The Pacific Connections Garden at the Washington Park Arboretum...

Last Sunday I found myself with an extra hour or so in Seattle before I needed to be on I-5 headed back towards Portland. I remembered the teaser look I took last February at the Gateway to Chile Garden and then the sad news that the garden had been hit by vandals. I decided to see how it's looking now...

The Puya are bigger!

And the Gunnera are looking good, but I'm pretty sure some palms are missing. It's hard to tell for sure because when I previously visited they were all bundled up for winter (some under little houses). Perhaps the vandals did so much damage some didn't make it?

This is the same pair from my opening picture, just taken from the other side.

I wonder what this was?

A different palm and puzzle pair this time...

Here's a rendering of what this corner could look like someday...(Rendering by Mike Kowalski, image provided to the UW website (where I borrowed it from) courtesy of The Berger Partnership).

Having fully surveyed this part of the garden I decided to venture on and see what was just over the hill. True to my typical way of doing things I approached the Pacific Connections Garden backwards. Since I didn't even know it was there how was I to know which direction to go? (a little signage at the bottom of the path would have been appreciated)  As to show you the garden as it should be seen I'm starting your tour where mine ended. Confused? Me too.

From their website: "Wouldn't it be great if you could travel through Cascadia, Australia, China, Chile and New Zealand all in one day? In the Washington Park Arboretum's Pacific Connections Garden, you can! In this garden, you will find amazing plants from five countries connected by the Pacific Ocean...The Pacific Connections Garden gives you the world along a walking path. To learn more about featured plants and climates, visit the Elisabeth C. Miller Library at the Center for Urban Horticulture."

Sounds pretty cool! They seem to be just getting started, this area is very much still under construction, but visit worthy just the same.

The dusty blue of the Eucalyptus leaves contrasted nicely with the fall colors all around me.

I had no idea my morning would take me from Australia to New Zealand all without leaving Seattle!

I do love me some Astelia...

Can you tell the New Zealand section was my favorite?

See...lots of construction going on.

For you bamboo lovers out there...

This was just single lonely bloom...

There were educational signs under this structure...

Backed by these lovely metal leaf cut-outs.

Even the drain covers matched the theme!

Cardiocrinum giganteum seed heads...

And the path winds on...

to Chile!

And finally home again...

This image takes me back to the camping trips of my childhood...the shapes, the colors, just as I remember them. See that fern in the front? On our trips to the Olympic Peninsula my mom was always sure to have a shovel in the trunk, for fern emergencies you know...

That blue conifer is just begging for a little decorating come Christmastime.

The Cascadia section is quite large and in fact leads back down to where this journey began in the "Gateway to Chile" garden.

And so ends our visit. Luckily I had a little time left so I explored Seattle's Japanese Garden next. Those photos will be up sometime next week for your viewing pleasure!

(*I've been struggling with whether or not to say something here on the blog about the disaster on the East Coast. I've appreciated reading others thoughts and concerns on the matter but not really known what I wanted to say, and thus not saying anything. However I just read a post on the Obsessive Neurotic Gardener that I wanted to share with you all*)

Let’s go for a walk…

It’s been quite awhile since I took the camera along on a dog walk, I think it's time, besides it's not raining! (that's a rarity these days)...

This huge grass is one of a pair. It's the largest of the two and a perfect example of not planning for the plants eventual size.

That is of course unless you want to hide the path to your front door...

I wonder how the mail-man feels about this?

Subtract that Bishops Weed in the lower right hand corner and this is a lovely scene. I especially like the maple (?) against the house.

New contruction, well sort of. This was a very scary house just a few months ago. After the questionable residents were sent packing they took it back to the foundation and started building up. The new version is much larger than the old version.

I think it's odd that they left the old sidewalk, especially since they went to such lengths to landscape well.

Yes, that was sarcasm.

At least they left the backyard a blank slate.

Yesterday we saw the Sweet Chestnut trees at the Kew Gardens...these are in my neighborhood.

Every year I pick up a few of these fabulous pods to place on the mantle.

They are however spiky little landmines for doggie feet.

Spooky no? I've photographed these floating heads before, but with a subject as strange as this I figured a follow-up was in order.

Remember when the Opuntia Santa Claus came to visit? This is the source plant...

So blond...

All good dog walks end up here...one of my all time favorite local gardens.

Surely you can see why?

I know it's blurry but I loved the loopy craziness going on in the background.

Pups everywhere! I counted at least four...

I'll be keeping an eye on this Echium over winter.

I'm so glad I finally worked up the courage to take a picture of this! I give you the Trophy Garage...

What do you think is going on here?

Remember making potato stamps as a kid?

Love these...even better than the summertime version.

This house has got more Euphorbia seedlings per square inch than any other I know of...

Someday I will walk the Ainsworth Linear Arboretum "...is unique among U.S. arboretums. It spans actual city blocks and includes street and yard trees. You can view more than 60 different species of city trees within walking or bicycling distance of each other."

I took a picture of this same plant about this time last year. The funny thing is I've been looking for it all summer and never could spot it...

Here's an interesting combination...

A bit of resourcefulness when the bird bath base broke? I like it.

Just a little bit of moss on that there planter...

Here's the mother plant of my first Opuntia pads. Notice how the heavy branches are reaching for the ground? I bet they root there and start growing upwards again.

Finally we'll end with something you don't see much of around these parts, thankfully...

A little careful cropping communicates my feelings on the matter...