Ruth Bancroft Garden July 2017 private garden tour, part 4
After drooling over the front yard of Julia's house in Walnut Creek, CA, it was time to check out the backyard. While not as succulent-centric—it's much shadier—it has the same level of sophistication.
The hardscaping around the pool may be not be for everyone, but it reflects the homeowner's easy-going elegance.
Under the trellis the lighting was very challenging, making it difficult to show you the amazing fan aloe (Kumara plicatilic) at the edge of the pool. I can't wait for mine to get to that size; they're not fast-growing in containers.
Finally, a word of thanks to the wonderful people at the Ruth Bancroft Garden who organized this tour. I was thrilled to have this opportunity to see private gardens I would otherwise not get to see. Please make this tour a regular event—maybe even twice a year!
RELATED POSTS:
The hardscaping around the pool may be not be for everyone, but it reflects the homeowner's easy-going elegance.
Under the trellis the lighting was very challenging, making it difficult to show you the amazing fan aloe (Kumara plicatilic) at the edge of the pool. I can't wait for mine to get to that size; they're not fast-growing in containers.
You can catch a better glimpse of the fan aloe in the next photo:
Equally drool-worthy was this Euphorbia ammak 'Variegata'. Quite sensitive to cold temperatures, it is naturally protected in this spot against the house.
More eye-catching vignettes:
Note the succulent-themed paintings!
I really like the combination below. The cactus-like plant is variegated Indian corn cob (Euphorbia mammillaris var. variegata); the pinkish one looks like a Graptopetalum hybrid.
Wrapping up this post, I want to show you a few photos of the garden next door, which was also part of the Ruth Bancroft Garden tour. I didn't get a chance to talk to the homeowner so I don't know the history but it looks to me like Julia's passion for succulents, and water-wise plants in general, has spread across property lines. I wouldn't be surprised if at least some of the succulents were pass-alongs from her. The similarities are very obvious, creating a level of continuity between these adjacent properties that you almost never see.
Finally, a word of thanks to the wonderful people at the Ruth Bancroft Garden who organized this tour. I was thrilled to have this opportunity to see private gardens I would otherwise not get to see. Please make this tour a regular event—maybe even twice a year!
RELATED POSTS:
- Ruth Bancroft Garden July 2017 private garden tour, part 1
- Ruth Bancroft Garden July 2017 private garden tour, part 2
- Ruth Bancroft Garden July 2017 private garden tour, part 3
- Ruth Bancroft Garden July 2017 private garden tour, part 4
The backyard of the 4th home was largely a water feature -- beautiful, but very shady. Disturbing to me was a large Cereus peruvianus that was planted in the rear of the pond, in deep shade. It was languishing with droooping arms -- clearly in the wrong environment. It was unclear to me whether the landscape architect of the home next door had been involved in this landscape; it sounded like, in talking with the man of the house, that the wife was the driving factor in the creation of the garden.
ReplyDeleteYes, I felt for that large cereus, too, but it probably was happier than we thought. They're fairly adaptable--to a point.
DeleteThat was a great tour. I can't think of any tours here that focus on a specific kind of garden esthetic as this one did but it's a stroke of genius in my view.
ReplyDeleteI think that this year, more than even last year or two years ago, it's crucial to emphasis how important water-wise landscaping is. After the wet winter we had, people tend to ignore the fact that California is essentially in a semi-permanent state of drought.
DeleteThe garden is really beautiful and elegantly planted but I'm love with the house!
ReplyDeleteOh yes, this part of Walnut Creek has some very nice established neighborhoods.
DeleteI love all the blue accents! A lovely garden to tour!
ReplyDeleteI'm not a fan of the color blue inside the house, but I do love it outside.
DeleteThe Kumara looks good.
ReplyDeleteThat Echinopsis(?) flower is a stunner. More than one of the americanas next door are going to need to come out next spring--too close to the walkways. Nice overall tour, its good to see the variety.
Someday I'm going to write a post about what I really think of Agave americana. The only reason it's so widely planted is because it's a weed that produces more offsets than anybody knows what to do with.
DeleteHere's some advice: rip out those pups and THROW THEM IN THE COMPOST.
Or burn them!
Or better yet, take 1,000 of them to Burning Man and create a big spectacle!
I spoke for a while to Julias neighbor. He told me that he dug out the pond himself soon after moving into the house- I want to say it was the late 70's but I could have misheard that-and he introduced me to his dog. And he has a rain catchment system too.
ReplyDeleteRain catchment is cool! It's those invisible things that often make a garden special.
DeleteThe blue accents look fabulous. What a great garden to visit. There is a Waterwise tour here, but our waterwise gardens have a different look. So fun to see what works in different parts of the country.
ReplyDelete