Garden
Continued from page 9
Seaside Downtown Develop-
ment Association.
The two-hour stroll begins
at Beach Books, at the intersec-
tion of Broadway and Holladay
Drive, at 9 a.m. — or 8 a.m.
if you want to enjoy a catered
breakfast and a slide show talk.
The gardener responsible for
the design and upkeep of these
gardens for the past 20 years
is Pam Fleming, of Nature’s
Helper Landscaping, and she
will be your tour guide.
She’ll take you along Broad-
way, past the classic buildings of
the Gilbert Block, and when you
come to the Necanicum River,
she will gesture to the scene.
“Take in the view,” she says.
“The gardens connect to the old
buildings, the trees, the river
and our beautiful old Broadway
Bridge. There’s a whole land-
scape. You can imagine you’re
in some European city.”
Begin to look carefully and
you will see an amazing variety
of plants, all of which Fleming
can describe in detail. She can
also tell you how she has coped
with wind and salt air, how col-
ors and textures contribute to
garden design, and how she has
chosen plant groupings that look
good year-round.
Notice also how Fleming has
designed the gardens so their
colors complement those of the
nearby shops, how herbs are
featured in gardens in front of
restaurants, and her little joke: in
front of the bars there are thyme,
nicotiana, and love-in-a-mist.
The Downtown Garden Walk
may be less comprehensive than
Music in the Gardens, but no less
informative. The two tours com-
plement each other because they
are both about the problem every
gardener faces: how to create
something of beauty out of the
space and materials available.
And if you steal an idea or two,
who could blame you?
Photos by Dwight Caswell
Pam Fleming, of Nature’s Helper Land-
scaping, designed and has worked on the
downtown Seaside urban gardens for the
past 20 years. She will lead the SDDA Sea-
side Downtown Garden Walk July 26.
Marla and Gary McGrew use whimsical pots and trellises made from old wooden ladders
in their peninsula garden.
dinin g out
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July 16, 2015 | coastweekend.com | 15