Succulents and More™

The Carhart Garden was the first stop on the 2024 Fling , an annual meetup of garden communicators (bloggers, Instagrammers, TikTokers, Facebookers, etc.) who get together in a different city each year to visit gardens, socialize, and exchange experiences. The destination this year was Tacoma and the Puget Sound . Day 1 was spent on Vashon Island , a short ferry ride from Tacoma. The Carhart Garden is located on Maury Island, a small island connected by an isthmus to the larger Vashon Island . The cultivated garden is 3 acres and is surrounded by 15 acres of stewardship forest . To somebody who gardens on an 8,100 sq.ft. property, 3 acres seems immense – even more so when you can’t see it all laid out in front of you because there are thousands of trees and shrubs. Whit and Mary Carhart have been developing their garden for almost 25 years. Carving a garden into the steep hillside meant backbreaking labor, much of it done by the Carharts themselves. The largest section, the woodland s...

Every field has its superstars: people who stand out from the crowd because of their talent, experience, or accomplishments – and because they’re universally respected, admired, and even loved. In horticulture, Dan Hinkley is one of those luminaries. As a plant explorer, he’s been around the world, hunting obscure treasures that would make great additions to our gardens. In over 30 trips in almost 40 years, he has introduced thousands of trees, shrubs, vines, and perennials to Western horticulture, many of them through his own nurseries. His personal gardens in Washington State, first Heronswood and now Windcliff, are considered masterpieces and attract visitors from around the world. He’s a charismatic speaker and has inspired several generations of gardeners and garden professionals alike. Dan Hinkley at Windcliff, July 21, 2024 Last month, at the 2024 Garden Fling in Tacoma, Washington, I got to visit Heronswood , Hinkley’s first garden, now owned and operated by the Port Gamble S...