Mosaic Monday ~The Garden Conservancy Open Days

Last Saturday I visited 3 beautiful gardens that were participating in The Garden Conservancy Open Days which benefit gardens in need of additional support. Its kind of like the National Preservation society but for gardens. Pretty cool because I know how much work goes into a small garden and its hard to imagine how a large private one is kept up.

Chase Gardens which is not too far from me benefited from the admissions collected at the participating gardens. I've never visited it, so its next on my garden visiting list! I took so many pictures I figure I better break them down into 2-3 posts.

I'll start with the second garden I visited, which was at the home of the Graham family in Puyallup, Washington. I knew I was in for a treat when I drove up and saw the promised view of Mt. Rainier from the street.


Even the fence intrigued me with its open slats


On approximately one acre, this garden is all about color and texture and light. The walks are covered in cedar shavings and it smelled so nice. The front of the property is on a slope and a path from the drive way leads down.



I was excited to see this Cardiocrinum blooming. Its huge!


The garden is filled with water features


Colorful maples


Like this one in bloom


I was fascinated by the pretty pink flowers


Lots of containers mingled in


And focal points set in just the right way to grab your attention and draw you around the next corner


Lots of resting spots


And almost tropical lushness (especially on a rare sunny day this spring)


Asian touches


Moss covered stones and walkways


Beautiful brickwork


I loved the color contrasts


Heading back up the hill towards the house you begin to get a feel for a little bit of a funky vibe. The tops of the fence posts are painted purple.


The pool is decorated in shades of blue and purple. The pool and the sky seem to be part of the color scheme!


Heading around the to the back of the house you travel through this great pergola which is at least partially covered with grapevines



On the other side you get more of a feel for the purple/blue theme


And here as well


I would never think of using purple pots in my own garden, but it totally works and I love the look.


There's not much grass in this garden, but there is one park like section that was pristinely manicured.


To the rear of the house, more shady gardens


So many really cool piece of garden art through out


I want this sign!!


And this little sign needs to be in my yard! I have said this so many times :-)


To the rear of the property is an opening that belongs to Ernie...the veggie garden. Notice the cool clock?


Ernie made pretty good use of his open area with these curved raised beds


Back around to look at the grass again


And back through the pergola...its such a sweet shady spot


Back to the pool to catch the vista that I missed the first time around..be sure to enlarge so you can see Mt. Rainier in the distance.


I believe the owners must have taken a cue from this clematis which is close to the purple/blue used through out.


There were several example of hypertufa leaves and containers in the garden, but I loved this one the best.


Hope you enjoyed the garden as much as I did! Check out this Garden Conservancy Open Days link to see if there are some gardens in your area to visit and support. Stay tuned for highlights from the other two gardens.

I'm joining in on Mosaic Monday over at Little Red House. Check out all of the other great mosaics HERE.



Join me in the fun! I'd love for you to participate in this event with me. Bring your ice cream related posts...anything goes! Tablescapes, recipes, memories, and favorite products will all be welcome. Or anything else you come up with. See you at the parlor!