The Peeping Gardener - Seattle

Ok, this is my last post from the hundreds of photos I took this past summer in Seattle. And I imagine they're going to look quite different than how it has looked in Seattle for the past few days.

These are all from the first day I was in Seattle when I met up with Andrea of Grow Where You're Planted. Having both heard about Gas Works Park when we were studying landscape architecture, we both wanted to stop off there for a look. Gas Works Park was designed by Landscape Architect Richard Haag, created from the site of the former Seattle Gas Light Company. I lot of the machinery and buildings remain and being a fan of rusty things, I thought it would be fun to check out.

Of course the most interesting and decadently decaying industrial structures are off limits. Even up close a chain-link fence keeps you from getting a good look at it. I could get a few shots using my zoom lens and shooting over the fence.

I'd love to be able to visit Duisburg Nord Park in Germany where visitors are allowed to explore the old factories, litigation lawyers be damned.

There are some areas where you can get close and touch things but they are rather sanitized in their immovable parts and fresh coats of paint.

The children's play area is down-right depressing.

The only fun thing to climb has a Keep Off sign on it.

I suppose the best feature is the tall, king-of-the-hill vantage point one can't help but climb.

The view is great and there was kind of a weird sundial/pool/topographical map? thing at the top of the hill. It was a little dank and I kind of wondered if it would be better if kids didn't play in the water sitting in it, but I suppose it is pretty useful for keeping time on all those sunny Seattle days.

I guess overall it's a pretty gritty park, not too sanitized. Even with lots of people walking through, it still felt abandoned.

Walking along the pedestrian path, passing under bridges, we came across lots of handmade art left here and there. Here are some of my favorite we came across:

Ok, on to the garden peeping. Seattle, with all its grey weather, can pull off some intense colors. I wish I could grow acidic chartreuse plants as beautifully as they can.

The raspberries seem quite happy growing here. This house had them just falling on the sidewalk so I didn't feel bad helping myself to a few.

Then we stumbled upon this very ambitious vertical wall in front of someone's house. A poured concrete wall that must have been 8' tall and 20' long with plantings on both sides and around the corner with window cutouts. Pretty fancy.

Here is a close-up of the fabric pocket structure and how the irrigation gets through the wall.

I always get worried about what will happen in a few years when the owners get tired of taking care of a wall like this because let's face it, it's not low maintenance keeping plants happy and full in little pockets like that.

We came across a beautifully landscaped Japanese-style garden.

I loved this stair railing made to look like one of those huge pieces of seaweed.

I was taken with the huge boulders they use in Seattle for building retaining walls.

And of course you can always spot the control freak in every neighborhood.

Meadow Creek House, Seattle

The first evening I was in Seattle for the Garden Blogger's Fling, I went to a local APLD meeting. The meeting was held at beautiful home with a fabulous garden. To reach the front door, one crosses over a reflecting pond with blown glass floating balls.

I love the huge corten steel section with a large window looking out onto the garden.

The corten continues into the house to beautiful effect.

On the back porch, the house has great concrete detailing, plantings and a view of the water.

The concrete stairs have a wonderful rhythm, as do the rusty sculptures sprinkled through the plantings.

At the bottom of the stairs a colorful meadow spreads out.

At the edge of the meadow a wide creek was running. I assumed it was a recirculating water feature but was told that it is spring-fed. Quite a bit of water!

The plantings were lovely.

A cool bench.

I like the cute warning and the silly rabbit.

A lower seating area.

A very cool idea for edging a bed.

The secret garden, which I didn't find until the second time around the garden.

According to what I was told, the architect of the house was enlisted to design the chicken coop. It certainly looked to be architect designed. The chickens seemed to enjoy the freedom of the garden though, popping into photos on occasion.

Steel pergola and outdoor seating.

Looking back up at the house from the garden.

I love the metal mesh curtain and stair perfection.