A wintry postcard from the Pacific Northwest
December 21st, 2012
An evergreen yew and topiary forms are frosted with just a little snow on a December afternoon at Old Goat Farm.
Snow came early to the outerlying parts of Seattle this week, dusting the evergreen topiary forms at Old Goat Farm in Orting, Washington. Owners Greg Graves and Gary Waller hosted a holiday tea to benefit Pacific Horticulture Society, and Lorene Edwards Forkner and I drove down to the farm for the festivities. Lorene, of course, is the editor of Pacific Horticulture magazine, a wonderful quarterly journal for gardeners on the West coast (or anyone who loves reading about the hort world in Washington, Oregon and California).
Lorene asked me to donate a seasonal floral arrangement and a copy of The 50 Mile Bouquet to the event’s silent auction. How fun to step out of our car and look across Greg and Gary’s wonderful garden at the sparkling white-and-green scene. There was an old log stump and it seemed like the perfect “pedestal” for placing my bouquet for a last-minute portrait before the party.
The locally-grown lilies, snowberry, eucalyptus and dogwood branches create a special holiday arrangement. There are a few stems of melaleuca tucked in. I brought them home from San Diego last week!
Everything else here sparkled, too. Enjoy the glimpses captured by my lens. And if you want to read more, follow this link to a post from an Old Goat Farm holiday tea from 2010. Visiting at Christmas, seeing the century-old Victorian farmhouse, hearing the clucking chickens and (of course) eating delicious food . . . what a chance to while away an afternoon.
Gary, a talented floral designer and retail display wizard, decorated the barn door with a lovely wreath.
Yes, these are old goat sugar cookies. Very tasty! And eye-catching, too!
This is a picture-perfect farmhouse. Absolutely love it! Especially that wraparound porch!
Gary and Greg's famous compost fence. It even made the cover of Pacific Horticulture magazine's fall 2012 issue~
Decorative chicken (or are they roosters?) cookies!
A beautiful detail of my bouquet.
Here’s to a wonderful holiday season! And a New Year to come~
December 21st, 2012 at 4:51 pm
That bouquet is gorgeous Debra, wow! Someone was very lucky to take that home.
December 22nd, 2012 at 10:47 am
A dusting of snow, a peak at blue skies, tinsel, lights, and holiday decor – not to mention some delicious goodies and good friends – all made for a welcome reprieve in a busy season. Debra, dear friend, thank you so much for your support of Pacific Horticulture~
August 29th, 2017 at 1:24 pm
[…] Old Goat Farm is owned my my friends Greg Graves and Gary Waller. Old Goat Farm is out in the country, as one might expect, in the town of Graham, about 45 minutes south of where we live in Des Moines. It is a combination display garden, specialty nursery and animal sanctuary, all of which surround a charming Victorian farmhouse where Gary serves his famous holiday teas (there’s usually a waiting list, so check it out ASAP if you’re interested). I have written about Old Goat Farm’s holiday teas a few times, and you can read those posts here from 2010 and 2012. […]