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Fort Vancouver Garden

I was not interested in watching the debate last week, so I decided to get out of the house. I've been wanting to visit the Fort Vancouver Garden for years and decided to go on the spur of the moment.  Once I got there, it occurred to me that this was not the peak time to see a vegetable garden but what I did see was interesting and there were quite a number for visitors milling about.  This garden once comprised eight acres and the food grown there fed the Hudson's Bay Company Fort's  residents. Today's garden is a smaller version and the vegetables and flowers grown there are some of the same varieties found in the fort's records. Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Vicki Green's Garden


Vicki Green's garden is one of the neatest and most immaculate gardens I've seen and it is a showcase for beautifully grown plants as well as art objects (she is a glass artist). The property was once wall-to-wall grass and now just a central portion is devoted to the green. A long pathway leads you around the perimeter of the garden adorned with lush plantings.




Vicki is a master at pruning and her technique reminds me of the way Michael does it. She has trained many of her "shrubs" into small trees, such at the waxleaf privet and elderberry.

A Wax Leaf Privet (Ligustrum japonicum) trained into an attractive small tree.


I was taken aback by the size of the plants, some of which I grow, and my mind was racing. Driving up, I was immediately wowed by her 'Golden Spirit' Smoke Bush (Cotinus coggygria) although now I do recall seeing a very large on 117th St. However, this one is the most beautiful I've seen -


 
I also was surprised to see how large her 'Lemony Lace' Elderberry (Sambucus racemosa) is -




A stunning Rodgersia








Many thanks to Vicki Green for opening her garden. It was a visual feast and provided many great ideas.

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Comments

  1. You'r right, that Rogersia is stunning, especially with the backdrop of that blue fir....
    Chavli

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  2. Thanks for the photos! I really wanted to visit Vicki's garden but just couldn't get up to Vancouver that day.

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  3. I can only dream of a garden that meticulously maintained. I've always admire the 'Golden Spirit' Cotinus and would plant one in a second if they looked half that good in my climate.

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  4. Such a beautifully maintained and immaculate garden. Love that Rogersia.

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  5. how large was the Rodgersia?

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