain comes out for your visit!
Kitsap Peninsula
Heronswood
No tour of Puget Sound gardens is complete without a visit to Heronswood. On my previous visits to the area it was closed. So it was great to finally visit it...and it didn't disappoint. It could easily fill and entire day exploring the gardens and creative plant choices.
Travel the world in one place with a visit to Heronswood! Set in 15 acres of land on Washington's Kitsap Peninsula, the garden is owned and operated by the Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe. Originally created by renowned plantsman Dan Hinkley, Heronswood comprises six unique yet integrated gardens featuring rare and wild-collected plants from six continents.
The Woodland and Formal Gardens are the original Heronswood landscapes designed by Dan, with the former hosting collections of his favorite plants (hydrangeas, mahonias, aralias, lilies) while the latter showcases European-style formality with intricate hedges, color-themed beds and summer magnificence.
The Rock and Renaissance Gardens are recent, but well established, with wild-collected alpines from western mountain ranges dominating the former, while a rich and diverse assemblage of ferns luxuriates in the latter, a Hardy Fern Foundation affiliated garden.
Our most recent creations are the Traveler's and S'Klallam Connections Gardens, which pay homage to Heronswood's cultural origins. The Traveler's Garden aims to examine the world of the plant explorer, with collections from three regions that have provided significantly to Heronswood: Vietnam, Chile, and the Klamath-Siskiyou Bioregion of California/ Oregon. The S'Klallam Connections Garden was developed entirely by our S'Klallam staff and highlights significant plants for The Strong People.
As the only Tribally owned botanical garden in the country, it is our responsibility to educate visitors on the important relationships between people and plants, both here in the Pacific Northwest and internationally. As these two new gardens grow, we'll tell that story through our plants, signage, events and activities.
Heckler Garden
A wooded garden full of hydrangeas and a color pallet of muted greens and deep burgundy what could possibly better say "We are in the Pacific Northwest." The garden included parasols that were used to shade some of the delicate plants during the recent heat wave. They also added an extra festive touch to the garden.
I am a passionate gardener, plant collector and nature lover. My small house and garden is tucked away within a secluded woodland setting in Indianola, and is jam-packed with a crazy collection of plants, containers and 100+ hydrangeas.
My previous garden was 2+ acres with sun and shade-including the potager, orchard, woodland, meadow and beach.
Now l'm lucky to have bright shade and a few hours of sun in pockets of the garden. The raised beds that were to have vegetables became holding beds. I removed salal and limbed up firs, and tidied up the rest. I planted tree peonies in the sunnier spots, and hydrangeas and martagon lilies in the brighter spots. I planted every shade tolerant woodland plant I could get my hands on, and anything with TEXTURE. That is what my garden is to me--form, texture, layers and all shades of green with very few flowers. Perhaps not enough color for many folks, but it's a very relaxing palate.
So now my little garden in Indianola is primarily a shade garden with fleeting moments of sunshine. Having to give up growing vegetables and other sun lovers has been a lesson in restraint, but the outcome is a peaceful haven - a woven tapestry of foliage and texture. Hydrangeas, podophyllums, ferns, and numerous other woodland treasures are my current obsessions. Hidden away on all sides by a monster hedge, the 1934 restored cabin, surrounded by plants, has become a private sanctuary and my escape from the world.
Windcliff
Windcliff is as famous for its owners as well as its exotic plants many collected Dave Hinkley on plant exhibitions around the world.
Windcliff, named by the previous owner, sits on a high south facing bluff overlooking the Salish Sea. The 6.5 acre garden and nursery is primarily meant to evaluate and propagate plants of wild origin collected from similar climates around the world. The bluffside garden is currently undergoing complete renovation due to the severity of loss during the winter of 2024.
Brindley Garden
Next door was a stunning garden set with wonderful water views. We took time to get a group photo of the ~100 attendees on the tour.
The Brindley Garden has a little something to offer all types of gardeners in every season. Shayne Chandler designed and planted the majority of the garden in 2010 to address an unsightly drainage swale. You are greeted by a woodland feel as you enter the garden. There is a vegetable area that is "out of the box". The Entry provides year-round interest and is especially pleasing in winter. The sun loving cactus and Mediterranean plants are on the southern portion of this property where you get a sweeping view of Puget Sound.
Seattle
The optional final day of the Puget Sound fling featured gardens in Seattle. So glad I stayed for the extra do to visit some more extraordinary gardens.
Sparler and Schouten Garden
I'd visited this garden a few years ago on a garden tour. So glad to be back. So much inspiration here. I remembered thinking I would steal the ideas for concrete columns and orbs, but never has happened. They have an area of the garden that they call San Diego where they grow plants that need less water and more heat. And sure enough, we have some of the same plants in my San Diego garden.
We call it the Garden of Exuberant Refuge, but it's bound to evoke other "e" words for visitors: exotic, eccentric, erratic or even egregious in the many ways it flouts convention. Design purists beware! If you see anything remotely tasteful, we assure you it's purely coincidental. Now in its 33rd outrageous year, this is a collector's garden in which the wild and wacky plants have taken over the asylum.
In addition to stuffing our 1/3-acre lot with cosmopolitan plants representing upwards of 4700 taxa, we installed a network of pathways to link patios, shady resting spots, an elevated circular pond with dripping columns, a viewing pavilion, and a tiled, tiny Italianate "piazza", all of which we designed and built with our own hands. Every bit of this garden is do-it-yourself.
Our green stuff includes gobs of perennials, shrubs and trees native to the Southern Hemisphere as well as a succulent bed sheltering large specimens of agaves, bromeliads, cactus, crassulas, and aloes, including a 12-year-old, six-foot arborescent Aloe 'Scarlet Rockets' As a foil to the shimmering curtains of foliage, eye candy for the color-starved is provided by roses, cannas, dahlias, hardy fuchsias, tigridias, and a legion of seed-grown, 4-foot-tall succulent Aeoniums.
Berk-Kessler Garden
This garden was full, very full. Cramscaping at its finest. I loved it and the fully stuffed beds loaded with unusual plants and well placed artwork.
Welcome to Casa Nirvana, a tapestry garden that brings together art, color, history, plants, and many passions.
History and Site. Designed in 1916 by noted Seattle architect Arthur Loveless, our house sits high above the street, in the historic Mt. Baker neighborhood. Layered terraces frame the stairway; these were carved into the hillside in 2000 to manage the steep slope, as part of a complete hardscape renovation project. The benefits of this challenging site are the multiple public and private garden spaces it creates, and the lovely surprise of coming upon the upper garden. The unusual, large side garden is defined by a towering, 20-foot hedge, original to the house, although much taller. Besides the hedge and the magnolia, everything else in the garden has been added since we moved in 30 years ago.
Art and Artistry. Sculpture is a defining feature, including the large scale pieces 'Moongate' and Joy' which are visible from the street. Other sculptures have been commissioned and collected over time.
Plants! This is a plant collector's garden, with an uncounted number of unusual specimens acquired from specialty nurseries on both coasts. The collection is broad and eclectic, from rare shrubs and ferns to aeoniums in profusion. The garden's development has been informed by visiting gardens in the US and Europe, by workshops in England at Great Dixter Garden, and especially by our region's phenomenal plant explorers. The unifying theme is foliage - bold, variegated, black, unusual. The garden was featured in Pacific Magazine's February 2020 issue.
Hartlage Garden
Years ago I'd toured the Chihuly garden in Seattle with garden's designer Richard Harlage. I remember his colorful plant and clothing choices and was excited to be lucky enough to visit his home garden in person. It too was full of color with many playful and surprising touches.
Hartage Garden is founding part His notable pubnology. He is an award-winning garden maker. His notable public projects include Chihuly Gardens and Glass in Seattle, The Herb Garden at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Leach Botanical Garden in Portland, the planting design for the mile and half Seattle Waterfront Park and others. He has designed residential gardens for clients in eight states.
He has lived in his Calhoun Street home since 2009. His personal garden is a departure from his professional work and is very iconoclastic with countless found objects and a great deal of humor. Plants are rare and common, and always changing. There is an extensive crevice garden with a modern interpretation, water garden, countless planted industrial containers and hive of hanging baskets suspended from the European Chestnut. The serpentine boxwood hedge is 260 feet in length. The terracotta pot is six feet tall, weighs one-thousand pounds and was handmade by the coil method in Impruneta, Italy.
He shares his garden with his three miniature Schnauzers: Pluto, Jupiter and Nova; a couple dozen Valencian Figurita exhibition pigeons, and eight bantam Old English Game hens in black and white.
The front entry to the home and Schnauzer arbor replaced a rotting front porch and were both added this spring. The red is Benjamin Moore Greenbough Vermilion and elicits strong reactions pro and con. The garden is very personal and very rarely opened to groups (thank Gillian Mathews) - this being the third time since he began making it in 2009 (again thank Gillian).
Pepper Garden
The Pepper Garden was out lunch stop. We sat in the garden with views of Lake Washington. Many colorful Echeverias in full blooms loaded with native bumblebees near the water's edge.
Let your adventurous side bloom and your sense of wonder soar at the Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden this season.
Started in the fall of 2015, the garden descends in layers:
From street level, through the house, to the shores of Lake Washington. The driveway is flanked by dogwoods, shrubs and perennials, revealing a granite cobbled parkade and a yew hedge, evoking an old world piazza. One grape & one rose arbor provide shade.
The house's north side opens to a fountain courtyard with potted Evergreen Magnolias. A small shade garden flanks the main door. To temper the summer heat in the breezeway between the garage and house, we added an arched grape arbor. Off the kitchen is a raised herb garden, pizza oven, and dining area. The lake side of the house features a terrace with views of Mt Rainier, Lake Washington and Husky stadium.
Below, an allée of roses leads to a grove of Crape myrtles and Hydrangeas surrounding a Lewis & Little bird bath.
Granite stairs below the lawn cut through a pollinator meadow. On the west border is a horizontal bee hive perched above an Argentinian fire pit. We have added a fence by the lake since the beavers took a"bite"out of the garden two winters ago, hauling off most of the woody shrubs and roses and small trees!
Livingston Garden
This step hillside garden had some of the most extensive hardscape of any of the gardens we visited. How many gardens include a swinging rope bridge? Gardening on a steep slope back home I truly appreciate how difficult it must be to have created it all. So many great ideas here.
Perched on a bluff above Puget Sound, this woodland garden began with a 9 foot granite retaining wall to hold a steep slope below the house. One thing led to another, and over the next 35 years an extensive network of granite steps, more retaining walls, meandering woodland paths, terraces, a stream, water features, a teahouse perched over a ravine, a rope bridge suspended over a creek and a beautiful mosaic floor in the vegetable garden were thoughtfully designed and created.These features elegantly form a backdrop to a collection of enchanting woodland ephemerals and unusual perennials, deciduous Azaleas, species Rhododendrons, Hydrangeas, enormous leafed Petasites, Podophyllums and Rodgersias, underneath towering Firs, Cedars and Williows.
None of this would have been possible without a talented cast of stonemasons, carpenters, artists and garden designers who have shared with me their creative vision, energy, passion and a love of this special place perched on a bluff.
Galicia Garden
Our final stop included yet another evening party and wine event! The garden was full of hydrangeas but also with all of the palms and brick pavings had a bit of New Orleans feel to it. A huge water feature in the back serenaded us as we started saying our goodbyes and thank you's for a wonderful garden adventure in the Puget Sound.
The Galicic Garden in Normandy Park spans half an acre, divided into seven distinct zones. From a lush tropical jungle featuring a koi pond and cascading waterfalls, the garden seamlessly transitions into a sun-drenched Mediterranean border. A short walk leads you into a cool, shady woodland.
Navigating the garden's intricate cobblestone pathways, you'll discover thousands of unique plants. Be sure to explore the beautifully designed ornamental vegetable garden, where each plant serves either an edible or medicinal purpose.
Homeward Bound
Just like the arrival to the Puget Sound I was greeted by an outstanding view of Mt. Rainier from the plane window wishing me goodbye until next time.
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