Throwback Thursday-Linda Cochrans' Garden
In January I typically try to work on my ever burgeoning photo files;
adding keywords, deleting the crappy images, mapping and editing , and it was during this
process I realized I had many photos of gardens I had never shared on the blog. Since it is apparently never going to stop raining this winter I plan to put together a few Throwback Thursday posts featuring some of these past garden visits.
In the summer of 2012 I and a group of gardening friends toured the Pacific Northwest . It was a memorable trip that included among others, the garden of Little and Lewis (since closed to tours) Dan Hinkleys' Windcliff ( no photos allowed in those days) the Danger Garden and a visit to the iconic private garden of Linda Cochran. How we managed to score a private tour of Lindas' garden I can't recall, but I do know I can't take credit for it. Nevertheless it is all the more a significant visit to me now; this home and garden were sold and Linda has started a new, smaller garden in Port Ludlow. Her blog is updated occasionally and the posts are always informative with a high level of horticultural knowledge and curiosity. The Puget Sound-Kitsap Peninsula area seems to have a rich and active gardening culture, with a web of connected and gifted plantspeople.
Bainbridge Island Washington is USDA zone 8B which indicates average low winter temps in the 15 to 20 degree range. We western gardeners often prefer the Sunset zones which zoom in on our micro-climates that are heavily moderated by the Pacific and the geography of our mountain ranges. The seacoast and Puget Sound influence the Bainbridge Island climate and sunset zone 5, unlike the USDA map, hones in on the marine environment and places the winter low averages in the 30 to 40 degree range. There are plenty of areas in the south and deep south that are also USDA 8B, for example Houston Tx and Tallahassee Fl which clearly have nothing in common with the Pacific Northwest except for average lows. Lindas' garden was located in that enviable place where it's not too hot and not too cold.
I wish now that I had spent more time in the front garden which was an eclectic mash up of textures and colors, with plants I would not have expected to see that far north.
I took lots of smaller vignette shots but neglected to get a wide view.
Lindas' back garden was fenced against deer and was bordered with a perimeter of mature architecturally imposing plants.
Oh these culms.
And then there's the Lilys. The PNW is Lily heaven .
Bold color combinations, and they all work.Not sure I would have ever thought to combine Lobelia tupa and Geranium maderense.
Linda and Denise chat as the potted succulents look on.
Tune in next Thursday for another garden visit !
In the summer of 2012 I and a group of gardening friends toured the Pacific Northwest . It was a memorable trip that included among others, the garden of Little and Lewis (since closed to tours) Dan Hinkleys' Windcliff ( no photos allowed in those days) the Danger Garden and a visit to the iconic private garden of Linda Cochran. How we managed to score a private tour of Lindas' garden I can't recall, but I do know I can't take credit for it. Nevertheless it is all the more a significant visit to me now; this home and garden were sold and Linda has started a new, smaller garden in Port Ludlow. Her blog is updated occasionally and the posts are always informative with a high level of horticultural knowledge and curiosity. The Puget Sound-Kitsap Peninsula area seems to have a rich and active gardening culture, with a web of connected and gifted plantspeople.
Bainbridge Island Washington is USDA zone 8B which indicates average low winter temps in the 15 to 20 degree range. We western gardeners often prefer the Sunset zones which zoom in on our micro-climates that are heavily moderated by the Pacific and the geography of our mountain ranges. The seacoast and Puget Sound influence the Bainbridge Island climate and sunset zone 5, unlike the USDA map, hones in on the marine environment and places the winter low averages in the 30 to 40 degree range. There are plenty of areas in the south and deep south that are also USDA 8B, for example Houston Tx and Tallahassee Fl which clearly have nothing in common with the Pacific Northwest except for average lows. Lindas' garden was located in that enviable place where it's not too hot and not too cold.
I wish now that I had spent more time in the front garden which was an eclectic mash up of textures and colors, with plants I would not have expected to see that far north.
I took lots of smaller vignette shots but neglected to get a wide view.
Lindas' back garden was fenced against deer and was bordered with a perimeter of mature architecturally imposing plants.
Oh these culms.
And then there's the Lilys. The PNW is Lily heaven .
Bold color combinations, and they all work.Not sure I would have ever thought to combine Lobelia tupa and Geranium maderense.
Linda and Denise chat as the potted succulents look on.
Tune in next Thursday for another garden visit !
Wowza! I remember the Lilies on Portland Fling--towering, imposing, thriving, nothing like the dwarfish spindly near-annuals here.
ReplyDeleteCarry on with the throw-backs ! NOAA thinks the westerlies forming will make the 2nd half of February will much rainier(!!), but shifting slightly southwards...
I worry that some of my lilies might rot with this incessant rain ! They do pretty well here if you are careful about where you put them.
DeleteHi KS, wow, that is a simply stunning garden. I had never heard of Linda Cochran or her garden, so I am so glad that you are featuring it in your post. Especially because she has moved on to another property now. You just can hope that whoever took over will appreciate and continue her work. I think it is such an enormous blessing to be able to not just buy a house but a mature garden as well.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, back to the garden. I really love the bold, innovative plant combinations. They are really exciting and fresh.
And the lilies, oh my gosh, they are spectacular!
Thanks you so much for the tour it made my morning. I am feeling full of energy now ready to tackle my day. The best part of it is that I will have some time during my lunch break to work in my own little green haven.
One last thing: I can't wait until you blog about the garden of Little and Lewis. I have seen photos of this garden in magazines and absolutely loved it.
Warm regards,
Christina
Hi Christina ! If you read gardening publications for the last couple decades you may have seen Lindas garden without even knowing it ! I'm so glad you enjoyed the tour.Like you I hope someone with some trace of garden interest bought this home and garden. I think it was on the market for a very long time. I have actually already blogged about little and Lewis , twice I think. If you scroll down to the archives on the right you will find one under August 2012.
DeleteNow THAT's a garden I would have loved to visit. Was that during the Seattle Fling?
ReplyDeleteLike Hoover, I remember the lilies from the Portland Fling very well. I'd never seen lilies that large and impressive.
This wasn't Fling Gerhard, this was myself, Denise and a group of my friends from various places back east. We got together every summer for several years to tour gardens in different parts of the country.We all met on Garden Web. Remember those steroidal yellow Conca d'Or lilies form the Germantown garden ? I planted three last year .They bloomed !
DeleteWOW! This was wonderful. I wish I could have joined you all for the Kitsap Peninsula part of the adventure. (and it cracks me up to see my garden listed along with the likes of Linda's, Little and Lewis and Mr. Hinkley!)
ReplyDeleteAw Loree, the Danger Garden is totally famous ! I wish you could have joined too, you would have loved Lindas garden, it's right up your alley.
DeleteOh Lobelia tupa...if only I could grow thee. I recently found the pictures I took of Linda's garden that day. What a week!
ReplyDeleteWasn't it fun ? I would love to do another PNW trip with my Idyll friends. I have a whole new group of gardens for viewing.
DeleteWhat a treat it must have been to see this garden, I've heard great things about it. Thanks for sharing your photos of this visit.
ReplyDeleteIt was a treat, and Linda was so gracious.
DeleteI'm drooling...As an acknowledged "flower floozy," I was surprised at how much I loved all those foliage combinations, especially those featuring huge-leafed plants. I do adore the lilies too - they don't survive long in the ground here.
ReplyDeleteFoliage can sure make a dramatic statement Kris, and they do it very well in the PNW. I love my flowers too, but they are well served by a nicely done foliage backdrop .Seeing gardens like this one has given me even more appreciation.
DeleteThis must be the same garden that I visited twenty-some years ago in August (with a group of online gardening friends), but it's hard to recognize it. The impression then was much more open -- naturally enough: the garden was less than a decade old -- though the planting areas were stuffed full of wonderful and wonderfully grown plants. The image that sticks with me is one that was also often published: those purple-leafed 'Fascination' dahlias and turquoise cerinthe against a bright blue wall.
ReplyDeleteNell, I had to smile over your mention of online gardening friends, because that is exactly who this group was as well. We all met on the Perennials forum at Garden Web.I can imagine the garden 15 years before this would have looked quite different.
DeleteSo glad we saw Linda's garden before it was sold. I think I was the one that pestered her to let us in, which amazingly she agreed to, having never met any of us. Wonderful photos, Kathy, thanks so much for this!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great shots of this special garden which I've admired from afar for years. I wonder if the new owners are gardeners. It's great fun to hear about cool plants on Linda's blog.
ReplyDelete