Gardening On Whidbey Island

Four years ago this May our family cabin construction was complete. This new structure replaced an old cabin that the family had owned for forty years but that dated back to 1928.

That summer of 2005 Tom and I, being the family gardeners, began the landscaping process. We moved and hauled dirt, built retaining walls and a boardwalk, and began collecting plants from our home garden.

Since the soil is mostly sand, and the water is limited, we looked at Mediterranean style plants as well as what we could get free from our Seattle garden. In the late fall and early winter we planted. But because we used plants and compost from our own garden, things showed up that we didn't expect. Other things have seeded from first bloom. The result is that we are always pleasantly surprised by what we find each time we visit.

This pacific coast iris is doing much better here than at home.

We brought up old tulip bulbs that don't perform more than one year in our Seattle garden, but like the sand and low water here. We're not sure where the double orange poppy came from.

Foliage contrast is a feature here too, since flowers are short lived.

This is a garden for sitting and enjoying, and we get lots of compliments from the other beach folk as they stroll by.

Driftwood adds texture and form. This old stump was completely buried in ivy in the old cabin yard.

Columbine flowers are so exotic, and seem to thrive here. You never know what you'll get when they seed themselves.

A front corner is reserved for our sedum tapestry, an idea we saw in a book called "Shocking Beauty". It's coming along.

The back yard is just planted in grass and clover, with a fire circle. It's where the action is, on the shore of Deer Lagoon.

And of course Sunlight Beach on Useless Bay is just across the road.