Heronswood is not known for rock gardening. This 15-acre botanical garden on the Kitsap Peninsula in western Washington State is more often associated with the activities of its founder, the plantsman Dan Hinkley, and the far-flung plant menagerie he built through numerous expeditions around the world. Much of the Heronswood campus is covered in a native tree canopy – Douglas fir, grand fir, western red cedar, and hemlock – creating a cool, shady environment in which Dan’s collections of hydrangeas, mahonias, woodland lilies, and ferns thrive. Not an obvious location for a rock garden! And yet, in the winter of 2020/21, a rock garden began to emerge in a corner of the Heronswood parking lot.
