Sand Garden

Our Whidbey Island Cabin is on a sand spit with the bay on one side and a lagoon on the other. The logoon, in the back yard, provides many opportunities for bird watching fall through spring. In summer a high enough tide allows for canoe rides. Tom's extended family has owned this property for about forty years. Three years ago we replaced the little old original cabin with a modern beach house. That provided me with the opportunity to design a new garden, one that would have to grow in soil composed mostly of sand. It was great fun to plan something new from scratch. We combined plants with low water needs with free stuff we could divide from our Seattle garden, keeping in mind that we wanted more of a "beach" look. We brought in some compost that we made in our compost bins in town, so seeds sprouted, adding an element of surprise to what was planned. Fox gloves amazingly appeared on their own, and were transplanted to better locations. The result has been an abundance of growth that now needs to be edited to keep it in balance. What fun it has been!