Happy Friday GPO players!
Today we start another incredible series of garden tours, courtesy of Cherry Ong. While she frequents incredible public gardens across North America, she also connects with other avid gardeners and plant collectors and visits their special private spaces. In late October, Cherry visited Nancy Heckler’s garden in Indianola, Washington.
Nancy is the former General Manager of Heronswood Garden (this was the last travel series Cherry shared, check it out here: Part 1 , Part 2 , Part 3 and Part 4 Part) and an absolute botanical legend in the Puget Sound region of Washington. She may be best known for her incredible collection of hydrangeas, but her space is a true treasure of the Pacific Northwest in every way.
I was honored to visit Nancy Heckler’s garden for the first time, and even more grateful to meet her and her dog Fergus in person. I admire her garden and plants in many of her Facebook posts. Photos do tell a story, but not the complete story because your senses are not yet fully immersed in it.
A while ago I asked Nancy if I could post a vista of her garden and she said it would be difficult to do. Having experienced the magic of her quarter-acre deep-soil forest preserve, I completely understand the challenge of photographing the vistas, but of course, on this recent visit, I did my best to capture it.
Please enjoy this first set as I share more ideas and fun experiences with her garden with you.
Thank you so much Nancy and Fergus for your hospitality and kindness! I hope these photos convey the beauty you create!
King Cherry
Crazy all year round
Richmond, British Columbia
Nancy says she has about 150 varieties of hydrangea in her garden!
Nancy in her garden. Thank you, Nancy, for so generously providing this incredible space!
While Nancy’s garden is best known for its hydrangeas, there are also many stunning trees and shrubs offering a variety of colors. These plants are even more exciting in the fall.
Brock and Fergus had a blast! Two very happy wet dogs!
Like the incredible sculptures we saw in Carroll’s garden earlier this week (check it out here if you missed it), these spheres made from branches and branches are a nod to garden materials Creative and beautiful use of.
A garden as grand as Nancy’s Garden obviously requires an area to sit and enjoy the lush greenery surrounding it. Nancy is able to create unparalleled privacy and seclusion with layers of foliage and flowers.
There are so many eye-catching plants in Nancy’s designs that it’s hard to pick any particular star. Of course, the many hydrangeas scattered among them are always worth noting, but she will also make many people think differently about foliage plants. I’m not sure what that incredible purple plant in the center is, maybe the “Royal Purple” smoke tree (Huang Lu “Royal Purple”, zones 5-9) as it starts to darken? If so, the surrounding bright yellow plants make it look even brighter.
Almost every color and texture can be found on Nancy’s bed. Even in small corners, every inch is fully utilized as various forms intertwine with each other.
Thanks for sharing another incredible garden with us, Cherry! Please say thank you to Nancy for sharing her amazing garden. Everyone keep an eye out for parts of this series over the next few weeks!
Do you have a garden you’d like to share?
Have a photo to share? We’d love to visit your garden, a specific plant collection you like, or a wonderful garden you have the opportunity to visit!
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