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Kingston Ramble
One of the ironies of the last four year’s controversy about “Heronswood” is the status—indeed, the nature—of the original estate gardens in Kingston. Far from dying, being destroyed or ruined, the exact opposite is true.
Starting in 2003, Dan and his staff shifted from “ongoing” to “final form”, so to speak. After more than 15 years of continual seasonal change—adding plants to, removing plants from, relocating plants in—they began considering the garden as a created or ultimate form.
This makes sense on many levels. First, they had a brand new house and garden 8 miles away and in full sun. (Heronswood is in shade.) Second, Heronswood was established in 1987. It is only now entering shrub and tree “puberty” and its borders are fully established and refined after many years of careful attention and scrutiny. It has finally come into being. One could continue until the cows come home, as my mother would say, but there’d be no reason. Any further refinement is unnecessary.
Then, once I realized in 2004, that Dan had achieved this equilibrium, I began to inspect it for what it was and concluded that I had a finished garden. Since I am not a collector or explorer on Dan’s level, I was more than perfectly content with over 5,000 taxa. This is more than public gardens many times the size of Heronswood. With all six continents represented, I could explore the world in a leisurely stroll.
Thus, it is merely convenient, as well as feckless, for competitors, and mean-spirited for detractors, critics and all of the self-styled blog pundits, to dismiss Heronswood’s gardens in Kingston as “dead”. It is a bit like Venice. Go ahead and ignore or belittle it. Bend yourself out of shape. No one cares. It will be there long after your passing.
We have taken a break from public open houses for this year. However, the garden will be open next year, beginning in March of 2011. We celebrate our 135th year at Burpee!
In that spirit, here is a rambling tour of just a few of the many (74) gardens there in late June. Next post will include close-ups and discuss the many more cultivars than those in the photos that follow:
Photos show a lush, peaceful, beautifully manicured and designed landscape. But disappointed to learn Heronswood Kingston would not be open this summer as we are vacationing in the San Juan Islands and planned a visit. Are there other public gardens in the area you would recommend?
The Seattle area is filled with great public gardens. I wouldn’t know where to begin. Near us in Kingston is Bloedel Reserve, a fabulous temple-like setting for many trees and shrubs. It is a “must see”. Not so much a garden as a little universe of beauty. Call well in advance—it requires a reservation. Also, the University of Washington expanded their park-like gardens a few years ago. It should be nice this year. Thanks for posting.
Wish I was there this very moment – so sad these gardens are so far from me and work keeps me at this desk and computer!
You will be able to visit us next year at both east and west coast locations on special public open house days. So you may not be so far away from Doylestown, PA, as you are from Kingston, WA. The gardens in PA are different, but equally fascinating. Sixty acres versus fifteen—a different energy and a greater use of fewer species. Must see both gardens if possible.
pictures show a lovely, inviting place to explore. I am not sure who said your gardens were “dead” but gardners of all people should avoid this constant need to throw out the old model and get a new one just because it is….new….new is OK, but “old” and established and no longer new is wonderful–and good for the earth…we need some time to settle in, enjoy things as they change with the season, and grow with time–there is a peace in that that “new” does not have, in gardens and in people…
Everyone said the gardens were dead. Perhaps I exaggerate, but only to make my point. All the local papers in the Northwest snippily editorialized; garden writers savaged us in local columns; even the New York Times chimed in. “The Grey Lady”, indeed. It was a sort of “Murder Incorporated” hit by the rare plant mafia. Even business writers were recruited. I thought it was infantile. That said, I agree with you about “newness”. That is my point about Venice. It is a perfect city that has been perfectly preserved. Thanks very much for posting.
Beautiful. Is this Kingston, NY?
Thanks, Nancy. It is Kingston, Washington, located in the only rain forest in the continental U.S.
Wow! Just gorgeous. where are these gardens?
Thanks, Kisa. They are located in Kingston, Washington.
Very nice – garden looks perfectly beautiful but the photos could be larger than the tiny ones posted, i.e. my own website Nature section which includes public and private gardens: http://jamieos.smugmug.com/Nature.
You could use Smugmug for your garden photos. Don’t be so chintzy!!!
We are working on a way to make our current enlargements even bigger. Thanks for your input.
Thank you for sharing, I enjoyed the photos.
You’re welcome. Thanks for visiting.
Dear George,
Tell the Philistines to go jump in the lake. Your garden is beautiful and they need to get a grip.
Thank you very much. Please come again.
Thank You for the lovely photos of the Kingston Gardens!! I had the privilege of personally visiting these gardens twice in the past while in WA. I found them to be magnificant on each visit! Like Dan; I’m from MI too & truly appreciate his curiosity & adventurous spirit in finding new plants & sharing them with others. Have also had the opportunity to hear him speak @ Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids—very enlightening presentation. So, I never thot the place “went away” as they had just acquired the new piece of land & were excited to get it started! I have several of the older catalogues that I keep & use for reference—also enjoy Dan’s written essays—they are timeless! Again my “Thanks”! M.C. Woods
Thanks for the excellent and interesting comments. We still do a great deal of plant exploration. Now, however, we have four separate locations—with separate hardiness zones—to test our new plants, versus the one in Kingston, which was a bit of a hothouse in the first place. Practically anything grows there, and luxuriously, as you can see. Thanks again.
I am so glad to learn that your beautiful gardens will be open. The last I understood was that the whole property was for sale. You will be on the top of my “I want to see” list when I visit my son in Seattle.
The property is quietly for sale, if that makes sense. In other words, just as the garden has been “perfected”, much of our Pacific Northwest testing will have been by the end of next year. So we are still interested in an eventual sale to a dedicated plant lover who would enjoy it. A perfect second or “summer” home for someone in the south or southwest, for example, or southern California. The area is quite lovely and really is fashionable Bainbridge Island. I prefer plain Poulsbo, but there you are—something for everyone. And just 45 minutes or so to Seattle. Thanks for posting. Stay tuned to our website for the 2011 Kingston open day schedule.
Viewing the photos of Heronswood as a mature garden is a real thrill. Having visited and toured it often when it was in the growing and evolving stages was such a pleasure and something I really looked forward to seeing. Thank you for sharing these photos. I will continue reading your posts George as I watch my garden mature in anticipation of the Heronswood opening again next March.
Thanks very much for your kind words.
Always a blessing to read your monthly updates; this tour was delightful. Everything I get from Heronswood has been superior in condition, value and grown like mad! Wonderful! Again, thank you, Cookie Littlefield Oh, did I say ‘unique’! I certainly should have.
Thank you as well. Good luck with your garden.
Yeah!!!! I have only been there one time just a few weeks before it was closed to the public. I was so sad to have lost something so beautiful that I had just found. My husband and I talked about planning a picnic lunch and coming back to spend the whole day. It was wonderfully dog friendly (and of course we had our poop bags for just in case). I have wonderful pictures. If you would like some of ours i would be happy to send them to you. We will plan to visit. I hope this is a full time opening so we can visit often. Thanks so much for doing this, it means a lot.
While it will not be open full time, as it was during 2002 to 2006, it will be open on scheduled long weekend type days. We have very limited staff to travel regularly back and forth from Pennsylvania, so we will time it to those visits, as we’ve done since 2006. Thanks very much. Look forward to meeting you.
I used to buy a lot of plants from Dan, mainly because of his descriptions in the catalog. Does he have any comments on the gardens as they are now? He made a lot of money when you bought him out and relieved himself of a lot of the work of keeping up the gardens and catalog. Now he flits about being the great commentator and writer of irrevalent magazine articles. Too bad for him.
Heronswood Nursery moved its production and headquarters operations from Washington state to Pennsylvania (two locations) and Delaware (one location). We have nearly 100 acres to use in the future. We were a bit cramped in Kingston and the climate is an odd one to do research for the entire U.S. As for the former owners, we have always wished them well. They did not want to buy the nursery back at a bargain price in 2003, so we went ahead and began to adjust. It was either that or close completely. He’s a distinguished plantsman. Thanks for posting. Please come again.
We were able to visit last July…..it took my breath away!! I walked around with a smile on my face for the entire tour….I feel so fortunate that I got to see it and I totally agree that it’s complete!
Gardening & dreaming in Georgetown, TX
Thank you very much. I hope you have a chance to visit us sometime on the east coast as well.
I have no inside knowledge as to whom to blame for the apparent lack of access to Heronswood.
I don’t have a Pansie in this fight.
But the perception I have is that the wonder that was Heronswood is over! There will be no more visits, and there will be no more plant sales tied in.
If this is not the case, the problem does not lie with those of us who visited and bought the plants.
For a store owner to blame customers for this confusion is simply bazaar.
Do I have access or not?
I don’t know how you define access. Heronswood began as a research and production nursery. A continuous collection program and a small wholesale business. It was never a typical retail nursery until 2000 when we bought it. They used to hold Open Days and eventually “by appointment”. Zoning laws restricted hours. We expanded hours as much as we could, added staff and facilities, doubled the size of the property and sponsored collection trips to exotic locations. Since 2006 we have not sold plants at retail from the Kingston location, so yes—that part of the wonder is gone for now. What you leave out is the majority of sales which came from the mail order catalogue and now also from the internet site. This, plus the need for better plant adaptation, made the decision to move the “nursery” part of the business (the production of plants in pots) to the east coast area. So, you can order by mail and online, and the “Open Day” sales at retail are now conducted in Doylestown, PA. I do not know where you are, but if you are not on the east coast, visiting and buying plants on those days (we average about 10 days per year—about what the original Heronswood was doing in the 90s), might be an unusual event. All the more magical! Meanwhile, if you are in the Northwest, you will probably get an email early next year telling you about the open day tours. If there is enough demand, we might sell some plants. Kingston lectures? No. Docents? Fewer. We’d rather keep it simple for now and allow most folks to discover the gardens on their own. Much like we do at our Heronswood Open Days at Fordhook. However, we always have several lectures at Fordhook during each of our open day weekends. The Pansy comment was rude. Thanks for posting.
Glad to hear Heronswood will once again be open to the public; How would one find out the days and times of openeing. (My daughter graduates from pacific Lutheran next May, and it would be a dream come true to see the gardens I’ve read so much about).
Please stay tuned to our website, and you’ll probably get an email unless you “unsubscribe” for some reason. Thanks for posting.
so, please, help me understand what you are saying…the original Heronswood is still alive and well in Kingston? I have been there twice, many years ago, and these pictures—are they of Kingston’s Heronswood? however, what did you mean by the gardens had been closed—where? There or in PA? Honestly, I am just confused. I am sure I would love the gardens in PA of course…I just think there is a lot the public still does not understand about what plants are where, etc…thank you…did not mean to seem “stupid”; I honestly just would like to know, because I don’t quite understand the whole picture as of yet. And, why would anyone care if you moved plants to PA if you kept them also in Kingston? Thank you very much, Mary Ruther
Thanks. I’m sorry you are confused. I’ll try to explain. A nursery and a garden are separate things. One doesn’t move or relocate a garden. The pictures are, as by the post’s title, from Kingston. Heronswood Nursery operates now in four U.S. locations (including Kingston) and one leased facility in the UK. We have been very clear and consistent about what we did. The reason the public got confused is because there was an enormous number of lies and distortions published in the gardening press and even a couple of articles in the major media. So, you are far from “stupid”, and please post again.
Great post – I’ll look forward to March 2011.
Thanks, Gail.
I am SOOOOO glad to see this email about – “Heronswood” in Kingston and that it is well and being maintained!!
This makes be so happy, as I was very sad with the property was closed, it nearly broke my heart – I love the Heronswood Gardens in Kingston!
I hope to see info on when the gardens would be opened for a visit.
Thank-you,
Mary Schmidt
Bellevue, WA
Thank you, Mary. You should get Open Days 2011 info early next year at the latest.
I miss the Open Houses this year; however, with the heat, etc. in the east, I’ll have to agree on the hiatus.
Will there be Open Houses at Heronswood in Washington State next year? I have to agree that there is nothing more to accomplish in those gorgeous gardens.
Many thx for the pix!
Thanks, Susan. Probably only 3 to 4 two day Open Days will be held in Kingston next year. But they will be worth it. The gardens look fabulous. I’m glad you like the photos. More on the way. Thanks again.
Wow! What a treat to visit with you in the photos! My house and land are only four years old, so I keep on adding and adding. It was wooded, all scrub pines in the front, so we had to replant a lot, but the back is the forest! You have helped me with ideas, materials, and moral support! Thanks so much! Helen
This is the kind of response I live for. Not to take anything from the rest of you folks, but I sob for joy inside when I receive posts like Helen’s. Thank you!
Professional criticism is warranted. Movies, orchestras, architecture, cars, clothing, literature, gardens & etc.
The criticism you describe, unprofessional & a waste of time, says more about those criticising than your garden.
Puppet Barbuda, landscape critic, adores each pic you posted. A master’s class in how to create a fabulous landscape. Myriad greens, contrasting textures, forms, pollinator habitats, garden rooms ………..
Garden & Be Well, XO Tara
You nailed it, as usual. I enjoy your posts. Truth is everything, as they said in Sunday school. Dan and his staff created a fabulous garden; we bought it; it lives. Thanks.
The gardens are magnificent – - what a treat to open my mail and be able to gaze at the beautiful photos — thank you !!
Thanks, Cynthia. Close-ups will be featured next.
Thank you so much for the update on the Heronswood garden! We have visited it on several occasions and felt deep regret that such a great asset was no longer available.
Thanks, Sheryl. If I am lucky, I shall be able to pass it along in 2012 or 2013. But we’ll continue to hold occasional open days until then, at least. I’m confident that any new owner would share its beauty with others in a similar way. Ideally, I’ll interest a non-profit that will begin a public botanic garden.
Thanks again.
George, thank you for this news. And, most of all, thank you for your stewardship of this treasure. As someone who often feels a bit cursed by the dominance of shade in my garden, these photos, and this garden, are truly an inspiration.
Thank you, John. It may interest you that we just lost several large Douglas Firs in the middle of the shadiest part of the estate, the “big bang”. Thus we now have substantially more sun in part of the garden. The established plants will die or adapt, weeds will pester everything and we’ll move a few sun-tolerant rare plants and shrubs into the break. Should be very interesting to follow. Thanks again for your encouraging words.
Just love to receive your Rambles…Agree or disagree, your literary stlye is amusing and yet educational…If I didn’t live in the Deep South, I’d definitely be visiting your gardens/nurseries…sigh…have to live vicariously by internet visits and buying…
Thank you, Paula. I love the Deep South, home of my mother. I mention it in the posts, Queens Part 1 and 2. I’d live down there if I had the chance.
Looking forward to your next post (as always) with close-ups and discussions. Many thanks for the “mini-tour”. Love the pictures!
Thanks very much.
Hello George!
Thanks so much for the inside info on what the heck is up with Heronswood, Kingston. Loved the photos! I work at the Bloedel Reserve and just wanted to thank you so much for mentioning us and for the wonderful compiment but a small correction is that we no longer require reservations. We do prefer that you call ahead but we don’t require it. Also of note this summer is the first summer we are staying open until 7pm, June thru August. Thanks again for all you do! Always, Diann Marie
Thank you for the clarification. I was last there two years ago. Do you no longer have visitors go through in single doses, almost privately, like in those days? Wonderful place. You folks were planting Japanese black grass in beautiful parquet-like beds in the late 1980s. And the small pond is magical.
Being a neophyte when it comes to your site and your blogs, I had some time to wander through your postings and I am having a hard time deciding how to praise your efforts for Heronswood (Kingston) and I cannot wait to further explore what is going on in Doylestown, etc. A gardener all of my nearly 60 years, on Long Island, NY, I rarely meet anyone who seems so committed to the same endeavors and creative sensibilities, but I believe that I find that person in you! My own “suburban” garden is less than a half acre, but in the thirty years or so that I have sculpted and nourished it, (having started with an old, plain farmhouse and mostly indigenous species, I have fashioned a private ‘park’ which one friend has called ‘The Bosky Dells’). I hope that when I retire, away from the northern winters, I will leave my efforts to someone who will care for my garden, too.
I have seen your photos, I admire your efforts, and I hope to visit, at least your facilities in the east. Bravo! Here Here! Ignore the naysayers, (they will always be nipping at someone’s heels!)
I plan to devote a good deal of time exploring your adventures online – Thank you so very much!
Thank you so much. Look forward to meeting you at Fordhook. Meanwhile, good luck in your garden endeavors.
Thank you, thank you! I discovered what gardening could really be in the Pacific Northwest by visiting and ordering from Heronswood in Kingston…now I am tackling what I consider my ‘last’ garden on the southwest end of one of the islands….and when I come upon a Heronswood plant that has survived the climate here….I smile….
I cannot wait until the next open house.
Sue
Wonderful testimony to Heronswood’s storied past in the Pacific Northwest. Our dream is that folks from around the U.S. will feel the same one day. Hope to see you next year. Thanks very much and happy gardening.
Doggone good, thoughtful material! I agree entirely on the point of heirloom supremacists running down the obvious benefits of hybrids.