Nancy Heckler’s hydrangea-colorful woodland garden
The acclaimed gardens Heronswood and Windcliff were on the agenda for Day 3 of the Puget Sound Fling, and I was excited to see them. But first we split up onto smaller buses that could manage the narrow road to Windcliff, and my bus headed to Nancy Heckler’s intimate, wooded garden in Indianola. Nancy is the former general manager of Heronswood, and she also had a much-admired 2-acre garden, Oyster Point (sadly, I can find no photos online), before she downsized to her current half acre.
I started exploring by walking up the gravel drive, where a floofy pink hydrangea and palm mingle with a collection of potted plants. It may sound weird to focus on the gravel, but I have to say I love a gravel drive. It’s so much prettier than concrete, with that pleasant crunch-crunch, and it allows rainwater to soak into the soil. It also sets off the plants nicely.
Hydrangea and palm
Pretty foliage plants in pots loosely hug the house, solving the problem of a hard-to-plant space.
A Little and Lewis raven plaque on the wall coordinates with black mondo grass and a terracotta fungi ornament.
That side-eye
An enormous lacecap hydrangea partly obscures the entrance to the back garden.
Nancy describes herself as a plant collector, with more than 100 hydrangeas alone. All those flowering shrubs during our mid-July visit made for a beautiful sight, and I expect they are fairly low maintenance compared with flowering perennials. Something to consider for anyone trying to make a garden that requires less work.
As I came around the corner, this stopped me in my tracks: pink hydrangeas and a blue-green hosta framing a narrow path. Pastel parasols were shading one hydrangea, providing relief from the sun, which was hidden behind clouds this day. The Seattle area had endured a heat wave in the weeks before the tour, and plants had suffered. In Nancy’s garden, parasols provide a charming temporary solution for vulnerable plants.
Concrete pavers laid on the diagonal point the way toward an open lawn, but first…
…let’s admire the crimson flowers of flame nasturtium, which was clambering through a shrub.
Paired with a purple smoke tree and a golden shrub, those red flowers dazzled.
More purple and gold. This is all foliage color!
Scooting through the narrow path, I emerged onto a lawn, which offers welcome openness amid the densely planted garden. Spheres of pliable branches are scattered on the lawn like a giant’s marbles.
Edging the lawn, shrubs and understory trees merge into a leafy wall.
Nancy chooses shrubs and trees with interesting foliage, and that can flower in the bright shade of a woodland edge.
Lots of textures and foliage color
A silver sphere tucked under one shrub draws the eye.
Variegated leaves
Lots more hydrangeas
More
And more!
‘Jack Frost’ brunnera caught my eye with its veined, “frosted” foliage, which Nancy pairs with a glass-bead butterfly.
At the back of the house, a deck enclosed by hydrangeas and hosta provides space for a dining table…
…and more potted plants.
Quite a few more, in fact
Smoldering red foliage
Hydrangeas were the star of this Fling.
‘Escargot’ begonia on the porch. I love its spiral-patterned leaves.
Many gardens at the Puget Sound Fling included plant tables, and Nancy has one with a gabion pedestal.
Under the trees around the lawn, a woodland trail garden features this cinnamon-hued combo of rhododendron and driftwood birdhouse.
A bronze pot on an upturned saucer on an old stump plays up that woodsy theme.
Bark-textured pavers lead you in.
These handsome seedheads belong to rodgersia. They look great with purplish pink hydrangea flowers.
One more
A stunning pink-and-blue hydrangea deserves a moment of appreciation too.
And this purple-and-white one
Along the fence, a rope-and-bead lizard clings to a tree.
It’s probably 6 to 7 feet long.
Beyond, a peak-roofed shed draws the eye. A tree that lost its top becomes sculptural with the addition of a twiggy orb on top.
Tree bark texture
Heading back, I gawked at the towering trees. They seem to touch the sky.
Foliage vignette with red accents
Flaky, peppery bark
More hydrangeas too
In a sunny space near the garage, parasols were shading a white-flowering hydrangea.
Color-matched parasol
Lilies, however, were happily soaking up the sun.
Their burnt-gold flowers harmonize with…
…another Little and Lewis raven on the wall, guarding the space. What a treasure to have several Little and Lewis pieces!
A chorus line of watering cans edges a raised bed.
Heading out through the hydrangea gate, back to the driveway
What a handsome entrance to a lovely garden and a great kickoff to Day 3 of the Fling.
Up next: The famous Heronswood Garden, starting with the house and formal gardens. For a look back at the Fling banquet dinner at Lakewold Gardens, click here.
I welcome your comments. Please scroll to the end of this post to leave one. If you’re reading in an email, click here to visit Digging and find the comment box at the end of each post. And hey, did someone forward this email to you, and you want to subscribe? Click here to get Digging delivered directly to your inbox!
__________________________
Digging Deeper
Explore the world of succulents and cacti at the Austin Cactus and Succulent Society’s Fall Sale on 8/31 and 9/1, from 10 am to 5 pm. Held at the Austin Area Garden Center in Zilker Botanical Garden, it includes a plant show with specimen cacti and succulents, handcrafted pottery, daily silent auction and hourly plant raffles, and expert advice. Entry included with the cost of admission at Zilker Botanical Garden: Adults $6 to $8, Seniors $5 to $7, Youths $3 to $4, Children under 2 free.
Come learn about gardening and design at Garden Spark! I organize in-person talks by inspiring designers, landscape architects, authors, and gardeners a few times a year in Austin. These are limited-attendance events that sell out quickly, so join the Garden Spark email list to be notified in advance; simply click this link and ask to be added. Season 8 kicks off in fall 2024. Stay tuned for more info!
All material © 2024 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
Giardino incantevole !!! Complimenti a Nancy la Fata del giardino .
Grazie for reading!
A most wonderful garden! I love Nancy’s garden so much! She is a master at grouping plants into fabulous vignettes
She certainly is. It was an enchanting garden to explore.
Nancy’s garden was one I’d longed to visit, and was thrilled to finally see on the Fling. I love that photo you got of her strolling onto the lawn, it really helps folks understand the scale.
I agree. That lawn lives larger than it looks at first glance.
What a great garden. While it seems like a lot of different things happening, she is great at editing and not overdoing the non-plant items.
She has an eye for artistry in her plant arrangements and garden art accents.
An amazing garden, definitely a favorite. I imagine quite different from Austin area gardens with all those hydrangeas! I really loved hearing the excitement in your voice while describing her garden in your post. It felt like a hideaway secret garden with magic at every turn. Even this PNW gardener was wowed by those trees and the scale – a lot of bits to take away and inspire in my own garden. Respect for Nancy, for sure. You captured it beautifully, Pam.
Thanks, Tamara. Nancy’s garden was yes, completely different from Austin gardens, but there are plenty of takeaways even so: planting flowering shrubs and small trees instead of lots of perennials (for lower maintenance), having a negative space in the middle of a densely planted garden, areas of enclosure and openness, and beautiful wall art!
Thank you, Pam for the wonderful post! It was a pleasure to have you all here. You mentioned my old garden at Oyster Point. Here is a link to a Facebook album that I put together many years ago. Although there were many different parts to that garden, the decorative potager received the most (and unexpected) attention. I really miss having a vegetable garden, but I do not have enough sun, so I try to work with what I have. Here’s the link to some photos: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.105073316173171&type=3
Nancy, thank you for sharing your beautiful garden with us! And also for sharing the link to photos of your old garden. I went from a sunny garden to a shady one when I moved 16 years ago, and from no deer to voracious deer. It’s a big adjustment.
The ‘dragon’ and the ravens really add interest to her lovely plantings! Thanks for the photos.
My pleasure, Paula. Thanks for reading!
Beautiful garden, so expertly planted and thought out!
It was a crowd favorite!
It was the perfect morning for photography, with the clouds and light sprinkling rain. One of my favorites on the tour. I’ve long admired Nancy’s garden on Facebook, but seeing it in person put it all into context.
Her garden was completely new to me, and what a delightful place it is.