Monthly Archives: December 2019

Winter Projects Update

18 Wednesday Dec 2019

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While most gardeners have put garden to bed for the winter and are enjoying the crisp, frosty mornings of the Holiday season, the Lord and Schryver Conservancy has been busy with several construction projects.  One is the much anticipated second phase of the Deepwood Lower Terrace Pathway project.

Robert Crown and his crew from Riverdale Landscape Construction have begun removing the old brick retaining wall and steps for renovation. This excavation work has revealed the footings for the old Rose Tunnel. This metal structure was likely the home for 12 climbing roses that were originally planted in 1934 and then again in 1949. One can only imagine what it must have been like to stroll under the Rose canopy when it was in its full glory in the late 1930’s and early 1940’s.

The Addendum to the Historic Deepwood Estate Historic Landscape Report suggests this structure is not currently suitable for replacement due to the deep shade cast by the  overhead tree canopy.  However, the location of the original footings has been carefully documented and perhaps someday if the tree canopy were opened up, this element could be restored to the garden.

The old rose tunnel seen from the from the Great Room lawn. Note the sunny exposure that allowed for a Rose Blossoms. Unfortunately the area has become dense shade, making the growing of roses a difficult task were one to try to restore this feature.
The brick wall and pathway before the restoration work of the Lower Terrace and the retaining wall pathway
The old Rose tunnel in bloom it must have smelled amazing to walk under the canopy of climbing roses
The old foundation pillars of the rose tunnel were excavated
The guys from Riverdale Landscape Construction hard at work hand excavating the pathway

For now, the focus is on restoration of the pathway, steps and retaining wall to a more structurally sound version of its former self. We are adding drainage behind the wall as well as channel drains to alleviate the runoff issue down the steep path. The pathway will get base rock and a stabilized, decomposed granite surface that won’t wash out during the heavy rains.

The Lord and Schryver Conservancy is extremely grateful to a generous donor who made this project possible. Without such help, the wonderful Deepwood gardens would be but a shadow of its former glory. It’s exciting to be working toward the restoration of this gem of a City Park.

Mark Akimoff

Garden Manager|Curator

 

Seal Rock

04 Wednesday Dec 2019

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In spring 1971, an aging Elizabeth Lord wrote about the Seal Rock Cottage in her garden journal:

“I had Ivan cut the alders – down the path way, that part has changed so much, a sweet little garden wild things growing along the wood edging – but 2 years and no attention became a mass of salal [Gaultheria shallon] & salmonberry [Rubus spectabilis] and no trace of a trail.  Kurt took out the wild planting of salal [Gaultheria shallon] where the honeysuckle [Lonicera] had entwined itself – this left a larger space I immediately filled with Marguerites and Digitalis. I shall keep it such in memory of Montague’s love of wild flowers. This was a trying year. I do not have the pep to do the heavy work about the place down here. Nature grows at its will and nothing can hold it back. “

Nature has been working on the Lord property at Seal Rock for a very long time. The constant moisture from the neighboring Pacific Ocean provides each plant with plenty of water. The coastal thickets of salal, salmonberry, and sword fern are dense underneath the canopy of spruce and shore pines. It defies imagination how the elk, such a large creature, can navigate these impenetrable seeming thickets with such ease.

The cottage tucked in among the shore pines, salal and sword ferns.
Swallows on the weather vane for the little cottage at Swallow Drive.
The hand pump for the well is still mounted and plumbed on the front porch though long ago the property had city water plumbed in.
Gigantic 100+ year old Rhododendrons grace the property
A custom made stained glass adorns the bathroom
The old ice box is still on the front porch next to the well pump, reminders of a time before electricity and modern amenities
It would be amazing to see the huge Rhododendrons in bloom.
The garden is a collection of massive century old Rhododendrons
The patina shows on the buildings dating back to the late 1800’s.
High enough to be out of the Tsunami zone and with views looking out onto the pacific ocean.
The hand built fireplace made with rocks carried up from the beach
You can still see Barnacles on the rocks of the fireplace.

The Seal Rock Cottage and Garden was an often used getaway for Elizabeth and Edith, mentioned frequently in Elizabeth’s journals from the mid-1930’s to the 70’s. Reading through the journals, one sees their desire to escape the Willamette Valley’s summer heat to revel in the cooler coastal conditions where plants such as heather, rhododendron, calla lilies and coastal natives thrived during the dog days of summer.

Several of us were fortunate to visit the Seal Rock Cottage and Garden on a recent stellar winter day. Carmen Lord, Elizabeth’s relative and the property’s owner, has the site up for sale. The hope is that the property is not sold to a developer but instead to someone who appreciates the history that runs deep and who wants to preserve what can be saved.

“Staying the 2 weeks at Seal Rock knowing the wet weather in August was helping the garden here and as the year of ’68 was an off year and about finished as far as gardening was concerned. I was happy knowing that I did not have too much to do, but could plan now for the year to come.”

Elizabeth Lord; Garden Journal 1968