PHOTOS BY OLIVER HAMLIN FOR WEST SEATTLE BLOG
Hundreds of people spent Sunday admiring and photographing the 12 gardens spotlighted on this year’s West Seattle Garden Tour. Among them was WSB contributing photojournalist Oliver Hamlin, who presents a scene from each garden (including some of the gardeners. First, at Garden A, “A Show of Northwest Natives“:
Charles Anthony, who created Garden B, “Salish Sea Sanctuary,” posed with his Japanese Maple:
Garden C, “Heron Cove,” has its namesake standing sentinel:
Below are Debra Montgomery and Lee Kelly; she bought the “Heron Cove” house 7 years ago and inherited Lee, who has been the gardener for 40 years. She said the previous homeowners sought out a buyer who wouldn’t tear down the house and would keep caring for the garden, which she and Lee both now do.
Garden D was described as “Small Spaces, Big Moments”:
Below (L-R) are the gardeners behind Garden D, Laird Applegate and Brian Pelzel:
Garden E was “From a Sprawling Lawn and One Tree to …”
Blackberries are often the bane of a gardener’s existence, but in Garden F, “Transformation,” they were beautiful:
Garden F’s (L-R) Diane Elie and Raquel Gonzalez store water in 60-gallon rainbarrels and told Oliver that it fills most of their irrigation needs:
At Garden G, “Hidden Gem,” Julie Robinson-Jasper and Maple the dog are seen through a mirror surrounded by star jasmine at Garden G, “Hidden Gem”:
Another scene from Garden G:
Garden H, “Behind the Fences,” sported an arch of bittersweet nightshade:
A clawfoot bathtub graced Garden I, “A Fresh Look for A Once-Beloved Garden“:
Garden J, “Garden of Many Rooms,” was conducive to wandering:
Garden K offered onlookers “Plants from Around the World“:
And Garden L, “Conifer Corner,” featured a 75-year-old wisteria:
(Read details of each garden here.) The West Seattle Garden Tour is organized by a nonprofit that uses the proceeds to support other nonprofits – here are this year’s grant recipients; see how to apply for one of next year’s grants by going here (July 15 is the deadline).