Not since the summer of 2012 has Wellfield displayed a Quilt Garden. It used to be located on the slope of what is now becoming our Island Garden – home of our pavilion which is aptly named 遊水亭 which reads and is pronounced “Yu Sui Te” (you-swee-tay), translated: Pavilion Befriended by Waters. The Pavilion will be surrounded by Japanese-garden inspired features, designed by Sadafumi Uchiyama, Curator of the Portland (OR) Japanese Garden.
But I digress. Quilt Gardens must be accessible to the public free of charge; controlled access to the Gardens created by our Visitors Cottage in 2013 presented a challenge to that notion. Wellfield’s Board of Directors approved carving out a Quilt Garden-sized ‘niche’ in our eastern perimeter fencing, solving both the need for a dedicated space and the requirement of having the Quilt Garden always accessible to the public without having to enter the Garden to view and enjoy it.
Over the winter, in addition to the fence adjustment, TONS of rocks and soil were brought in and graded to form the base of our Quilt Garden. And faithful readers of the blog and our social media know that we recently received our flowers. This week, a cadre of helpful volunteers and staff pitched in to plant up this year’s display entitled, “Window to Waters”. You can read more about this design here.
Please enjoy the slideshow of photos showing the evolution of “Window to Waters”,
and thanks to everyone who assisted in planting the Quilt Garden as well as many other spaces in the Gardens. Now, we can enjoy watching everything bloom and grow (with help from our volunteers, who help maintain everything all season!) Wellfield is truly a community initiative!
Josh Steffen, Horticulture Manager