my shrine today

THE WARM COLORS emitting from this corner and the low light washes everything with that dark fiery red. It's lacquer red. Cinnabar. I'm crazy about it. Especially with blacks and silver. I took down the little black shadow box and painted the inside of the door that red. So it has that color in daylight.

our path

AT BOTHELL LANDING Ophee and I have a great path to follow by the Sammamish river, host to herons, otters, ducks, geese and beautiful trees and views

borrowing the view

Shakkei: Japanese term meaning borrowed scenery - the art of incorporating a near/distant view of mountains/river/trees or buildings into the garden composition.

I ENJOY THE very near Sammamish river about 100 yards from my house. The giant cottonwoods, and many trees and wildlife here are mostly due to the river. Ophee and I need to walk a few steps to get to Bothell Landing, which is where we see myriad trees and plants, now in gorgeous fall color. We also visit ducks, herons, otters, geese (including an old farm goose who has adopted a gaggle of Canadians for her flock), and feral chickens.

the humble yet glorious...

ROSA RUGOSA. Plain old wild rose. Gardeners get too excited about all those hybrid teas and grandifloras. Rosa rugosa has masses of vivid blooms all summer, provides a great shrubby form for hedges, and turns rich colors in the fall (observe!), finally leaving nice big hips for the birds when it snows. A perfect plant.

all the gold in the world

...CAN'T COMPETE with the morphing colors in my garden. Each of these plants are different, yet the frosty nights are giving them similar cool-weather jackets. Click to see up close: from left to right, top to bottom:
weigela 'french lace', sedum 'angelina', wisteria 'texas white, honeysuckle 'baggesen's gold', sorbaria, spiraea 'magic carpet', bamboo 'nigra', choisya, golden hops, lamium 'anne greenaway', goldthread cypress, sword fern, artemisia golden, spiraea 'goldflame', cotinus 'golden spirit', golden barberry, pachysandra.

ferns: perfect symmetry

WHAT MORE DO I need to say? These are sword ferns, native to the Pacific Northwest.

seed time

ONE OF THE THRILLS of autumn. Seeing plants and trees set their unusual seeds of every kind. And the colors, rusty roses and patina greens, are so rich. Here are my crocosmia 'Lucifer' pods. And a canna pod. I do love the pods.

answer to my question

I WONDERED whether to blog only one garden; but I can feature both here; a tiny urban garden tucked behind a busy Bothell hi-way, and the quiet, funky garden my dad lovingly created in Wenatchee. I'll drive back and forth, so fuel concerns. Perhaps I'll even get a Smart car for the trip. This Hermes model should do. ; } But it's a beautiful drive, as you see from this Hwy2 pitstop. I can see 3 times the beauty.

the other garden

MY SISTER AND I closed up dad's place for the winter. I can hardly wait for the spring, when planning and planting new gardens will begin.

painting a spring foto

A PEONY ARRANGEMENT from dad's springtime yard for a painting I'll start in november.

Ant's eye view

JUST A NICE SHOT I wanted to post. If you were a snail, perhaps an english rose and yew trees would look more like this.