Philip Carey’s Garden
After moving to his adopted hometown of Morro Bay in 2008, Philip Carey began work on two parallel callings for his retirement: dedicating himself to being a full-time artist, and turning the drab weedy yard of his cottage into a vivid succulent-centered garden. He submitted a modest proposal for a small rock garden to his landlord—which was approved—and never looked back, spending the next 14 years expanding and diversifying the garden with plants from his favorite local nurseries as well as his travels. He added new rocky “escarpments,” a fish pond (which unfortunately had to be converted to plants-only after repeated raids by hungry local wildlife), and a shady bamboo grove, interspersed with art pieces including murals, sculptures and other artifacts (including a set of decorated “totems”). In 2012, the SLO Tribune published a profile of Philip’s garden and artwork called Turning Dreams into Reality.
Once per year he invited friends, relatives, neighbors, and just about anyone he met in his travels to a lively “Cactus Bar-B-Q,” which grew to include music, craft projects, and a plant sale, and was a chance to show visitors all the new artwork he’d been creating in his studio. It was always a quintessential Philip Carey Morro Bay event!
Fortunately for us, he documented his progress extensively, so please enjoy a virtual stroll through the garden below!
