I have to face it. The fact that I have happy danced over the proverbial hill and find myself a bit more fatigued after a day in the garden has made me realize that those exuberant blossomed filled gardens, the staple of my younger years desire, have become a bit much. And I hate to admit it dadgum it!
At Native Habitat Nursery located in the rural outskirts of Dayton, Oregon, we meandered among hardy Northwest native specimens. Those wonderful shrubs, trees and ground covers that flourish in our rainy Pacific Northwest and are changing the way I see my garden in the coming years. A prelude to our tour was passing through this delightful entry. A garden gate made of a hodge podge of recycled garden tools and farm cast offs. Even the latch. Sweet.
We strolled, coffees and camera in hand, along pebbled pathways that wandered around the nursery through groupings of plants, and past some of my favorites like paper birch and mock orange.
Here and there interesting features abounded like this vintage grinding stone, and arched welded arbor of old iron fencing with free flowing bends and rusty chain.
The proprietors specialize not only in Northwest natives but also Bonsai, Niwaki, and original water features.
This fellow brought his own colorful contribution to the garden. His intermittent proud calls permeated the softer sounds of life in the garden.
I loved the wooden light fixtures that fit so naturally in the landscape.
The profuse and defining line of purple creeping thyme adds a bit of color to the gray stones, pavers and wood accents of a terrace. Love it.
~ Summer Blessings ~
