My Next Garden

Sanguinaria canadensis 'Multiplex' April 2009

Saruma henryi April 2010

Tulipa 'Little Princess' April 2010
 

Erigeron glaucus May 2010

 Iris douglasiana May 2009

My next garden will be perfect.  There will be no weeds.  Nothing will die, or get ugly, or grow too big, or disappoint me in any way.  My next garden will not be too much work.  It will be smaller.  It will be perfectly planned.  It won't need much water.  Perennials will not fall over.  There will be no diseases, or troublesome insects, or stray dogs.  When I go out in my new garden, I will have only positive feelings, inspired by the beauty around me.  I will plant only plants I truly love.  Of the thousands of plants I grew in my old garden, I will choose from the 150 listed below.

Acer circinatum

Achillea millefolium

Agapanthus campanulatus

Ajuga reptans

Alchemilla mollis

Allium aflatunense, Allium cristophii, Allium karataviense

Araucaria araucana

Arbutus unedo

Arctostaphylos columbiana, Arctostaphylos densiflora ‘Howard McMinn’, Arctostaphylos ‘Monica’

Aruncus aethusifolius

Asarum caudatum

Aster novae-angliae ‘Hella Lacy’

Azara microphylla
Blechnum spicant
Brachyglottis munroi
Brunnera macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’
Callistemon rigidus
Calluna vulgaris
Camassia leichlinii 'Caerulea'
Camellia japonica

Campanula 'Resholt Variety', Campanula  portenschlagiana, Campanula poscharskyana

Ceanothus thyrsiflorus ‘Victoria’

Chamaecyparis lawsoniana "Pembury Blue', Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Nana Lutea'
Chionodoxa luciliae

Clematis integrifolia, Clematis viticella ‘Kermesina’

Crambe maritima

Crocus sieberi ‘Firefly’

Cupressus sempervirens

Daboecia cantabrica

Dicentra formosa

Digitalis purpurea
Erica arborea 'Estrella Gold', Erica australis, Erica manipuliflora
Erigeron glaucus, Erigeron karvinskianus, Erigeron speciosus
Eryngium amethystinum, Eryngium variifolium
Erythronium oregonum
Eucomis comosa
Euphorbia x martinii, Euphorbia myrsinites, Euphorbia rigida

Fragaria vesca

Geranium ‘Johnson’s Blue’, Geranium orientalitibeticum, Geranium phaeum, Geranium sanguineum

Ginkgo biloba
Gymnocarpium dryopteris

Hacquetia epipactis

Hebe pinguifolia ‘Pagei’, Hebe recurva, Hebe ‘Red Edge’
Helleborus argutifolius, Helleborus lividus
Hemerocallis ‘Bela Lugosi’, Hemerocallis ‘Hyperion’

Heuchera americana 'Dale's Strain'

Hyacinthus ‘City of Haarlem’

Hydrangea quercifolia

Hypericum cerastoides, Hypericum ‘Hidcote’

Iris douglasiana, Iris hartwegii, Iris macrosiphon
Juniperus chinensis ‘Torulosa’, Juniperus communis ‘Green Carpet’
Kniphofia nelsonii, Kniphofia ‘Percy’s Pride’

Lamium maculatum 'Beacon Silver'
Lewisia cotyledon
Lithocarpus densiflorus var. echinoides

Luzula sylvatica 'Aurea'

Magnolia ashei

Mahonia aquifolium, Mahonia repens

Narcissus ‘King Alfred’, Narcissus pseudonarcissus ssp, minor, Narcissus pseudonarcissus ‘Princeps’,
Narcissus ‘W P Milner’

Ornithogalum umbellatum
Paeonia cambessedesii, Paeonia mascula, Paeonia veitchii

Panicum virgatum ‘Heavy Metal’
Pinus edulis, Pinus kwangtungensis, Pinus mugo, Pinus ponderosa
Polystichum polyblepharum
Pratia pedunculata
Primula ‘Dorothy’
Quercus gambelii
Rhododendron decorum, Rhododendron orbiculare, Rhododendron williamsianum
Ribes sanguineum, Ribes sanguineum ‘White Icicle'
Rosa glauca, Rosa rugosa
Sanguinaria canadensis ‘Multiplex’
Saruma henryi
Scilla peruviana

Sedum divergens, Sedum forsterianum, Sedum kamtschaticum, Sedum ‘Matrona’, Sedum obtusatum, Sedum oregonense, Sedum palmeri, Sedum spathulifolium, Sedum ‘Vera Jameson’

Smilacina stellata

Sorbus forrestii

Stachys chrysantha

Syringa meyeri ‘Palibin’

Tellima grandiflora

Thuja occidentalis Hetz Midget', Thuja occidentalis 'Yellow Ribbon’

Thujopsis dolabrata ‘Nana’

Thymus pseudolanuginosus, Thymus serpyllum

Trillium luteum, Trillium ovatum

Tulipa ‘Little Princess’, Tulipa turkestanica

Vaccinium ovatum

Veronica spicata

Viburnum sargentii ‘Onondaga’

Vitis vinifera ‘Purpurea’
Weigela florida ‘Variegata’

Volunteer Park Conservatory in October

Coleus at the Volunteer Park Conservatory October 2012

Chrysanthemum at the Volunteer Park Conservatory October 2012

Plectranthus at the Volunteer Park Conservatory October 2012

 

Hibiscus at the Volunteer Park Conservatory October 2012

Hechtia glomerata at the Volunteer Park Conservatory October 2012

Click here for more photos of Volunteer Park.

The Volunteer Park Conservatory is a welcome respite from the cold Seattle rain.  I can also say that it has the finest planting design of any conservatory I have seen worldwide. It is open except on Mondays, even on holidays, from 10 to 4. The conservatory has 5 houses, each quite different. There are bromeliad, palm, fern, seasonal display & cactus houses.  It is hard to say which is most interesting.  The seasonal displays are changed 6 times each year.  Plants are often replaced in all of the houses. I think Volunteer Park is the greatest park in Seattle.  Not only is the park beautiful, but it has a number of first-rate attractions including the conservatory, the Seattle Asian Art Museum, Isamu Noguchi's Black Sun & the panoramic view from the Water Tower.  The park is easily reached from Downtown Seattle by the 10 Capitol Hill bus, which stops at the park.