Fling 2014: Lan Su Garden


What's a Fling, anyway?  It's eighty or so avid garden bloggers converging on a city all at once to visit lots of gardens, both public and private, in a madcap whirlwind binge of bus ride, garden, bus ride, garden. 
Some of it felt like this:
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But then again, a lot of it felt like this:
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We were a cheerful and happy group.
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and
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Our first Fling destination was the only non-garden location:  Timber Press, in downtown Portland Oregon.  
We mobbed the place, ate some good food, and bought a few books.
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The garden portion of our tour began with the Lan Su Garden, also in downtown Portland.  What was fascinating:  Lan Su is very similar in style to the Huntington's version, Liu Fang Yuan. 
The tranquility of the place almost made us forget we were in the middle of a city.  Almost...
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 I had the luxury of comparing Portland's version to one I have visited many times.  The buildings, bridges, walls, stone are all in a nearly identical style.  
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The overwhelming difference is one of scale.  The Portland version is intimate--on the scale of a private garden--albeit a luxurious one.
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The Huntington's version is public-sized:  the initial phase was five acres and the ultimate size is 12 acres.  
Portland's garden can fit entirely inside the one-and-a-half acre lake of Liu Fang Yuan, with a half-acre to spare. 
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One feature of both gardens--though due to scale, Portland's was more obvious--was the use of structures to frame views.  Everywhere there were frames controlling what the visitor saw.  
Visitors were framed:
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Frames within frames.
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 Patterns within frames.
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The Huntington wins on size, but Portland's has many more interesting and more unusual plants.  
Rubus lineatus:
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Lan Su Garden, Portland OregonLan Su Garden, Portland Oregon photo chi9464_zps23109479.jpg

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Portland's of course has more moss.  
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Several very helpful employees were available to identify plants and explain features of the garden.  
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It was a great start to the Fling. 
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The fun had begun.
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Comments

  1. Beautiful views of the garden, I love the photos of the keyhole with and without the blogger framed in it. Providing the context of the garden is something I haven't seen before and I enjoyed the comparisons too although it has been years since I visited the Huntington.

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  2. So many beautiful photos. They really capture the tranquility of the garden, in spite of the many people. It was great hanging out with you at the Fling.

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    1. Great fun talking plants with you Gerhard, and your ability to fit so many plants in your suitcase is impressive. My two were a bit smashed, though they are now recovered. We Flingers were so happy and excited to be there, I thought it added a delight to the garden--a feeling of group joy.

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  3. I saw the Huntington's Chinese Garden the first time shortly after it opened and then again a few years later but I think it's time for a return visit. It'll be interesting to see how it has matured. I understand that Phase II is starting too.

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    1. Phase II is complete and Phase III has begun. The plants have matured quickly.

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  4. I really liked the intimacy of this garden! You captured some nice images, and different views from what I saw! (Great meeting you in person too!)

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    1. Great meeting you also, Alan. I hope you enjoyed the Fling and look forward to seeing your photos of it.

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  5. Great shot of Kelly, framed. I suppose what I should read here is that the next time I'm at the Huntington I need to tear myself away from the Desert Garden and visit the Chinese Garden?

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    1. Spend the day, lady, spend the day. And what about the enormous Banksias down in the Australian section that very few people go to see?

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  6. I always enjoy your point of view Hoov. I am easily frustrated by bad light , and you found a way to work with it -- I need to slow down !

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    1. Interesting you should mention the light. In that first garden I was quite surprised by the light--my perception was the light was quite different from home--much softer, if you can believe that, less glare, and less pink. Much easier to work with except where it was super shady.

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  7. So many beautiful photos dear Hoover, I really loved the keyhole with and without the visitor framed in it, also the patterns within frames, the water reflections, the light and so many shades of green.
    xoxoxo ♡

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    1. And some fun gardeners with which to visit it. :^)

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  8. A beautiful garden and beautifully photographed!

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