Anyone who as out Sunday was sure to notice the clusters of people wandering the byways of Wallingford, colorful booklets clutched in their hands. It was, of course, the annual Wallingford Garden Tour, a self-guided meander through 12 of the most splendid yards Wallingford has to offer. Mrs. Wallyhood and Baby Z were our roving reporters for the day.
There was a healthy, steady stream of visitors at all the gardens visited and the hosts were friendly, welcoming and happy to talk about how they had created their little oases. Every one of the gardens was remarkable in its own way, but Mrs. Wallyhood in particular enjoyed the Glazier Garden (3628 Burke Ave N.), which was almost entirely edibles, including blueberries, mini-dwarf apples, Italian plums, Asian pears, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries (but who doesn’t?), asparagus, tomatoes and zucchini. This garden was remarkable in the efficiency with which the space had been created: a simple, clean pea gravel path allowed easy access to every plant and a cheerful scarecrow kept watch over the humble estate.
The Igo Garden (4007 Sunnyside Ave N.) was another stand-out. Behind a beautiful, Japanese-style gate lies a virtual Eden of “perennials, native plants, flowering shrubs, specimen trees and roses…The color scheme of the garden is in transition to a combination featuring coral, celery green and patterned foliage [and deeper greens]. Bloom colors in warm hues are set off by purple and lavender tones.” (from the Garden Tour booklet)
Nestled amidst it all was a whimsical little “playhouse cabin” that brought to mind a house Hansel and Gretel might have come upon in the woods.
The whole Wallyhood family converged on the Freeman Garden for the after-party. Lynn has created a jungle effect (as in “colorful, verdant and tropical”, not as in “viney and impassable”) in her small yard, and a beautiful, open sided deck overlooks it like a tree house. Cold Belgian beer was on tap, Lynn’s sweetie DJ Shapeshifter was serving mushroom stuffed mushrooms and upbeat tunes, and there was no doubt that Seattle’s brief but delicious summer was upon us.