Friday, August 5, 2011

Dunn Garden and The Center for Urban Horticulture

The afternoon of the first day was spent at the Dunn Garden and the Center for Urban Horticulture.

The Dunn Gardens were created by the Dunn family with design layout by the Olmsted brothers. The three residences are connected by trails of woodlands. The garden around the caretakers' house showed the most detail with collections of unusual plants and many lovely specimens in pots.

yellow front door

front door pots

begonias and bonestakes a lot of ballsmarsha's ballsmirrored ball

There were some interesting details in the paving. Not sure if this was thought up by the Dunn family or the Olmsted brothers, although I tend to think it was a Dunn creation. It doesn't seem very Olmsted-y.

cool pavingmore cool paving

container plants and gratingcaution art

containers

rain chainrain chain planting

Check out this cool lath house in the background:

back garden and greenhouse

Some impressive container plants:

osmunda regalis in a potdarmera peltata in a pot

I like these angled ledges of rock that make little tray gardens:

ledges of rock

This is a bad photo but I just had to show this clever way of supporting tall allium stems. I love they way they grow through the boxwood and look like antennae.

allium supports

The woodlands and woodland edges had lovely scenes too:

gray new foliage on rhodies

astilboides tabularis

pol...something

sedum, festuca, allium

sedum, tritelia

maiden hair fern and blue hosta

Next we were on to the Center for Urban Horticulture where Riz Reyes showed us around.

rhys

The grounds were lovely.

acanthus spinosusacanthus spinosus bractsrogersiabrowns

matress vine contained

blues

The adjoining Elisabeth C. Miller Library with its rows and rows of horticultural books was drool-worthy. I wish I lived closer to it, I'd never need to buy another gardening book again. They had everything!

hort library

16 comments:

  1. What great pictures you got of the Dunn gardens! Those pieces of slate laid on edge were a pretty cool paving choice, weren't they?

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  2. Wow! Kelly your pictures of the Dunn garden are amazing! You captured the details perfectly along with the colors as well as the size of the huge container plants.

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  3. Just love your photos and blog. It's like getting a free mini-magazine delivered!!

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  4. Thanks everyone!

    Alison - Yes, I'd love to try some of those ledges somewhere.

    Loree - I wonder if those container plants were extra huge with all the rain they got this spring or if they are always that robust?

    Minnie - Thanks! I love your comment about the mini-magazine!

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  5. Lovely, Kelly! The paving and rock ledges were quite interesting. Do you know what Marsha's balls were made of? Were they gourds, or wood?

    Frances

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  6. Your photo composition skills are impeccable!!! I could look are these pictures day after day. It was worth the wait and don't worry about that at all. I love being reminded of all the fun we had!!!

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  7. You have such a good eye, Kelly! You got the image of that yellow door at the Dunn Garden that I really wanted to get, but mine came out too dark in back and too light in front. You nailed it!

    I also love your Stipa-framed shot of Riz. Great job.

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  8. Such wonderful photos to remind me of the good time we all had~not so very long ago. I so agree with Pam~you have a good eye. gail

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  9. Seriously beautiful shots, Kelly. You saw a photo in things that I hardly gave a second glance - that's talent!

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  10. I love all your photos. You love all the same stuff that I do. That container with the wire vine and fern for instance--fabulous.

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  11. great photo coverage of the dunn garden kelly! i love how you "opened" it with the image of the golden front door to the caretaker's home. i think we're all still processing the good things we saw and did on the trip... i need to get cracking on posts too, but finally have all (?) my photos up on flickr.

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  12. Thanks for taking us along. The Dunn Garden is lovely. I'm intrigued with the interesting paving details. You've shared some gorgeous images.
    You friend, Glenn, sent me to visit. I'm thrilled to find your blog. I'm a gardener at heart. ;-)

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  13. Dunn garden is truly a beautiful flower garden.

    Cassy from Acoustic Guitar Lessons

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  14. Loved reading about your visit to Dunn Garden and the University of Washington Botanic Gardens (Center for Urban Horticulture). Especially enjoyed "drool-worthy." We linked to your post on Facebook so more may enjoy.

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  15. Whoa, I just added you as a friend on Facebook! Sorry for the delay in confirmation. Hhehe

    I will add to everyone's comments about your wonderful photographs! Really well done.

    Thank you for the mention in this post and I hope you get a chance to come back, see my own garden, and chat up plants!! (and photography!)

    It was such a pleasure and treat having you and the garden bloggers visit!

    Riz

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  16. Beautiful plants like these make glorious gardens!! Cheers, Stephanie

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