Gardens of Interest

Lost Creek Rest Area outside Creston, BC

I am interested in how people alter, enhance or subdue the natural world to create a garden. Here at Lost Creek, passers-by have arranged river rocks into small shrines dedicated to a loved one’s memory, to a couple’s love, or just to the world. I wandered amid the tributes, not letting Marco pee on them, reading inscriptions. I wondered about the anonymous devotées who expressed themselves in a stack of rocks and then drove away. It’s awe-inspiring to see a small personal monument. Acts of faith need not be grand to be cherished.

Another wonderful garden, in Twin Forks, OR, captivated me because it was built to teach children about plants. I wrote previously about its parallel to failed Soviet collectivization: the garden succeeded once it was subdivided and each gardener assumed responsibility for a plot. But I appreciate outdoor education in any form, and the OSU Demonstration Garden invites schoolchildren in to dig and reap.

They repurpose truck brake drums as planters. An idea to borrow:

The Connie Hansen Garden in Lincoln City, OR is a private non-profit that exists to add natural beauty to the surroundings.

I thought it looked pretty good for its size. But the gardeners just move plants in and out from their off-site greenhouse. That’s the easy, expensive way to garden. The almost 80 year old volunteer at the Hansen Garden was eager to talk. She’d bought the Lincoln City cottage 20 plus years ago and retired to it after practicing law. She told us too much about some of her clients and also shared a lot about herself. Chatting with visitors keeps her in shape.

In Keremios, BC, I visited the private, non-profit Old Grist Mill Garden. Here’s a volunteer at work:

Gardening is one way to be good to the earth, to replenish the soil, to restore where we’ve depleted. I like gardeners and felt quite at home chatting about gardening, or pitching in with deadheading, all over the Northwest. Tell me about your choices! Tell me about your pest control strategies!

Sometimes a garden looks like a collection of fairy houses: low maintenance and visually appealing.