Beverly Hoffman

If you need a boost or a fix for your garden, mark your calendars for Saturday, June 25, for the Master Gardeners Foundation of Clallam County “Petals and Pathways” Garden Tour. In visiting the eight gardens, you will be able to note plants that are outstanding showstoppers; you’ll be able to see how other gardeners have solved problems in their landscapes; and you’ll see a big dose of the personalities of the gardeners themselves.
 
A few fun plants to consider

Are you looking for a few new plants? In several gardens you’ll see the black elderberry (Sambucus nigra), a stunning backdrop for any perennial border that looks like an exotic Japanese maple. Its finely cut dark purple leaves are a perfect canvas for its 10-inch pink blossoms in June.

 

The black lace elderberry (Sambucus nigra “Eva”) grows to about 8 feet tall and is durable. It can withstand fairly severe pruning. The Sambucus nigra “Gerda” (Black Beauty) is larger and grows to about 15 feet high and 12 feet high. The Humane Society does note that leaves, bark and roots of the black elderberry can be toxic to pets.

 

A second intriguing plant is the Berberis thunbergii “Rose Glow” (variegated Japanese barberry). It is a compact deciduous shrub and in early spring its dark purple leaves look as though a painter has added candy pink and cream markings, with a tinge of green here and there. In late summer, it has bright red fruits. Its spines are sharp! Plant it where it can be a backdrop or it can be left with some distance between it and other plants. It grows to about 6 feet high and about that width.

 

A third plant is a favorite of mine — the pieris. In one of the gardens, I noted a dwarf Pieris japonica “Little Heath,” a variegated shade-loving evergreen. It’s related to the rhododendrons and requires the same shady, moist acidic conditions. The pieris is about 2 feet high and wide and its variegations are stunning.
 
Gardening means problem solving

If you are looking for ways other gardeners tackle problems, there are a number of solutions you’ll be able to note on the tour. If you are tired of lawns, you’ll see several gardens where lawns have disappeared … or have been lessened. The owners smile when they mention this! In one garden that was once pasture land, the owners slowly have edged out big sections of grass and have created berms with attractive and useful edging around their perimeters. A double-tier of concrete blocks provides the base which holds the soil in place. Next to the double-tier blocks is an eight-inch gravel path. Finally, next to the gravel is another row of inset concrete pavers level to the ground that helps keep any creeping grass at bay.

 

In one backyard garden, the owners lamented an extremely shaded corner where nothing grew.

Undaunted, they created a spectacular pond with a small patio cantilevered over it. The owners can control the flow of two cascading water paths; the flow speed also affects the sound of the water so they can determine how quiet an ambiance they wish.

 

I was impressed with a lady who worked on a design for using low-voltage lighting for up-lighting vignettes in her garden. After researching landscape lighting, she created a grid to highlight her trees.

She also designed a pergola in a sunny spot in her backyard where she can sit and relax.

One of the homeowners even hopes that someone on the tour might solve her problem in identifying a groundcover near her front door. She bought it about seven years ago and has searched for an answer. It resembles a cross between Maidenhead fern and creeping thyme but is a light burgundy-lavender color. Know what it is?

 

Different personalities in the gardens

One of the most enjoyable parts of the Petals and Pathways Garden Tour is to see how homeowners approach their yards. Some work exclusively on their own through trial and error, moving trees here and there, repositioning borders and simply staying the course in researching elements they wish to incorporate. They understand the creative process is sometimes slow, sometimes defeating, but has moments of joy that grow over time. Others have worked alongside local contractors and designers to help with the heft and the design of their gardens; some of those designers are mentioned in the descriptions of the gardens on the tickets.

 

When strolling through the gardens, personalities of the owners surface. Hobbies are incorporated into gardens. Some of the homeowners care deeply for their animals or for visiting wildlife and have conscientiously set up a symbiosis between the garden and the animals. In one garden, plants are part of a memorial for others.

 

This is the 18th year for the Master Gardener Foundation of Clallam County to invite the valley to view selected gardens in our area. The owners have worked tirelessly to get their gardens “company ready.”

And guess what! You’re invited!

 

Beverly Hoffman’s Sequim Gazette column appears the third Wednesday of each month. She can be reached at columnists@sequimgazette.com.