Lost in Outlaw Country

After our whirlwind tour of the Kitsap Peninsula, Vickie and I had the great pleasure of seeing Peter's garden. Reading his blog had not prepared me for the glorious chaos of so many fabulous plants packed together. Without further ado, let's dive into the jungle!

The first plant that caught my attention was actually Billardiera longiflora, growing up a metal arbor just inside the gate. I had just purchased one of these at Celestial that day. I might have taken a picture, but my attention was immediately wrenched from the Billardiera by this Trevesia palmata. Having only seen pictures, I drank in the sight of these amazing leaves, which give this plant the common name snowflake aralia.

I love the blue glass pathway under the bamboo, as well as the happy leaf face laughing at the tickle of falling bamboo leaves. Peter has many such whimsical art pieces throughout his garden, providing surprise at every turn.

This bamboo has great gams, and the lush underplanting gives this area a real jungle-like quality.

Upon sighting this mermaid blatantly lounging at her ease, I expressed my concern that Peter's girlfriend Monrovia would be jealous. He grinned lasciviously. What a womanizer!

Luckily this newly hatched dino was turned away from the nearby peep show. He'll get to keep his innocence a while longer, if he hasn't been corrupted already.

Gorgeous foliage combinations abound in this garden bursting with color.

Glass flowers mingle with the real thing next to a pathway almost lost among the foliage. What mystery lies at the end?

Vickie and I had expressed some concern earlier on our way to Windcliff about being lured into the woods by a serial killer. Upon seeing Peter's garden, my fears were assuaged. Joking aside, I enjoyed the slightly macabre touches, my favorite being the baby crying baby's tears. Everyone has a bit of a dark side, some of us more than others.

Loads of great color echoes here, from the persicaria(?) in the foreground to the maple in the upper right corner and the purple tree in the background.

More color echoes here in the purple heart, purple-leaved pelargonium, and the calyx of the abutilon. The brilliant petals of the abutilon provide a blazing contrast to the dark colors, revealing a keen color genius.

As we were leaving, Peter ducked into the undergrowth to snap off an errant bamboo shoot. Quick as a ninja, he channels the energy of the jungle cats which surely must lurk somewhere hidden by the foliage.

I wish I had spent a little more time exploring the hell strip, which quite possibly had more different kinds of plants than my entire garden, but it was getting late and I still had a two hour drive back home.

Sorting out our respective plant hauls, we parted ways until the next time. Thanks for a fantastic day, Peter and Vickie!