Summer 2025 tour of the Kuzma/Halme garden

Early last August I made my annual visit to the garden of my friends John Kuzma and Kathleen Halme. I started snapping photos as soon as I got out of the car. 

Perhaps you remember this garden from my previous posts? I've visited annually since 2011 (here's part one of that visit, and part two), it was also included in my book, Fearless Gardening, and those who attended the 2014 Gardener's Fling visited in person.

All these years of visiting and I'm still excited when I pull up out front, I still gasp when I step into the front courtyard.

Seeing the baby tree fern (Dicksonia antarctica) back in the 2011 post, and this photograph of the same plant last summer makes me feel all the more confident about planting mine out this spring.

My poor tree fern has been in the same container since 2009 when I first bought it and used it as our Christmas tree that year.

Rhododendron goodness (that I can't name).

The Yucca rostrata family is looking fine.

Gorgeous Eucalyptus.

Previous winter damage has the front garden border a little more open.

Agave americana 'Yellow Ribbons' 

Looking backwards.

Tibouchina looking tropical in the side garden (grown in a container and protected in the winter)

Into the back garden now and this glowing Mahonia (I think M. eurybracteata Cistus Silvers) was begging to have it's photo taken.

Twice

It's always such a trade-off. I hope for a warm sunny day for a visit, yet my photos are compromised by the strong shadows.

Another striking Mahonia.

The path not taken. I can't help but go my usual route around the garden, which means this is the path I return on, after walking up into the upper back garden on a further pathway.

The fountain.

Behind the house, from left to right; Passiflora ‘Fata Confetto’, Butia x Jubaea cross planted in 2024, and Euphorbia stygiana.

I love this passionflower so much...

The Jubaea chilensis (far right) sustained major damage in the winter of 2024, it's still alive though and John is committed to giving it the time it needs to look fabulous once again.

Leucadedron argentum powering through (with expert protection as needed).

I love a good patch of Sempervivum arachnoideum.

Acacia baileyana 'Purpurea' bouncing back nicely from winter damage.

Another shot of the water feature.

Melianthus and Tradescantia.

Looking back to where we entered the back garden (under the tall Eucalyptus)...

And forward we go into the upper back garden...

I love coming here to get my Erythrostemon gilliesii (aka Caesalpinia gilliesii) fix.

It's such an exotic bloom.

Another Melianthus and I think a Salvia behind it (I'm not really a salvia fan and I can't keep the names straight).

Cestrum aurantiacum 'Orange Zest'

Canna cleopatra

Abutilon and Hemiboea subacaulis var. jiangxiensis.

The greenhouse, empty since it was August. However, I was lucky enough to visit this garden again January 31st, and I'll be sharing images from that visit on Friday, so you'll be able to see the greenhouse in winter mode. It's a very different look.

Another glance to where the crevice garden was, I think the rocks are still under there? But of course the plants have grown and hide them.

Garden "shed" with green roof.

John has told me the name of this magnolia many times, I don't know why I can't remember.

Peeking through the palms...

Another abutilon bloom...

This tree fern was relocated from the front garden and was kind of sulking during this visit. I'm sure it will be fine long term.

And wrapping up with the fabulous foliage of a variegated Daphniphyllum. Come back on Friday for a look at the garden with its winter clothes on.

The Bit at the End

This Bit at the End has nothing to do with gardening, well, except for the fact some of the tiny memoirs may put a smile on your face. The NYT invited teenagers to write miniature memoirs about meaningful moments in their lives, here are the 17 winning stories; a gift article from the NYT. They are really quite wonderful.

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All material © 2009-2026 by Loree L Bohl. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude. 

The flowers and the bees...

There are a couple of hotels we like stay at when in Seattle for the NWFG Fest, this year we chose the Coast Seattle on 6th Ave (formerly the Hilton). Since it was a tad chilly during the garden show (mornings started out in the low 30's) I took advantage of the hotel's underground concourse, which put me within a few feet of the Convention Center without having to go outside. Part of the walk takes you through the lobby area of Union Square (a high-rise office building complex), where several bright floral arrangements caught my eye.

Seeing them as I came and went over multiple days, I found myself studying the components. At first I was put off by the mix of what I think of as fancy tropicals (the red ginger, Alpinia purpurata I believe, and Anthurium) with more pedestrian Alstroemeria and (gasp!) Hydrangea. They just don't belong together! 

But why not? My garden is a mix of plants from far flung places, and I don't mind that mix up. The colors and textures of the flowers certainly work together—and it's not like they stuck daisies in the mix. The more I questioned my aversion the more I started to warm to the combination.

Here's another, smaller, version with the addition of Moluccella laevis (bells of Ireland), and maybe Eustoma in the center? The larger arrangement feels intentional, where as this one kind of had the look of being made of leftovers. I certainly don't mean that as a bad thing.

There was a florist, Floral Masters, in the building, off to the side on one of the escalator levels. Surely these must be their work? They weren't open when I passed by.

There were several open seating areas spread throughout the lobby, typically there were groups chatting, or solo folks working. Remarkably, all the tables had flowers...

A ceiling reflection.

Spaces with a little more privacy, still with flowers.

What a nice touch.

Hmmm, what's that going on outside?

Be hives!

Bees work too, sometimes adjacent to people working in fancy office building areas.

This was the view from our hotel room. The shorter building in the foreground is the Washington Athletic Club, behind it US Bank Center, which was known as Pacific First Centre back when I lived in Seattle in the 1990's. I managed a store for Williams Sonoma on the ground floor of that building.  

Looking a little to the left we could see a tiny slice of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains between Century Square (the building with the curved tops) and Rainier Square, the dark building with the setbacks. Can you make out the dark dot on the far right side top of the curved glass of Century Square? That's a person. Cleaning the glass? Doing a repair? Dunno, but I do know you couldn't pay me enough to be that person.

The Bit at the End

Do you know the word solastalgia? I just recently learned of it. Coined by Glenn Albrecht and derived from solacium (comfort) and algia (pain), it represents the loss of solace from a changing home environment. Wikipedia says: "Solastalgia is a form of emotional or existential distress caused by negatively perceived environmental change." If you're curious there's further explanation on the Climate Psychiatry Alliance page; here.

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To receive alerts of new danger garden posts by email, subscribe here. Please note: these are sent from a third party, their annoying ads are beyond my control. 

All material © 2009-2026 by Loree L Bohl. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.