We started at Karen Offut's garden, originally designed by Oehme Van Sweden, I think back in the 1980s.
 |
| Looking back toward the road where you enter the property and drive along this allee of Sugar maples. |
 |
| We gathered under a Copper Beach. That's Karen in the chartreuse top. |
 |
| Beautiful old weeping cherry that was there when they arrived. |
 |
| Acanthus by koi pond |
 |
| witch hazel near front door, which is just to right out of picture. |
 |
| Lots of nice borrowed landscape views |
 |
| hydrangea, roses and caryopteris |
 |
| Fallopia |
 |
| I think this could by Lythrum virgatum 'Dropmore Purple' or 'Mordens Gleam' NOT the very invasive L. salicifolia |
 |
| More borrowed landscape in distance |
 |
| Lovely stand of Magnolia virginiana by the pool |
 |
| Hydrangea aspera ssp Sargentiana ? |
 |
| Looking across front of house, Interesting sliding panels. |
 |
| Path behind house with Cimicifuga flagging in the background |
 |
| Stairs connecting front and back gardens |
#2 stop, the garden and nursery of Carol Warner (Draycott Gardens). Among other things, she has the biggest, most spectacular Franklinia I have ever seen. (There used to be a pretty big one at AHS, now gone, but this one is probably twice the size.)
 |
| One of the dozens of buds on the biggest Franklinia I have every seen! |
 |
| That's a big kousa dogwood flowering on the right and to the LEFT is the HUGE Franklinia, covered in buds It must be 30 feet all at least!! Oh to see it in bloom, which Carol says isn't until August/ September. Later than in DC area. |
 |
| Tomentum on Rhodo's or whatever you call the grayish covering on leaves. |
 |
| tri-colored Beech |
 |
| Check out the ruffles! |
 |
| View under Magnolia of foursquare garden |
 |
| Looking down the hill back toward house |
 |
| Beyond the Iris beds |
 |
| Handsome cast iron pergola |
 |
| Mostly pseudata Iris in bloom |
 |
| Upson Downs |
 |
| Cardiocrinum seed heads |
Our last stop was the Thompson garden. I didn't hear much of the owner's spiel, but someone who did says he designs pools (has a hort background) and his wife used to be an antique dealer, hence the many interesting sculpture throughout the garden.
 |
| The Frank Lloyd Wright inspired house |
 |
| Pool is set apart from house. See the horse in the distance? |
 |
| Beans on a tuteur |
 |
| Looking back at pool. That's forsythia on the left and sylphium (maybe perfoliatum) on the right |
One thing I'm sorry I missed shooting was the creatively sited and planted veg garden on the side of the pool house. You can literally pluck a fig from the tree while lounging by the pool.
 |
| Sculpture floats above forsythia hedge |
 |
| Ruma's husband? with the owner's dog taking a walk along one of the woodland paths |
 |
| All the gardens had lovely stands of Acanthus |
 |
| Laurel growing to the left of front door. |
 |
| Whimsical sculpture with birds nest at top |
Thanks again to all who helped arrange this tour and to the garden owners who welcomed us!
