This is the third annual walk through our evolving Zone 9A Pacific Northwest garden, following the same path each spring to observe how the landscape changes over time. Over the years, these walks have become a kind of slow record — not just of planting, but of how structure, density, and character gradually emerge.

This year marks a major shift in scale. With more than 400 new plants and countless seeded areas added to the property, the garden begins to move beyond individual plantings and into something closer to a layered landscape. For the first time, drone footage is included to capture the garden from above, revealing patterns that are not visible from the ground.

As always, this is not a finished garden, but an ongoing process of building, adjusting, and learning what thrives in this place.

In this video:

Year 3 garden walk in the Pacific Northwest
Zone 9A garden transformation over time
Large-scale planting phase (400+ plants introduced)
First aerial drone perspective of the garden
Development of structure, canopy layers, and garden rhythm
Successes, failures, and continuing experimentation
Seasonal walk along a repeated path

Plantings introduced this year (in order of appearance):

Magnolias: Alexandrina Japanese Magnolia Ann Magnolia Moonglow Magnolia Little Gem Magnolia Pines & Conifers: Thunderhead Japanese Black Pine Golden Threadleaf False Cypress Blue Carpet Juniper Mugo Pine Pinus parviflora ‘Fukuzumi’ Cedars & Evergreens: Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar Cedrus atlantica ‘Sapphire Nymph’ Golden Weeping Willow Shrubs & Structure Plants: Cotoneaster Forsythia ‘Lynwood Gold’ Lotus Moon Pearlbush Inkberry (Boxwood substitute) Henry’s Garnet Sweetspire Edgeworthia chrysantha (Paperbush) Camellia (Satsuma, Buttermint, Margie, April Snow, Christmas Cheer) Pieris japonica ‘Cavatine’ Variegated Pittosporum Pittosporum ‘Wheeler’s Dwarf’ Distylium ‘Bayou Bliss’ Fothergilla ‘Legend of the Fall’ Japanese Maples & Specimen Trees: Japanese Maple ‘Bihou’ Japanese Maple ‘Viridis’ Chinese Pistache Autumn Gold Ginkgo Pacific Madrone Multi-stem Silver Birch Avalanche Birch Shidava Gold Green Bark Maple Flowering & Perennials: Lupines Astilbe Hydrangea ‘Bobo’ Hydrangea ‘Firelight Tidbit’ Little Lime Hydrangea Yarrow Peony Creeping Thyme Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum varieties) Hosta ‘Hadspen Blue’ Athyrium ‘Ghost’ Fern Ostrich Fern (establishing, struggling) Heaths, Rhododendrons & Acid-Loving Plants: Strawberry Sorbet Rhododendron Cream Crest Rhododendron Rhododendron pachysanthum Calluna ‘Silver Knight’ Evergreen Huckleberry Lingonberry Blueberry Dogwoods & Ornamental Trees: Kelsey Dogwood Arctic Sun Dogwood Arctic Fire Dogwood Grasses & Texture Plants: Elijah Blue Fescue Silver Mound Artemisia Mini Meadow planting areas Fruit & Edible Layer: Blueberry Blackberry Raspberry Other Specimen Plantings: Smoke Bush ‘Royal Purple’ Smoke Bush ‘Winecraft Black’ Styrax japonica ‘Fountain’ Arbutus ‘Marina’ Laurel hedge (structure planting) Japanese Maple selections (Viridis, Bihou) In total, this year represents a major expansion of both planting density and landscape structure — a transition from individual plant establishment toward a more complete garden ecosystem.