Vive la Mendo !
It's unexpected to turn down a narrow lane that winds through the redwoods into a clearing to find a French villa complete with blue wooden shutters and climbing roses. You never know what you might see on a garden tour. This Garden Conservancy open day site was near Philo..a place that one passes through on the way to the more glamorous Northern California coast . This is the Anderson Valley , in my opinion one of the most beautiful valleys in our state. Camping in the state park here was an annual event when the children were children , and hotels were too expensive. When I parked at GC garden and got out of my car the fragrance of this particular redwood forest, probably less than 2 miles from the campground, put me there. It was a sublime moment, worth the drive even if the garden was a dud.
Not a dud.
Cross a lawn and enter through a wooden gate in a stucco wall..the Potager !
A classic design mingles ornamentals and edibles..Who says veggies aren't pretty ?
Want a plume Poppy bad.
The textures , colors and forms lining the DG path around the perimeter were nicely done.
Of course there was a greenhouse..
What a lovely garden !
ReplyDeleteLove your new title picture with the clematis, so pretty with the blue background !
The Clematis photo was taken at the Rogerson Clematis collection in Lake Oswego Oregon last summer..worth a visit !
DeleteIt never occurred to me that Angelica grows in your part of the world too!(last photo) But to find Provence transported there is extraordinary.
ReplyDeleteWhat magic that the delphiniums remain erect with no apparent support....
The walled potager brought me back to grandpère's garden, though his was walled in brick.
We have native Angelica growing along our coast here bug, and even more so in Oregon. I should have peered closely at the Delphs..they must be staked ! Though it was a walled garden and perhaps that affords some protection from the winds.
DeleteGarden Conservancy Open Days can be so full of great gardens and pleasant surprises. I really should pay more attention to the local schedule. Maybe today...
ReplyDeleteI've seen some woofers too Sue. I read the descriptions pretty closely and skip those that might not hold much interest. By and large the quality is usually pretty good.
DeleteWow! what a beautiful garden. I always enjoy seeing all the many things you grow there that we don't have here in zone 5. Love the tour, thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteAnd I enjoy seeing thigs I can't grow here..like Hostas, lol.
DeleteI've been through Philo a few times, and found the area enchanting. Looks like a little corner of France ended up there somehow. Great photos, thank you.
ReplyDeleteDelphiniums come back for you there, or is it an annual, as it is here?
Hoover, they perennialize here pretty well, though they can start to decline after 4 or 5 years.Not to mention the snail attacks that they have to fend off when they emerge in spring. I usually buy in 6 paks and plant in fall, and feel lucky if half of them survive the first wave of mollusks.
DeleteI wanted plume poppy bad, too, and now I've got it bad. Let me know if you want a piece. I wonder what onions those are with the long pointed tops.
ReplyDeleteShould I infer that the plume poppys are thugs ? I'd take a chunk if they can be controlled ! I believe those pointy numbers are garlic ..
DeleteInvestigate plume poppies before planting. Not sure they CAN be controlled. But lovely they are!
ReplyDelete