Garden Photo of the Day

A Garden that Blends into Nature

Gail Barnard's Oregon garden respects the nature that surrounds it.

"I garden in Lake Oswego, Oregon. My garden backs up to a large state park so the goal has been to create a garden that blends naturally with the natural setting yet showcases my love of texture and form. Some of the garden is 7 yrs old while other portions are newer-it has been a work in progress."

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Comments

  1. user-1020932 11/30/2015

    well, the comments section opens for me but no photos are showing up. this is not a good omen for an early morning rainy monday

  2. user-7007366 11/30/2015

    No pictures? Well it's Monday….

    1. Susan_Jensen_Smith 11/30/2015

      Oops! Little technical difficulties - coming shortly! (Happy Monday!)

  3. User avater
    meander_michaele 11/30/2015

    OK, gang, I'll share a picture...here's the size portion I deserve to eat after all my pigging out over the 4 day Thanksgiving eatathon.

    1. wGardens 11/30/2015

      Good one! Thanks for our morning chuckle!

    2. user-1020932 11/30/2015

      Mike, I was good this year. no sugar, no carbs that just left turkey for the dinner plate

      1. User avater
        meander_michaele 11/30/2015

        Wow, Jeff, who the heck are you??? Was there an outer space invasion of aliens who body snatched folks in Kingsport and gave them superpowers of self control?? Is this going to continue on through Christmas? Will you be able to resist all those delectable dessert goodies that you and your wife have baked in years gone by?

    3. eddireid 11/30/2015

      That's about the right size for me,too!
      So funny.

    4. Meelianthus 11/30/2015

      Wow! that looks SO delicious. I could consume that right now. Yum!

    5. user-7007327 11/30/2015

      This gave me a good laugh.

  4. user-3565112 11/30/2015

    No pictures today but this is an opportunity to wish all of you Merry Christmas & Happy New Year. Your comments , gardening advice , and garden photos are a bright & cheerful way to start the morning . I wish you all good luck & can't wait to see what you guys come up with in the spring.. Joe

  5. user-4691082 11/30/2015

    Lol! I hope I can meet all of you someday!

  6. Chris_N 11/30/2015

    A Garden that Blends into the Fine Gardening page.

    1. User avater
      Tim_Zone_Denial_Vojt 11/30/2015

      Very Good, Chris!

    2. User avater
      meander_michaele 11/30/2015

      The ultimate camouflage garden...maybe Fine Gardening will start a new trend. I can imagine it catching on...just think, we wouldn't even have to weed the garden that can't be seen!

  7. cynthiamccain 11/30/2015

    Hahaha! Puzzled by missing photo(s) but had lol moments reading comments. Good one, meander1!

  8. User avater
    LindaonWhidbey 11/30/2015

    Haha, right there with you meander:) I'll share a photo of our spectacular moonrise on Thanksgiving.

    1. GrannyMay 11/30/2015

      Beautiful photo!

      1. User avater
        LindaonWhidbey 11/30/2015

        Thanks. New camera for my birthday so maybe next will be garden photos.

    2. eddireid 11/30/2015

      Love the photo.

      1. User avater
        LindaonWhidbey 11/30/2015

        Thanks

    3. User avater
      gringopeligroso 11/30/2015

      I wish I had taken this one!! Beautiful capture!!!

    4. User avater
      Tim_Zone_Denial_Vojt 11/30/2015

      Wow!

    5. User avater
      meander_michaele 11/30/2015

      Just beautiful, Linda...I should hold on to this for those moments when I come home from shopping and feel a little frazzled...like now. This is a picture worthy of that "Calgon take me away" feeling...ha, only those over a certain age will get that reference.

  9. eddireid 11/30/2015

    Isn't there a song out there about finding a way?
    No, pictures, no problem - we still get to visit the GPOD coffee group. Weill just use our imagination - plenty of that around!

  10. jeffgoodearth 11/30/2015

    wowza, all that in 7 years or less. it looks GREAT and you have really put forth a lot of work and effort. beautiful

    1. gailbarnard 11/30/2015

      thank you Jeff-it's been a labor of love converting this garden from being a rental house garden to my own!

  11. User avater
    Tim_Zone_Denial_Vojt 11/30/2015

    Gail, your garden is a show-stopper. From the stone wall to the stone paths, from the gorgeous Hakonechloa to the Callicarpa, it's wonderful! Keep sending in photos! What is the shiny-leaved plant in the lower right of the photo with the Callicarpa berries? At first glance I thought it was a Pyrossia, but now I see stems and some fall color.

  12. GrannyCC 11/30/2015

    Gorgeous garden Gail. Love the pathways and walls. Love to wander with you and I am sure it blends in well with the State Park. Hope the others get to come back and view your garden.

  13. VikkiVA 11/30/2015

    Okay, you Northwest gardeners just stop with all the beauty already! :) Your fall color is stunning. I am in love with Japanese Forest Grass (Hakonechloa macra) and yours is definitely a testimony to why. Is that a Japanese maple (red leaf) and Oakleaf Hydrangea in the last picture? And your "puppy" in the picture above that is so precious. Thank you for sharing and thanks to Fine Gardening for another year of beauty. Vikki in VA.

    1. gailbarnard 11/30/2015

      hi Vikki-yes you are correct about the Acer and Oakleaf hydrangea. Thank you so much for the nice words.

  14. User avater
    LindaonWhidbey 11/30/2015

    Gail, your garden has a great sense of naturally occurring order that is very appealing. Love your J. Forest grasses. Unfortunately, the rabbits like mine as much as I do. Thanks for sharing on this frosty, turkey hangover Monday.

    1. gailbarnard 11/30/2015

      hello Linda-we have been live trapping the occasional rabbit that finds it's way into the garden and then relocating them far far away

  15. Quiltingmamma 11/30/2015

    Yeah, photos! and worth waiting for. This is a very thoughtful transition to nature. Good job. I couldn't help but wonder how attractive your garden is to the forest critters. Have you found that a problem, or did you bear that in mind when designing?

    1. gailbarnard 11/30/2015

      hello quilting mamma: yes the forest creatures enjoy my garden too. I use no chemicals, pesticides nor herbicides and only live trap and relocate the bunnies. I have erected tall deer fencing on top of existing fencing as well. In the front garden I try to select deer resistant plants and encourage neighbors to plant roses to keep the deer in their gardens instead of mine-hahaha-just kidding.

      1. Quiltingmamma 11/30/2015

        <> Smart plan. Sometimes it is a fine line between having the garden we want, and the garden nature allows us to have. Love that purple berried bush. Can't remember the name, but I know I can't grow it here :-(

        1. gailbarnard 11/30/2015

          I love the Beautyberry too! where do you garden quiltingmamma?

          1. Quiltingmamma 11/30/2015

            Gail, I now garden in Ottawa, Ontario Canada. I grew up on the West Coast and still adjusting to a much colder climate. No Beautyberry for me.

  16. sheila_schultz 11/30/2015

    Funny... I got to GPOD late today and looked at the beautiful photos of Gail's garden, then I started to read the comments and it seemed very odd that Michaele posted the little tart photo and didn't mention Gail's shots at all??? It wasn't until I had read several other chit-chatty posts when Susan mentioned technical difficulties. The AHA moment finally occurred!!! Obviously, not only is my tummy still full, but apparently my brain is a little slow on the uptake as well ;)
    Back to your gardens Gail, they are a texture and form lovers dream, and you definitely succeeded in marrying your beds with the surrounding forest. Just lovely!

    1. gailbarnard 11/30/2015

      thank you Sheila!

  17. greengenes 11/30/2015

    Hi Gail! Iam so glad you shared your gardens with us! They are so beautiful and a lot to see! I love your touches of colors in there as well. But I really love your rock wall and the new rock on the path! Gorgeous!!! Thanks!

    1. gailbarnard 11/30/2015

      thank you Jeanne but my garden pales in comparison to yours!

    2. User avater
      meander_michaele 11/30/2015

      Jeanne, I thought of you when I saw how purple the beautyberry seemed and the purple gazing ball just visible in the upper lefthand corner.

  18. User avater
    meander_michaele 11/30/2015

    Gail, I am so glad that your pictures have overcome the initial technical glitch and are now here for all of us to enjoy. Sorry I succumbed to silliness and filled the void with the miniature food pix.
    Your garden has all the elements that I truly love...impressively well done hardscape, beautiful and wonderful plant selections and fun pops of color here and there. Your mounds of Japanese Forest grass are positively voluptuous ..sigh...I will try to control my envy. What is the tree in the first picture with what looks like super "curly" dark cinnamon exfoliating bark? A paperbark maple? A madrone? It's so textural!

    1. user-6536305 11/30/2015

      Your comments are so funny and well written. I love to read them.

      1. User avater
        meander_michaele 11/30/2015

        You're sweet to say so, Lillian. This gardening community brings out the best in me.

    2. gailbarnard 12/01/2015

      thank you! that tree is an Acer Griseum and one of my favorites! Another that I have is a Hydrangea Aspera

  19. nenitafranck 11/30/2015

    Oh, we're almost neighbors! I have many of your plants in my garden. Looks like yours is on level ground whereas most of mine is on a steep hill. I'm trying Forest Grass for erosion control on my steep paths. Yours also look like you get more sun than mine does and mine is also about 7yrs old and is a work in progress as yours.

    1. gailbarnard 12/01/2015

      Nenita my garden is almost completely on a gentle slope with a few less sloping areas like the patio

  20. schatzi 11/30/2015

    Since I am late getting here today, no problem with the pictures. I love a natural looking garden, and yours is gorgeous, Gail. Love the purple Beautyberry and the "pup" - is he an Afghan hound?

    1. gailbarnard 12/01/2015

      thank you Shirley! Dillon is an Irish Setter and my garden helper

  21. Meelianthus 11/30/2015

    A really beautiful blending of all your trees, bushes and forest. Stunning colors and wonderful selections throughout. Thanks for sharing your gardens.

  22. digginWA 11/30/2015

    Details like that stone in the center of the wall make the garden that much more personalized and so special. I'll bet there is a story or design/build memory that goes with it. Beautiful fall color, too. Thanks for sharing.

    1. gailbarnard 12/01/2015

      so nice of you to say Tia!

  23. GrannyMay 11/30/2015

    Gail, your garden's informal style is a natural match for the park next door. Love your choice of flagstones and bark mulch for your paths and the use of billowing grasses to punctuate the woodland look of the shrubs and trees. The fall colours are beautiful! Thanks for sharing.

  24. user-7007327 11/30/2015

    Gail, your colors are beautiful. The mixture of contrasting hues makes it vibrant and peaceful at the same time.

    1. gailbarnard 12/01/2015

      thank you!

  25. Chris_N 11/30/2015

    Glad I checked back. Your garden is beautiful, Gail.

    1. gailbarnard 12/01/2015

      thank you Chris!

  26. user-5117752 12/01/2015

    Gail, Thank you so much for the pictures of your beautiful gardens. I just took a seminar on color an texture and the teacher really could have learned a lot from you! It was such a disappointment. You have now brought joy to my eyes!!!

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