Why a Theme Garden?

Prairie Garden

Red & Yellow Garden

 Chinese Garden

Why a Theme Garden? You may wonder whether a garden really needs a theme.  It’s hard for me to believe that any garden doesn’t have a theme, though it may be as simple as: Plants People Gave Me.  Plants I Like is always a good theme.  But what if you’re not sure which plants you really like?  Or perhaps you like so many plants, that you don’t know where to begin.  This is where a designated theme simplifies your garden planning.  Now you can research plants that fit your theme.  Or you can choose among the plants you already know that suit your theme.  Choose a theme that works with your site.  If your site is moist & shaded, don’t choose a dryland theme, choose a theme of plants from woodland regions.  Color is often used as a theme.  Pink flowers is an easy theme, there are many of them.  Gray is a good theme for a dry, sunny site.  Many plants adapted to dry sun have gray foliage.  Gray & blue together can achieve a theme of tranquility.  Plants with large leaves suggest a tropical theme.  A theme may also be plants from a geographic region.  Pacific Northwest native plants is a popular theme in parks & public gardens in Seattle.  When you travel to Italy, you may return with the desire for a garden of Mediterranean plants, or a formal Italian garden.  There are many attempts at Japanese gardens in Seattle back yards.  Themes may also correspond to seasons, such as a theme of winter-blooming plants, or plants with colorful fall foliage.  Not every plant in your garden needs to be in step with the theme.  Use plants that complement your theme, as well.

Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden

 Outside the 1. China Maple Hall.  Numbers correspond to the map below.

2. China Maple Hall Courtyard & moon gate in the 4. Double Corridor

Bridge between islands.  The pebbles used for paving were brought from China.

3. Ting.  'High on a pile of weathered rocks, emulating a mountain, sits an elegant pavilion representing humans in their natural setting.'

stools

 6. Jade Water Pavilion.  'Pitted & convoluted Tai Hu limestone rocks from Lake Tai near Suzhou are highly prized.  The pine symbolizes strength because it can grow in treacherous conditions.'

 Two arrangements from inside the 8. Scholar's Study.

8. Scholar's Courtyard

On 11-25-10, Rusty & I drove from Seattle to snowy Vancouver, British Columbia.  On the following rainy day, we found remnant patches of snow in the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden.  I thought it was stunning.  Rusty likes plants, but isn't a great garden enthusiast.  He said, 'This doesn't look like a garden.  There are so few plants.'  I replied, 'Gardens can be about pavement & structures.  Ask any landscape architect.'  The classical Chinese scholar's garden consists of 4 main elements & represents the Daoist philosophy of yin & yang.  1. Architecture is Ming dynasty classical design.  A main hall is a tang (yin).  A pavilion or gazebo is a ting (yang).  2. Rocks reflect rugged landscapes.  3. Plants are selected for symbolic value: willow for feminine grace, winter-flowering plum for renewal, pine for strength, bamboo for quiet resilience.  4. Water creates a tranquil atmosphere.  The garden was constructed by a 52-member team of experts from Suzhou.  It opened in 1986.
 

Map of the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden

Shrubs for Shade

Pieris japonica 'Bisbee Dwarf' July 2010

Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Somerset' December 2008

Hypericum androsaemum 'Albury Purple' September 2010

Ribes x gordonianum March 2010

Hydrangea quercifolia September 2008

Here are shade-tolerant & shade-loving shrubs selected for beauty, utility & availability in Seattle, the Pacific Northwest & other areas in USDA zone 8.  Most do better in light shade than deep shade.  Camellia, Rhododendron & Pieris benefit from afternoon shade.  I’ve had success with Chamaecyparis obtusa (Hinoki Cypress) & Chamaecyparis lawsoniana (Port Orford Cedar) in light shade.  Mahonia, Sarcococca & Vaccinium ovatum (Evergreen Huckleberry) do fairly well in deep shade.  Give Mahonia bealei plenty of shade, other Mahonia tolerate more sun.  Arbutus unedo ‘Compacta’ (Compact Strawberry Tree) Gaultheria shallon (Salal) & Ribes sanguineum (Flowering Currant) are good for dry shade.  Enkianthus, Fuchsia & Sarcococca should not be allowed to dry out in summer.  More shade requires less water.  Most of these should be fairly easy to find.  When local nurseries fail, try mail-order nurseries.  Forest Farm is a good source for uncommon plants.  This list is not meant to provide detailed information on shrubs, but to introduce you to some you may not know, or remind you of those you have forgotten.  Be sure you know how large these shrubs grow before you plant them.  Many shrubs do not look good when sheared or heavily pruned.  An abundance of detailed information is available on the web.  Good reference books on shrubs are The Hillier Gardener's Guide to Trees & Shrubs edited by John Kelly, Shrubs by Roger Phillips & Martyn Rix, Sunset Western Garden Book.

Abelia x grandiflora: for part shade, flowering evergreen

Arbutus unedo ‘Compacta’ (Compact Strawberry Tree): evergreen with flowers & fruit in fall

Aucuba japonica: colorful evergreen foliage
Buxus microphylla (Japanese Boxwood) Buxus sempervirens (Common Boxwood): evergreen, often used for hedges & topiary

Calycanthus floridus (Carolina Allspice) Calycanthus occidentalis (Spice Bush): needs moisture, fragrant

Camellia japonica, Camellia sasanqua

Chamaecyparis lawsoniana ‘Ellwoodii’ (Dwarf Port Orford Cedar): & other cultivars, Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Nana Gracilis’, Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Nana Lutea’ (Dwarf Hinoki Cypress): & other cultivars (note: while these tolerate dry shade, they are probably better with moisture in sun)
Choisya ternata 'Aztec Pearl', Choisya ternata 'Sundance' (Mexican Orange): for part or light shade, tolerates some dryness, fragrant bloom, evergreen

Clethra alnifolia (Summersweet) Clethra barbinervis (Japanese Sweet Shrub) Clethra delavayi, Clethra fargesii: all need moisture, fragrant bloom, fall color
Corylopsis glabrescens: large shrub, Corylopsis pauciflora, Corylopsis sinensis: large shrub, Corylopsis spicata (Winter Hazel): all need moisture, good from, early bloom
Daphne x burkwoodii: for light shade, needs moisture, easier to grow than other Daphne
Disanthus cercidifolius: for light shade, needs moisture, excellent fall color

Enkianthus campanulatus, Enkianthus cernuus rubens, Enkianthus perulatus: all need moisture, showy bloom, good fall color

Euonymus japonicus: many cultivars, good foliage color

Fuchsia magellanica (Hardy Fuchsia): showy bloom, low temperatures can cause damage

Fatsia japonica: large shrub, evergreen
Fothergilla gardenii, Fothergilla major: both need moisture, with fragrant flowers & colorful fall foliage

Gaultheria shallon (Salal): tolerates dryness, spreads widely by stolons, edible fruit

Hamamelis vernalis (Ozark Witch Hazel): fragrant flowers, colorful fall foliage

Holodiscus discolor (Oceanspray): for part shade, tolerates dryness, showy bloom Hydrangea aspera, Hydrangea quercifolia (Oakleaf Hydrangea): for light shade, tolerates dryness, showy bloom

Hypericum androsaemum (St John’s Wort): some cultivars with colorful foliage

Ilex cornuta (Chinese Holly): evergreen, Ilex crenata (Japanese Holly): evergreen, Ilex verticillata (Winterberry): needs moisture, colorful fall foliage & fruit

Illicium anisatum (Japanese Anise) Illicium floridanum (Florida Anise): evergreen, uncommon
Itea ilicifolia: showy bloom, evergreen, uncommon, large shrub, Itea virginica (Sweetspire): fragrant flowers, good fall color, uncommon

Kalmia latifolia (Mountain Laurel): needs moisture, showy bloom

Leucothoe axillaris, Leucothoe walteri: needs moisture, several cultivars with colorful foliage

Mahonia aquifolium (Oregon Grape): tolerates dryness, Mahonia bealei: needs moisture Mahonia repens: tolerates dryness
Myrica californica (California Wax Myrtle): tolerates dryness, large shrub, also grows in sun

Nandina domestica (Heavenly Bamboo): tolerates dryness, 'Plum Passion' has colorful foliage

Oemleria cerasiformis (Indian Plum): tolerates dryness, native plant

Physocarpus capitatus, Physocarpus opulifolius (Ninebark): tolerates dryness, for part shade

Pieris japonica (Lily of the Valley Shrub): tolerates dryness, showy fragrant bloom

Rhododendron: tolerate sun, but better in shade, very many species & cultivars

Ribes sanguineum (Flowering Currant) Ribes odoratum, Ribes x gordonianum: all tolerate dryness, better in light shade

Skimmia japonica: needs moisture, evergreen, female plants have red fruit

Sarcococca confusa, Sarcococca hookeriana, Sarcococca humilis, Sarcococca ruscifolia (Sweet Box): needs moisture, evergreen, very fragrant bloom

Symphoricarpos albus (Snowberry): tolerates dryness, white fruit

Taxus x media (Yew): for part shade, evergreen conifer

Thuja koraiensis (Korean Arborvitae) Thuja occidentalis ‘Hetz Midget’ (Dwarf Arborvitae): for part shade, evergreen conifer

Vaccinium ovatum (Evergreen Huckleberry): edible fruit

Viburnum davidii: for part shade, evergreen, blue fruit, Viburnum tinus ‘Spring Bouquet’: for part shade, showy bloom, evergreen

January Garden Pictures & Bloom Times

Cyclamen coum January 2011

Erica x darleyensis 'Goldrush' January 2011

Helleborus lividus January 2011

Paeonia suffruticosa 'Zi Er Giao'

 Primula x juliana 'Wanda' January 2010

Below is a list of plants that began to bloom in my garden in Seattle in January 2011. I recorded the date when the 1st flower opened, not when they were in bud. Not very many plants bloomed in my garden in January.  Nurseries in Seattle usually sell plants when they are in bloom. I have included dates from previous years. Weather conditions probably account for most of the difference in bloom times.

01-05-11  Veronica pectinata 3-05-10, 4-06-09, 3-30-08
01-21-11  Primula elatior 2-25-10, 3-2-09
01-25-11  Euphorbia rigida 1-20-10, 2-12-09, 1-19-08
01-26-11  Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Pallida’ 1-20-10, 1-20-09
01-27-11  Iris ‘Katharine Hodgkin’ 1-25-10, 2-10-08
01-27-11  Mahonia aquifolium 1-28-10, 3-13-08
01-29-11  Helleborus x hybridus 1-15-10, 1-17-09, 1-26-08

Winter Flowers

Iris 'Katherine Hodgkin' January 2010

Erica australis February 2009

Hamamelis x intermedia 'Pallida' February 2009

Hepatica americana February 2010

Pieris japonica February 2010

Camellia japonica March 2010

 Chionodoxa luciliae March 2010

There is not a huge number of plants that bloom in winter in Seattle.  But it is a real treat to walk in the garden on a sunny winter day & find plants in bloom.  Winter blossoms are often fragrant.  The sweet scent of Hamamelis x intermedia (Witch Hazel) fills the air with enchantment.  Many Mahonia bloom early in the year.  Some of the earliest are listed below.  Camellia sasanqua ‘Yuletide’ can bloom before the winter solstice, other selections bloom later in winter.  Early-flowering Camellia japonica also bloom in winter, but fully double flowers can rot in winter rain.  1 of the earliest perennials to bloom in Seattle gardens is Euphorbia rigida in January.  It is followed a few weeks later by Euphorbia myrsinites.  A stunning combination of purple & yellow flowers is Crocus sieberi ‘Firefly’ & Narcissus ‘Tete-a-Tete’ in February.  

Visit the Witt Winter Garden at the Washington Park Arboretum in Seattle for color & fragrance on a sunny winter day.  I’ve gathered these names from sources including the Cascadia Garden, the plant list for the Witt Winter Garden, Bulbs by Roger Phillips & Martyn Rix, Perennials by Roger Phillips & Martyn Rix, Shrubs by Roger Phillips & Martyn Rix.  These encyclopedic books by Roger Phillips & Martyn Rix have are ordered by bloom time rather than alphabet, making it easy to find flowers for every season.  During very cold winters, some of these plants may be pushed toward spring bloom.  Many spring-flowering plants bloomed during the very warm winter of 2010.

Winter Flower Plant List

Trees
Cornus mas (Cornelian Cherry)
Corylus maxima 'Atropurpurea Superba'
Hamamelis x intermedia, Hamamelis japonica, Hamamelis mollis (Witch Hazel)
Prunus mume (Japanese Apricot) Prunus subhirtella ‘Autumnalis’ (Winter Cherry)

Shrubs
Abeliophyllum distichum (White Forsythia)
Camellia japonica ‘Elegans’ & others, Camellia sasanqua ‘Yuletide’ & others
Chimonanthus praecox (Wintersweet)
Corylopsis glabrescens, Corylopsis pauciflora, Corylopsis sinensis, Corylopsis spicata (Winter Hazel)
Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’ (Hazel)
Daphne mezereum
Edgeworthia chrysantha
Erica australis, Erica carnea, Erica x darleyensis
Forsythia giraldiana, Forsythia ovata
Garrya x issaquahensis (Silktassel)
Jasminum nudiflorum (Winter Jasmine)
Lonicera standishii
Mahonia ‘Arthur Menzies’, Mahonia aquifolium (Oregon Grape) Mahonia bealei, Mahonia mairei, Mahonia repens
Pieris japonica
Rhododendron ‘Christmas Cheer’, Rhododendron cyanocarpum, Rhododendron barbatum, Rhododendron dauricum ‘Midwinter’, Rhododendron lutescens, Rhododendron moupinense, Rhododendron mucronulatum 'Cornell Pink', Rhododendron ririei, Rhododendron strigillosum
Ribes laurifolium, Ribes sanguineum
Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary)
Sarcococca confusa, Sarcococca hookeriana, Sarcococca humilis, Sarcococca ruscifolia
Viburnum x bodnantense, Viburnum farreri, Viburnum tinus

Perennials
Corydalis cava
Crocus sieberi ‘Firefly’, Crocus tommasinianus, Crocus vernus
Cyclamen coum
Euphorbia myrsinites, Euphorbia rigida
Chionodoxa luciliae (Glory of the Snow)
Eranthis cilicica, Eranthis hyemalis (Winter Aconite)
Erythronium dens-canis (Dog-tooth Violet)
Galanthus (Snowdrops)
Hacquetia epipactis
Helleborus foetidus, Helleborus lividus, Helleborus x hybridus, Helleborus niger, Helleborus x sternii (Hellebore)
Hepatica americana (Liverwort)
Iris histrioides, Iris ‘Katharine Hodgkin’, Iris reticulata
Leucojum vernum (Spring Snowflake)
Narcissus ‘Little Gem’, Narcissus ‘Rijnveld’s Early Sensation’, Narcissus ‘Small Talk’, Narcissus ‘Tete-a-Tete’, Narcissus ‘WP Milner’ (Daffodil)
Primula elatior, Primula x juliana, Primula vulgaris (Primrose)
Trillium ovatum (Wake Robin)
Tulipa turkestanica (Tulip)

Tukwila Pond Park

Tukwila Pond October 2010

Arbutus menziesii bark at Tukwila Pond Park October 2010

Arbutus menziesii fruit at Tukwila Pond Park October 2010

Pseudotsuga menziesii cone at Tukwila Pond Park October 2010

Rosa gymnocarpa hip at Tukwila Pond Park October 2010

Tukwila Pond October 2010 

 Tukwila Pond October 2010


I found Tukwila Pond Park on the web.  I don’t know how that happened, because there is very little information about it there.  However, I learned that the pond was behind the Target store, just across from Westfield Southcenter shopping mall.  After that, I saw the sign every time I drove on Strander Blvd.  I would tell myself that one day I would stop.  Years passed as I imagined a tiny pothole lined with cattails.  When I finally visited the pond in October of 2010, I was amazed.  Tukwila Pond is huge.  The park covers 25 acres.  The pond is lined with cottonwood trees (Populus balsamifera ssp. trichocarpa) so that very few of the surrounding retail & industiral buildings are visible.  2 spacious viewing platforms extend into the pond.  There is enough land on the western shore for a pavilion with restrooms, shelter & information about the park.  Picnic tables are spread thoughout the area.  The very brief description at the City of Tukwila website says that the park was financed & organized by volunteers.  This strengthens my feeling that the Tukwila Pond is the step-child of the Tukwila parks system.  The path from Strander Blvd has been covered by the edge of an asphalt parking lot.  No parking is provided. (You can park in the Target lot.)  An attempt was made to plant native species.  But these are mixed with a hodgepodge of uninspired, older plantings.  Even so, the pond is an amazing & beautiful work of nature.  It formed in a low-lying area when water began to run off from the hard surfaces of buildings, streets & parking lots that replaced farmland starting in the 1950s.

December Garden Pictures & Bloom Times

Collards December 2010

Corylus avellana 'Contorta' December 2010

Crows, clouds, Cascades December 2010

Helleborus argutifolius December 2010

Pieris japonica 'Variegata' December 2010

Very little began to bloom in my garden in December.  I included dates from previous years.  If you have plants that bloom in December in Seattle, please let me know.  December was wetter & warmer than usual, although the last few days were below freezing at night with frost on the ground throughout the day.  Leaf & flower buds began to form on many plants.  New shoots of Helleborus x hybridus grew to 3 inches.  Flower buds of Helleborus argutifolius & Helleborus x sternii were the size of my thumb.  Flower buds of Magnolia stellata were fuzzy gray olives.  Sedum 'Matrona', 'Brilliant' & 'Autumn Joy' were delicate, gray rosettes densely clustered on the ground.  Hemerocallis foliage emerged.  Still-very-solid catkins of Corylus avellana 'Contorta' began to droop from twisted branches.  

December Bloom Times

12-22-10  Erica x darleyensis 'Mary Ellen' 1-18-10, 12-05-08
12-27-10  Cyclamen coum 1-06-10, 12-05-08, 1-01-08

12-28-10  Primula x juliana ‘Wanda’ 1-28-10, 2-14-09

Larrabee State Park

 

Samish Bay Larabee State Park October 2010

Polystichum munitum on Chuckanut Mountain at Larabee State Park October 2010 

Thuja plicata on Chuckanut Mountain at Larabee State Park October 2010  

Fragrance Lake at Larabee State Park October 2010  

 Fragrance Lake at Larabee State Park October 2010  

 Fragrance Lake at Larabee State Park October 2010 

On a sunny Saturday in October I hiked the Fragrance Lake Trail in the Chuckanut Mountains at Larrabee State Park near Bellingham, Washington. Larrabee State Park lies on the shore of Samish Bay, a part of the Salish Sea north of Puget Sound.  There are views of the San Juan Islands from the park.  The Chuckanut Mountains drop down to the edge of the bay.  Chuckanut Drive is a narrow road carved into the side of the mountains. Larrabee State Park extends from the bay well up into the mountains.  The Fragrance Lake Trail is 1 of the most-used trails in the state.  The trail follows switchbacks & more gentle slopes through moist native forest for 2 miles to Fragrance Lake.  There is a 1-mile loop trail around the lake.  I found the hike tiring, but not terribly strenuous.  The forest is dense with Thuja plicata (Western Red Cedar) & Pseudostuga menziesii (Douglas Fir).  The understory is mostly limited to Polystichum munitum (Western Sword Fern) & the occasional Vaccinium parvifolium (Red Huckleberry).  The flora is much more varied around Fragrance Lake, which is quite beautiful & well worth the hike up the mountain.  This hike took about 3 hours.

Coenosium Rock Garden

Pinus parviflora 'Ara Kawa' at the Coenosium Rock Garden October 2010

The Coenosium Rock Garden October 2010 

Pinus sylvestris 'Jeremy' at the Coenosium Rock Garden October 2010

Cedrus deodara 'Prostrate Beauty' at the Coenosium Rock Garden October 2010

Pinus flexilis 'Wyoming' at the Coenosium Rock Garden October 2010

Tsuga canadensis 'Kelsey Weeping' at the Coenosium Rock Garden October 2010

 Pinus contorta 'Chief Joseph' at the Coenosium Rock Garden October 2010

The Coenosium Rock Garden at the South Seattle Community College Arboretum is a very pleasant place to visit on a rainless day, even better on a rare sunny day, in winter.  It is filled with dwarf conifers that look their best then.  The arboretum is a great place to visit at any time of year.  It will be even better when the Seattle Chinese Garden opens there.  Dwarf conifers are a welcome addition to any Seattle garden, because they look so good in winter, when most other plants are bare, bedraggled or gone.  The conifers at the Coenosium Rock Garden are labeled, so that you can identify favorites to add to your collection.