Windcliff - a book review

Windcliff is the home and garden of Daniel Hinkley and Robert Jones. It is their second garden, the first being Heronswood, the famous botanical garden and nursery in Kingston, Washington that they created in 1987. In 2000, Heronswood was sold to the Burpee corporation, who ended up closing the business in 2006. In 2012, the Port S'Klallam tribe purchased the property and set about restoring the neglected gardens and Hinkley returned as consultant and director. 

Before returning to Heronswood, Hinkley was focused on creating a new garden at Windcliff, a six-and-a-half-acre property overlooking the Puget Sound with Mount Rainier visible in the distance on clear days. While Heronswood is situated amidst a forested enclave, Windcliff is aptly named, sitting on a wind-swept cliff exposed to the elements. Hinkley says that his greatest challenge here was how to compete with the dramatic inlet view.

Both gardens, however, share a common trait - they are filled with plants collected by Hinkley during his world travels as a plant hunter. 

In Windcliff: A Story of People, Plants and Gardens (due September 15th from Timber Press), Hinkley recounts the creation of the garden and the plants, people and places that influenced him. Many of the plants he grows will be unfamiliar to most readers (at least they were for me). Unusual and exotic varieties of agapanthus, begonias, hydrangea, dierema, scheffelera and a catalog more are showcased in sweeping swaths that are punctuated by dramatic grasses, cactus and agaves. He writes about how he used plants on this grand scale and how he incorporated balance, repetition and focal points. Hardscape elements, like gates, ornaments, totem poles and prayer flags are also highlighted. In the final chapter of the book, he profiles some of the people who have influenced him like JC Raulston, Christopher Lloyd and Jamaica Kinkaid.

The photographs by Claire Takacs have an ethereal quality although I have to confess that the blown-out skies have a jarring effect on me.  She takes her photos in the early-morning hours and the landscapes are often shrouded in mist rendering an enchanting and calming effect. 

According to the website, Windcliff is open on appointed days. If you can't get there in person, this is certainly the next best thing. Loosing yourself in this beautiful book will be a worthwhile excursion.

 

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy