GARDENING EXPERT COMBINES UNIQUE PLANTS TO CREATE STUNNING DISPLAYS
Every year in early November, under the auspices of the UBC SALA Garden Design Lecture Series, a renowned landscape designer is invited to give a presentation to an assemblage of landscape architect students, folks in the horticultural industry, and professionals from all disciplines of the gardening world. The goal is to inspire and stretch their imaginations. Thanks to the lecture committee of Ron Rule, Jan Durante and Daniel Roehr, along with generous sponsors, Vancouver was fortunate two weeks ago to welcome one of the world’s leading plant finders and garden design magicians.
Dan Hinkley’s lecture was a great one. The UBC Robson Street Theatre was packed, and for good reason — Hinkley was beyond amazing.
Well known for his former garden, “Heronswood,” located on the north Kitsap Peninsula west of Seattle, Hinkley has always had a reputation not only for finding and selling unique plants but also for the art of combining them in stunning displays. I remember visiting about 20 years ago with a garden writers’ group, and three features made a lasting impression.
First, his garden patio. A forerunner of today’s outdoor rooms, it was a classic blend of simple, comfortable garden furniture with a brilliant plant surround harmonizing all the elements.
The second feature was a tall, stylized, circular hedge. Large enough to fully enclose one of his signature gardens, it was created by planting a ring of evergreens five feet apart, clipping them into a narrow shape, then bending over and securing each tree’s top to its neighbour to form a series of arches. Breathtaking.
The third feature was encountering for the first time a cardiocrinum in full bloom. Standing about eight feet high, it was an eye-popper and a plant that I’ve admired ever since. The whole expanse of this five-acre garden was a blend of such magnificent sights.
Hinkley’s passion for finding new plants firmly established his reputation as an outstanding plantsman. According to Hinkley, the romance and glamour of travelling the world to find new “toys” is much over-rated. Being cold and soaking wet or hot and dripping sweat, manoeuvring across steep, slippery banks and through dense bush and fighting off aggressive leeches, snakes and bothersome insects is the reality of plant finding. From South and Central America to South Africa, Vietnam, Bhutan and recently India, these are just a few of the places he has discovered new and amazing plants.
About eight years ago, Hinkley found “Windcliff,” a new location approximately 12 miles from Heronswood and overlooking Puget Sound. From a plant person’s perspective, this region of the Pacific Northwest is a dream spot because its moderate climate and less rainfall than inland areas allows for growing a greater diversity of plant varieties than most places in the world (perhaps with the exception of South Africa, which must be the gold medal holder of plant diversity).
In a very short time, he has created a jewel like few others. With such a broad vision of plants from around the world and with his creative genius for design, he has turned this site into a garden many of us can only fantasize about.
Recently, I spoke with Hinkley by telephone. During our whole conversation, he was multi-tasking — speaking to me on his cellphone while carrying on with his pruning. It really was distracted pruning, but that’s the essence of a passionate plant lover.
I asked Hinkley if there was a theme to this garden, and he said it was more about discovery. He went on to explain that in developing a garden, a person must lose oneself in the site to appreciate its strategic elements and to understand what on the overall property “shouts the loudest.” Once you understand this, then it’s a process of creating a cohesion of the many elements.
Hinkley was happy to share other insights on how to approach the creation of a distinctive and beautiful garden.
“I love seasonality,” he said, “and every time of the year is uniquely different. In our area, fall and winter are magnificent, but I don’t think most gardens play them to their potential. It’s important to understand that gardening is an art form. The first go around is just the beginning — the first layer of paint as it were. You need to create many layers and to keep painting until you get it right. Gardening is a living art, so plants keep changing as they grow. Making mistakes is part of the process. I know because I have made many, but that, too, is part of the creative spirit.
“I also love movement in a garden, and I specifically plan for that. Plants that move, like grasses, are magical. Wildlife, too, is very much a part of any garden, and being creative with plants that produce seed heads, food and nesting materials is a key element. Timing when to prune is important so that you leave grasses and other plants for an interesting fall and winter look as well as leaving seed heads and nesting material for wildlife.”
When asked if there is anything he doesn’t like, his response was: “Yes, a fussy garden and cookie-cutter landscapes. I think we have too many of the same plants in our gardens today. We need the unique and the unusual. Just because many of us live in smaller spaces doesn’t mean we can’t be unique and different. These plants are out there—go and findt hem.”
Is there anything you particularly look forward to in your garden each year? “There are so many,” Hinkley said, “but there is this Magnolia campbellii, collected in an extremely remote region of northeast Nepal, that I started from seed 16 years ago, and finally, it has a bud. That’s one I’m really looking forward to seeing next spring.”
Hinkley is also fond of species hydrangeas, which as a rule are thinner and have more grace. Dierama (angel’s fishing rod) he appreciates for the beauty of its movement. He also loves agapanthus for late summer into fall colour. Species hardy begonias and scheffleras he believes are far too underused. Of course, it’s important to remember that his garden is in Zone 8—an ideal world for more tender plants. We are very fortunate to have Dan Hinkley, a Michigan native, living in our West Coast region.
Windcliff is open one weekend per month, starting in April. Details can be found at www.danieljhinkley.com. Hinkley encourages people to visit both Heronswood and Windcliff during the same visit as they are only at en minute drive apart. Her ons wood is open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday beginning in March and ending the third weekend of October.