About the Anderson Garden Website
This website currently contains 930 pages and 1301 pictures, with more content added frequently. Scanning the site map will help you focus on those parts of most interest to you. Bookmarking favorite sections allows you to return to those areas more quickly than following page links. New pages and revisions are posted on the index page. Another good option is to bookmark this page, since it is all text and loads almost instantly, and provides quick access to all areas of the site.
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Please send comments so we can improve this site. Come and visit the garden if you are in the area.
Introduction Index page of the website
New: new pictures or pages
Revised: revised pages or replaced pictures
Features: a seasonal or special interest focus
From where? visitors, by country or university/research institution (Updating these files became too tedious, so I stopped adding new entries after 2002.)
Modified: date of latest website update
Copyright notice
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History History of The Anderson Garden in Enumclaw, Washington
Prehistory (before Springfield): A 1940 picture of my sister Nancy with a catawbiense Bob's father collected in the mountains of North Carolina, and a picture of a wild stand there
The first Anderson Garden, Springfield, New Jersey: the first Anderson Rhododendron Garden, with stone house designed and built by Bob, 1938-1961
Early black and white pictures:
The stone house: the stone house Bob built for the first Anderson Garden
Interior: interior stonework and one of the indoor gardens
Construction: construction techniques for the stone house
The builder: Bob building the house
Early family: 1940s pictures of the family in the first Anderson Garden
Early garden pictures: the first Anderson Garden
Early pictures from slides:
Background: overview
Spring in the Garden: spring pictures from the 1950s
Other Seasons: contrasting northeast seasons
Propagation: Nearing Frames for rhododendron cuttings
Specimens: various samples
The Stone House: color pictures of the house
The Anderson House and Forest in Orting, Washington: John's and Doreen's island in the sky
House: the northwest cedar house designed and built by John
Views: Mt. Rainier and the Cascade forests
Creeks: three fast moving creeks
Trails: various trail through the forests and by the creeks
Forests: old growth fir, cedar, and hemlocks 150 feet high
Rhododendrons: open, forest, and creekside plantings
Herbs: out in the open on top
Other Plants: companions
garden plan: the original landscape design drawings, aerial photo, updates
birthday celebration: sample of a garden party
Spring Tour: a tour of the garden with rhododendrons in bloom and Mt Rainier in background
Spring 2: a tour of the garden paths with rhododendrons in bloom
Spring 3: more paths
Spring 4: a tour of the lawns with rhododendrons in bloom
Other Seasons: Winter--ice storm, sunrise, sunset
More Winter: ice storm sunrise, curled frosted rhododendron leaves, winter fog
Summer: flowers, summer rain on new growth, fire
More Summer: Chinese dogwood, oaks, pines
Fall: fall color honey locust, stewartia, oxydendrum
More Fall Companions: fall color franklinia, dogwood, enkianthus, viburnum tree
Fall Color in Rhododendrons: Captain Jack, Naomi Nautilus, Tiffany, Ostbo's Red
Azaleas in Fall: Satan, Camelot, schlippenbachii
Fall Japanese Maples: large and small, light orange, red, and mixed
Fall Mushrooms: bright colored mushrooms and fungi
Companion Plants: selected trees that complement rhododendrons
Selected Flowers: unique flowers that complement rhododendrons
Selected Shrubs: selected shrubs that complement rhododendrons
Fruit/Veg/Herbs: herbs as landscaping
More Herbs: individual herbs (herb catalog coming soon)
Fruit and Berries as Landscaping: historic apple orchard, western Washington orchard
Berries as Landscaping: ripe blueberries and fall color; more berries coming
Vegetables as Landscaping: (under construction)
Work: the work of maintaining the garden
Family: four generations of Andersons
Links: Societies, Gardens, Sources, Autism, Gardening and the Environment
ARS: American Rhododendron Society tours to The Anderson Garden
Visiting the Garden: information on how to visit the garden, and pictures of visitors
Directions: Maps to the garden
Visitors 1 and 2: More pictures of visitors
ARS Visitors: Pictures of visitors from the 1993 and 1999 ARS Annual Convention tours
Red Hats: Pictures of visitors from the Red Hats Group
DESIGN ELEMENTS: Garden Plan--the original landscape design drawings, aerial photo, updates
Color: how Bob's experience in oil painting influenced his use of color in the garden
Light: using direct, filtered, and indirect light; contrast, sun angle/time of day; shadow
Movement: creating variety and surprise through the use of curves in paths and narrow lawns
Texture: creating variety and contrast, and change in garden textures
Bark: samples of unique bark texture
Mosses: sample mosses from the garden
Mushrooms: bright colored mushrooms and fungi
Form: designing complementary forms in the garden
Style: (under construction) interpreting nature--historical and cultural influences, personal expression
SPECIMENS: a catalog of several hundred rhododendron species and hybrids in the garden
COMPANION PLANT SPECIMENS: a catalog of other plants in the garden
TIPS: ideas for creating and maintaining a rhododendron garden
Good Rhododendron Mulches: benefits of various mulches and methods of use
Moving a Large Rhododendron: how and when to dig, transport, and replant big plants
Pruning Rhododendrons: how, when, why, and whether to prune rhododendrons
Making Rhododendron Furniture: ideas for building furniture from rhododendron branches
Borrowing Neighborhood Views: how to extend your garden by integrating neighbors' landscaping
Garden Paths: the different functions of main, interior, and perimeter paths in The Anderson Garden
Lawns as Garden Walkways: how lawns can be used as curving paths rather than square fields
FURNITURE INDEX: An index page to our various kinds of benches and other garden furniture. I designed
and built all but two.
How to Design and Build Unique Garden Furniture: An index of furniture building ideas
Garden Furniture Introduction: How you can build what you can't buy
Bench Design Basics: Design considerations
Materials and Finishes: Natural and available materials; finishes and preservatives
Sizing and Measurements: How to size your furniture like clothes or shoes
Making Rhododendron Furniture: An ARS article describing how to make rhododendron furniture
Another Way to Make Rhododendron Furniture: A different way to do it
Building a Large Double Rhododendron Bench: How to hold the large pieces in place while attaching the seats and backs
Attaching Rhododendron Legs to the Seat: An improved way to attach the legs while getting the seat angle right
How to Measure Table Cutouts: How to make patters and cut odd-shaped holes for protruding branches
How to Make a Bench from a Storm-Downed Tree: Using whole tree trunks to make furniture
Making Patterns for Facing Stump Chair Backs and Seats: More pattern making
Rhododendron Furniture A: 7 benches made from rhododendron wood, and a reprint of an article I wrote for the ARS Journal, "How To Make Rhododendron Furniture."
Rhododendron Furniture B : 9 more pieces of rhododendron furniture.
Storm-downed tree furniture : pieces of garden furniture made from treesdown in the 2003 windstorm
Other Tree Furniture : 10 pieces of garden furniture made from felled trees
OTHER GARDEN FURNITURE : 14 other pieces of garden furniture made from cedar decking, fence boards, and other materials
Tacoma ARS Chapter : Introductory page for the website of the Tacoma Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society (Our site is currently host.)
Meeting Information : Information about Tacoma Chapter monthly meetings and programs
News and Events : News of interest to members and a calendar of events
Spring Show : Pictures and information about our Spring Truss Show at the Puyallup Fairgrounds
Pt Defiance Rhododendron Garden : Introduction to the Chapter's project garden
Garden Map : A map of the Pt Defiance Garden, with plant list by plant number
Alphabetical Plant list : Above map with alphabetical plant list
Plant List by Area : Above map with plant list by area of location in the garden
Special Plants : Pictures of featured plants in the Pt Defiance Garden
Garden Restoration Work : Pictures and information about volunteer restoration work by Chapter members
Initial Clearing : Pictures of Chapter volunteers at work in the garden
Creating Paths : Creating the paths through the new Azalea planting
ARS Article : An article about the garden in the ARS Journal
Metro Park Cooperation : Pictures and information about the garden as a cooperative project between the Tacoma ARS Chapter and the Metropolitan Park District of Tacom
About Point Defiance Park : Background information about Point Defiance Park
Picture Storage : Storage of pictures for later use in the website