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Swapping Huckleberries

Himalayan Honeysuckle ( Vaccinium glauco album)  Himalayan Honeysuckle ( Vaccinium glauco album) has been an attractive feature along our north-facing foundation since I planted it in 2016. You will have to take my word for it since I cannot locate a photo although I know one exists somewhere in the realm of the Internet or floating on a cloud somewhere.  I did locate a photo of how it looked when it was first planted - It took a few years to fill out but it did so nicely to an attractive mound about 2 feet high by 3 feet wide.  Last year, it started to look bad.  I cut it back but it had not improved and this is how it looked a few weeks ago - I decided to rip it out and plant another huckleberry - this time Vaccinium ovatum , more commonly known as the "Evergreen Huckleberry".  This is a plant that I've wanted for ages and kept putting off getting one because I could not find a good place for it. By most accounts, this is an amazing plant, a native one and excellent for
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The Gates Garden


I've wanted to see Barry & Karen Gates garden in Camas for years now and it seems that I never have time to go to Open Gardens anymore. Thanks to a mutual friend, I got the opportunity to visit and in the nick of time too because they have just sold their house.

The Gates have lived here for over 30 years and they are now downsizing and to be closer to their grandchildren. 

The garden covers five acres and is situated on an idyllic hillside in a beautiful quiet neighborhood. 

Here is a look at the front of the house that sits in the middle of the garden. Terraced slopes descend down the front -


Behind the house is a long patio area and walkway with the garden extending up the hill behind. Barry says that they had about 20 trees removed right above this spot to give them more sun. Still, even with all those trees removed, there is still a lot of trees here, giving it a forest-like feel. -


And father over to the side of the house is a covered seating area -



One of the first things I noticed when walking around the garden were the beautiful mature trees. Magnificient specimens of Japanse maples and two huge Paperbark Maples -


And a beautiful Stewartia -








There are many lovely rhododendrons in the garden, most just beginning to bloom -



This one is 'Taurus' which we also have in our garden. Ours isn't this big! -





Fothergilla 

Looking down from the deck








In addition to the beautiful plants on the property, I loved the garden art sprinkled throughout the
garden -



So much beauty here - I hope the new owners appreciate this paradise and take good care of it. I'm grateful that I got to see it!



Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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  1. Kris PetersonMay 18, 2023 at 6:56 PM

    It's beautiful. With all those mature trees and shrubs, it'd function well as a botanic garden. I'm glad you got to see it - and share your tour.

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  2. Lisa at GreenbowMay 19, 2023 at 11:19 AM

    What a beautiful place. I can't imagine that large of a garden on a mountain side. It is something to behold.

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