By Carolyn Barnes

Roominations

The month of May brings so many wonderful garden tours. I had a feast of garden delights this year, starting with the Filoli Flower Show 2001. The annual two-day event features a flower show of perfect specimens from private gardens, a plant show of unusual container plantings by private estate and botanical garden plantsmen, an array of flower arrangements throughout the Filoli mansion, and special “tea party” garden vignettes scattered through the gardens.

Probably the most memorable sight of the day, as always, was the view of the sunken garden, abloom in pale yellows, blues and purples, down the allee of yews toward the coastal hills: wave after wave of color and clipped greenery, backed by nature’s own magnificent landscape. But the rose garden was also a wonder, with every bush and climber in bloom. This was an opportunity to compare and contrast the qualities of different varieties of roses in every conceivable color and to write down the names of likely new adoptees.

I’ve been wanting a new yellow rose for the last couple of years and decided the “Graham Thomas” offers what I’m looking for: the “right” shade of yellow for flower arrangements - not too strong; very deep green, healthy foliage; and a wealth of blossoms on every bush. On the north side of the sunken garden at Filoli, a row of “Graham Thomases” has been planted in the perennial bed, combined with blue, purple and cream annuals and perennials.

The next garden thrill was viewing the 32-acre former Spanish rancho in Woodside owned by Lurline Coonan, daughter of the Roths, who were the last private owners of Filoli. Coonan’s property is mostly woodland, on the east side of Highway 280. It was open for one day only, to support the Garden Conservancy, a national organization dedicated to the preservation and enjoyment of fine gardens.

With its 90-year-old colonial-style home and period garden structures, the Coonan property is a remnant of an era that will never be seen again in Silicon Valley. Here, too, the roses were spectacular in their formal, fieldstone-walled garden, divided into parterres. A central circular bed was planted with yellow roses and each of the four outer beds was filled with identical pink roses. Then, around each of the four outer walls, were roses of many different hues. With its brick paths and two rose-covered entry arches, this was heaven on earth.

Another structure I loved was a wooden “cabin” picnic shelter with an interior like a Swiss or Italian mountain cabin: built-in corner cupboards, a huge stone hearth (a barbecue was built into the chimney on the outside of the three-walled building), and a sink and serving counter. With the open wall facing the rose garden, this made an ideal spot for sometimes-foggy Peninsula summer nights - you would feel as if you were dining outdoors, but with a roaring fire nearby for comfort.

There was a willow arbor covered with kiwi vines in another garden area, with rustic willow benches for reading and eating kiwis in season; a few steps in another direction, a year-old knot garden of herbs and boxwood had already filled in amazingly well.

Finally, I joined a busload of Palo Alto Garden Club members to explore some interesting East Bay gardens. The romantic old garden I will never forget from that excursion is the Blake Garden, which surrounds Blake House, the official residence of the president of the University of California, located at 70 Rincon Road, off the Arlington, Kensington; phone (510) 524-2449. It is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., but not weekends or university holidays.

This 11-acre garden was designed in the mid-1920s by Mabel Symmes, the first woman graduate of the UC Berkeley School of Landscape Architecture. Symmes was the sister of Mrs. Anson Blake, who, with her husband, built the house and garden. As owners of the largest East Bay quarry of the time, the Blakes had unlimited access to stones and stonemasons, who created the artistic paths, terraces and garden features that are now complemented by gorgeously mature trees, hedges and planting beds.

The Blakes deeded their property to UC in the late 1960s. It is a jewel, with spectacular views of San Francisco Bay and the City. Unbelievably, The now-lush hillside was just wind-swept grassland until the Blakes started planting.

Most of the plants, trees and shrubs are labeled, so you can take home the names of attractive specimens. If you want to assemble a group to view the garden, you may call and make arrangements for a well-informed volunteer guide.

Carolyn Barnes lives and gardens in Los Altos.