Meagan and Mac Gray's Tacoma Garden

I'm back from a wonderful 3-day tour of both private and public gardens around the Tacoma and Seattle area. I had a great time and saw a dizzying array of gardens. Here are the ten of us with our intrepid leader, Lois Moss, in the center -

We are standing in the garden of Meagan and Mac Gray. This was our first stop on the trip and it was a doozy.

Here is the description from the garden owner:

"Our garden was acquired in 1999 and was unimproved land overlooking Commencement Bay. We are most fortunate to enjoy a sweeping view of the Bay, the Olympics and Mt. Rainier. A rock scree had to be established in order to stabilize the slope behind the property due to natural springs/ water seepage. To soften this look we erected colorful fiberglass panels which we install in the spring and summer. Our front yard, which gets the morning and afternoon sun, features large rock columns (a water feature), one tall maple that the hummingbirds love to inhabit, smaller evergreens and azaleas. Our back garden features largely shade/water loving plants - a weeping willow, gunnera plants, plenty of ferns and a grove of white birches. We have a water feature on our main deck and a small waterfall and pond on our back patio. Alas, deer are all too frequent- and hungry - visitors."

Looking up from the road, you can see how steep the slope is -

 

The rock water feature -

 

 

A flight of steps takes you up to the deck along the side of the house -

Stopping to admire a container on the way up the stairs -

 At the top, on the deck, looking down -

And here is that magnificent view -

A beautiful place to relax with the view of the bay off the deck and the garden behind you -

Turning toward the back garden, the weeping willow makes a dramatic focal point -

Underneath the willow -

 

And then you enter another patio area -

The garden surrounding this patio, which expands upward, is stocked with shade-loving plants like gunnera, ferns, Japanese maples, forest grass and conifers. It is artfully arranged and a stunning vision.

There are a lot of rocks in this garden but you don't really notice them until you begin to look closer. They are perfectly arranged and situated.

 

 

 

To the side, another pathway leads to a higher level above the main garden -

 

 

 

 

The birch grove -

 

 

Back down to the patio area, a narrow path leads along the other side of the house -

 

 

A narrow pathway leads you down to the driveway area. You can see that every inch of the landscape is utilized - 

Thank you Meagan for sharing this incredible creation with us! 

 

Next up is another private garden in Gig Harbor - stay tuned.

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy