Trees…I bought a new one!

November 1, 2013, 8:23 am

≪ Previous: But it looks dead! (my favorite plants in the garden on Halloween)...

I’ve been contemplating what to plant when the privet comes out next spring, you know, to have a bit of a plan to work from so I don’t go all crazy and impulse buy (haha). However there was one specific tree I knew needed to be included; the Cutleaf Emperor Oak, or Quercus dentata 'Pinnatifida.’ I’ve been hunting for one but was finding only gallon sized plants, since it’s a slow grower I really hoped to start out with something larger. Online search results kept turning up a local wholesaler, Buchholz & Buchholz, and it just so happens my friend Heather has an “in” there, so last Friday she borrowed her guy Greg’s truck and off we went…

We checked in at the office and asked about the oak. Sure enough, they had several and they were HUGE, well 6 ft tall, which counts as huge for this tree.

Beautiful fall color? Not so much.

Still I was very excited and selected my tree, then of course we had a look around. I don’t recall which sequoia this is (we looked at a few, Heather might have been contemplating a purchase) but that’s some nice fall color!

And cute cones too…

The white sky and silver needles on this Korean Fir combine to give me a winter chill.

Wait! There goes my tree!...

I'm sure everyone has those moments in their life, when for whatever reason, they feel just a little more adult than they did the second before. This was one of those for me, holy cow! I'm buying a tree that's being moved by forklift! Never-mind that Heather and I were able to lift it out of the truck just fine and I moved it around at home with a hand truck, here a forklift was used and that makes it a special purchase.

Look at that mahonia! It's huge...

Schizostylis coccinea

These were quite the shock of color and so delicate among all the trees and shrubs.

It was so chilly that morning for a moment we were tricked into thinking that might be ice on the pond, thank god it wasn't.

I looked at the name on this beauty, but forgot it before I could share it with you.

Heather pointed out the flat conifer in the front looked a little like a sombrero....

While I admired this handsome fellow who just happens to go by the name Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Wissel's Saguaro' damn, I might need one.

So we've made our selections and they're both tucked in the truck, Heather's is Thuja orientalis 'Franky Boy' who's having about the cutest bad hair day ever.

Leaves are dropping from my oak like crazy, I grabbed a couple to show Andrew later as I assumed it would just be a stick by the time we made the drive back to Portland.

But no! A few leaves remained. Look at that cute, silly, little thing, dwarfed by the doomed privet.

I also grabbed a not yet brown leaf from a group of smaller plants in a greenhouse, perhaps there is hope for a bit of fall color next year? Oh and I found something else interesting. If you look up this plant on the Buchholz & Buchholz website (here) and click through to the 7th image you'll see something resembling catkins, could it be? Has anyone seen them in "real life?" (*update, duh...evidently that's how all oaks bloom, thanks Peter!)

New tree safely at home I thought I'd take a moment to admire my first tree purchase and think about how much he has grown, oh Clifford. That's when it occurred to me, I think of my garden as having just this one tree the Magnolia macrophylla. Lots of shrubs, but just the one tree.

When in fact there's a Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica, against the house), and for that matter an Embothrium coccineum (front and center) which has grown from about 15" tall to over 8 ft tall just this year...

Wait, in fact there are two Loquats, this one hiding under the privet, waiting to grow strong and tall.

And of course the Albizia julibrissin 'Summer Chocolate'...

Oh and need I mention all of these are in my back garden and just feet away from each other? I'm going to turn into that crazy tree lady after all!!!

All material © 2009-2013 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

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Visiting Kubota Gardens...

November 4, 2013, 8:14 am

≫ Next: I’m thinking of a number between 1 and…

≪ Previous: Trees…I bought a new one!

A good friend of mine in Seattle has raved about Kubota Gardens for years. He’s invited me to their spring and fall plant sales, which unfortunately always seem to happen on a busy weekend when I can’t get away. Faced with the long drive back to Portland I decided to make a quick stop there last Sunday, before hitting the road.

This sign (below) doesn’t have quite the style the top one has does it? But it is important because it lets you know the garden is owned by the City of Seattle, as such it’s free and dogs are even allowed in the park!

From the city’s website: “Hidden in South Seattle, Kubota Garden is a stunning 20 acre landscape that blends Japanese garden concepts with native Northwest plants. The city acquired the property, which is an historic landmark, in 1987 from the estate of master landscaper Fujitaro Kubota. Kubota was a horticultural pioneer when he began merging Japanese design techniques with North American materials in his display garden in 1927. The Gardens are a spectacular setting of hills and valleys, interlaced with streams, waterfalls, ponds, bridges, and rock out-croppings with a rich array of plant material.” There is a lot of history on the garden, and its creator Mr. Kubota here.

Most of the time I felt like the only person in the park. There was a light rain falling and it was chilly, but the parking lot was full so I know there were others there, somewhere.

This has to be the most beautiful Garrya elliptica I have ever seen, it was perfect!

So many times their leaves are rather tattered and spotty, not these.

Plus it helps to have a beautiful orange accent wall next door.

That creepy mass in the corner had a cut out window in it.

Of course I had to take a peak.

I’m feeling pretty smug that I picked a late October day to visit. I’m sure it’s beautiful year round but the wow factor is definitely turned up a few notches with the fall color.

This guy caught my eye, anybody know what it is?

I love its color and squiggly branches…

As I was taking this shot a crane flew overhead and landed in the tall blue tree about center of the photo. I almost tried to capture it in flight, instead I just put the camera down and watched.

He hung out here for awhile, I hoped he'd fly back towards me but when he finally took off it was in the other direction.

This is one of the things I loved about this garden, picnic tables! You're actually invited to hang out and enjoy the space. A Japanese garden without the formality.

Of course there was plenty of lawn in which to relax too, I wonder if they irrigate it during the dry summer months?

At times the paths seemed like they would dead-end without taking you anywhere.

But then you'd round the bend and a view would unfold right in front of you.

This tree was even more fabulously mossy in person.

And in this age of lawsuits and crazy safety measures it was fun to see a narrow walkway over a pond, which you could actually walk across and just maybe slip and fall in...

I wondered how long the log would last with water flowing through it. Then I noticed they'd cleverly put a galvanized pipe inside.

Nightmares, a spooky Blue Atlas Cedar cave! Dare I enter?

I did! It was actually pretty neat inside, and tall enough that I could stand up straight.

All good things must come to an end, and this is the end of my visit. The next time you find yourself in Seattle you really should stop by Kubota Gardens!

All material © 2009-2013 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

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I’m thinking of a number between 1 and…

November 5, 2013, 8:09 am

≫ Next: Wordless Wednesday, oh Clifford…

≪ Previous: Visiting Kubota Gardens...

A couple weeks ago The Outlaw Gardener mentioned he had 32 agaves in his collection. That sounds like a lot doesn’t it? Especially for someone who lives in the Pacific Northwest.

At last count my agave collection (I hate that word, collection, but I can't think of a better one) numbered about 108. Lord knows I’ve acquired a few more since then. But just how many?

I decided to count. Anyone care to guess?

I counted ones in the ground…

Ones in containers…

Ones inside (for the winter)…

And outside…

I counted pups, but only if they’d been separated from mom.

And crazy collections like these (which I think have already rooted, btw) were only counted as one.

Are you ready for the scary numbers?

Front garden, in the ground = 31
Driveway in stock-tanks and planters = 7
Back garden, in the ground = 42
Back garden in containers (mostly in the s.p. greenhouse) = 22
Under lights in the basement = 49
Upstairs near windows and on the mantle = 6
For a grand total of… 157

How on God’s green earth did that happen? Seriously.

So, those of you with a plant passion: like Scott (grasses), Louis (palms), Deanne (bromeliads). I dare you to count. I beg you to count. Insanity loves company don’t ya know…

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Wordless Wednesday, oh Clifford…

November 6, 2013, 8:13 am

≫ Next: A year of favorites…

≪ Previous: I’m thinking of a number between 1 and…

(Clifford is our Magnolia macrophylla)

All material © 2009-2013 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

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A year of favorites…

November 7, 2013, 8:13 am

≫ Next: I bought a plant at Walmart, do you still respect me?

≪ Previous: Wordless Wednesday, oh Clifford…

It’s been a year now, since I started posting a weekly “favorite plant in my garden.” I was pretty sure I’d have no problem coming up with a favorite each week, and I haven’t. In fact most weeks I didn’t set out to find the “fav” but rather just found myself admiring something and realized it was the one.

This week’s fav, Agave gentryi 'Jaws,' got shoved aside a few weeks ago. After I’d taken these photos the Echium candicans 'Star of Madeira' stole my heart, then Halloween week called for its own speical feature. However I’m taking blogger license (that’s a variation on artistic license) and featuring it now. Why? Mainly because it’s gorgeous and deserves a little recognition, but secondly, the sun…

This was one of the final warm sunny afternoons I spent writing on the patio, I took plenty of breaks to stop and look around. Soak it all up so I could bring back the memory when faced with the long grey days of winter ahead. The lower sun angle fell across ‘Jaws’ in a way it hadn’t before, illuminating its blood-red tipped teeth.

Agave gentryi 'Jaws' is an introduction from YuccaDo Nursery. About the name they say: “this selection was made because of the size and arrangement of the teeth which with time, as the leaves fold and die, resemble the death grip of a shark.”

Funny they don't mention the blood.

I’m amazed at the growth ‘Jaws’ has put on this year, he enjoyed the summer heat.

As did I.

I’ve got another ‘Jaws’ in a container, an insurance plant of sorts. He seems pretty happy there, although he’s staying smaller. The fine folks at Arrowhead Alpines must also keep ‘Jaws’ contained because they have this to say: “A dark green agave so thick and rubbery that it almost looks fake, with dramatic teeth on the leaf margins that give it its name. Spectacular when combined with ominous music and sprinkled half-hidden in the garden where it can consume unsuspecting visitors. Not even close to hardy for us, but like all agaves, incredibly easy to overwinter. Just bring it inside, give it a little light, and stop watering until spring. You get a wonderful, sculptural houseplant for the winter, and your kids will finally learn to stop rough housing when they get accidentally impaled on one of the spikes.”

The stats:

hardy in zones 7b – 10b, although winter wet can kill it no matter the temperature
eventual size 2-4 ft tall, 3-6 ft wide
likes sun
tends to be a solitary plant, doesn’t pup freely like other agaves

One of the unexpected benefits of my weekly plant posts is that many of you have joined in with your own favorites. It’s a great way to be introduced to new plants and learn what makes them a star in the garden, so thank you for jumping on board, here’s to another year of favorites!

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I bought a plant at Walmart, do you still respect me?

November 8, 2013, 8:24 am

≫ Next: Filling the void…

≪ Previous: A year of favorites…

I live a charmed gardening life. Within easy driving distance of my home are a multitude of exceptional independent nurseries and garden centers. I support them with my blog and (god knows) my money. Not everyone is so lucky.

Take Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, population 6,411. As a previous blog post has shown the town isn’t exactly overflowing with gardeners, but for those that do want to buy a few plants, where do they go? The obvious choice would be Buffalo Bill's Exotic Cactus Ranch (I visit every time I'm in T or C), but beyond that what is there? Drive 2 hrs north to Albuquerque? A little over an hour south to Las Cruces? Yes, both of those are options but there’s another…Walmart. I know, I can’t believe I just typed that and no, I'm not endorsing the biggest box store of them all. I'm just saying that in a small town you take what you can get.

When we were in T or C at the beginning of October for my father-in-laws funeral I made repeated runs to Walmart to get things which were needed for a house full of people. Truth be told I also found a little bit of peace among the plants. I didn’t expect for them to have such a great selection, but they did. Euphorbia ammak variegata...

The label caught my attention, it's a shrub! Of course it is in its native area, I just don't think of it that way.

Euphorbia abyssinica

Euphorbia trigona rubra

Plain old Aloe vera, and a lot of them!

Opuntia 'Baby Rita' is the plant I broke down and bought, so cute and colorful. Plus it's theoretically hardy here in zone 8...

It was nice to see a few things being sold which should/could withstand the winter temps in T or C. After all their average low in December and January is 28 F, with records in the single digits and under.

There was even a palm being marketed for its cold hardiness.

Mammillaria gracilis var. fragilis

Echinocactus grusonii

Aloe brevifolia

Tropical!

And a few plants I would expect to see being sold at every Walmart across the country.

Caesalpinia pulcherrima bloom (Mexican Bird of Paradise), you do see these around town where there's been an attempt at gardening.

Not so much for the tropical looking cordylines.

This one I almost tried to haul home.

The flowers started out pink but the older ones faded to orange. Not at all hardy so I decided to wait until spring to try and find one.

One other image from my visit(s) to Walmart, found in the produce department...

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Filling the void…

November 11, 2013, 8:09 am

≫ Next: The Cowboy’s Garden

≪ Previous: I bought a plant at Walmart, do you still respect me?

Andrew is fond of saying “nature abhors a vacuum and so does Loree.” While I might debate him on that, after all I recognize a good design must include negative space, I do understand his point. I tend to maximize plants per available square inch.

So you can imagine how depressing it is for me to be faced with empty plant hooks on the front of our garage for the entire winter. Hooks which support succulent filled pottery for the summer months, containers and plants which must be protected from cold and wet.

But what to do? Have you spent much time shopping for stylish hanging planters? They are very hard to find. When you do find them they are usually made of material that cannot withstand a freeze, as well as being expensive. I was determined to find a weather safe and attractive alternative. Local shopping turned up nothing exciting so I looked to the internet, Lee Valley to the rescue! Well sort of.

I found these adjustable, stainless steel hanging cables: “cinching hanger converts virtually any rimmed container into a hanging basket or planter. Quick to adjust, it securely holds containers up to 12" in diameter and supports up to 20 lb.” At $10.50 each (+ shipping) they weren’t cheap but I figured I could get a lot of use from them so I splurged. Still I needed to find a container.

Just when I was about to settle for an okay plastic container at Home Depot (plastic is not really acceptable in my book, so you know how desperate I was) I spotted a stack of recycled tire containers at Garden Fever. I’ve loved these odd containers since I first saw them years ago. They’re black, strangely stylish (IMHO) and they’re made of tires! So wrong, and yet so right (yes I’m thinking of all those horrific tire planters you see in people’s front yards). I’d never bought one however because of the way they’re assembled (sheets of rubber connected with screws), they don’t set flat, the puckered bottom makes them tipsy. But that wouldn’t be a problem if they were hanging right? And that method of construction left plenty of gaps which should make drainage a breeze…sold!

I bought them but no plants to fill them with, not yet. I needed to try them out and see if the slight flare at the top was enough for them to stay securely in the hangers. Close, but I think they're going to work.

Then came the fun part, plant shopping (in November!). Initially I was leaning towards hardy succulents but then I decided to challenge myself to go a different route.

A drastically different route since I tend to shy away from containers with multiple kinds of plants stuffed in them, I'm a one plant - one pot sort of girl.

For the large container I went with Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum venustum) and three Wickwar Flame Heather (Calluna vulgaris)…

This is my first ever heather purchase and the only reason I had to have it was that color! I realize it won’t look like that year round but for now I’m in love.

The little container has a couple Sea Gold Sedum (Sedum rupestre ‘Sea Gold’) and a Red Hook Sedge (Uncinia rubra ‘Belinda’s Find’).

The sedge is my only borderline hardy choice, but I couldn’t refuse that color. All of these will be planted in the ground come spring (when the succulents can go back up on the hooks).

It’s so much nicer to walk out the backdoor now and see these plants where there was just a void…

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The Cowboy’s Garden

November 12, 2013, 8:23 am

≫ Next: The tree with a hairy leg...

≪ Previous: Filling the void…

When last we joined the early September/Kitsap Peninsula adventures of my garden blogging friends and me we had just left Celestial Dream Gardens. The plan was to journey on to WeHoP (Western Horticultural Products). We’d called our hostess to let her know we were on our way, but then an interesting opportunity presented itself. As my friend Peter said “So, There was This Good Looking Cowboy Standing by the Side of the Road.” Truth be told we’d noticed him, his truck full of plants, and “Rare Plant Sale” sign, alongside the road on our way into Heronswood. We agreed a quick stop wouldn’t be a bad thing…

Well as you may have read on the blogs of my travel companions that cowboy was Shanye Chandler a plant nut who has been plant-exploring with Dan Hinkley and designs and maintains gardens for a living. He invited us back to see his garden…this was either going to end very badly or…

Very good!

You just never know when someone offers to share their garden with you. Is it going to be a petunia and plastic chair wonderland, or this...

We got lucky.

Not only was the garden amazing but our unexpected host could not have been more gracious. He answered every question we had (sometimes twice or three times when different members of our party happened upon a cool plant) and seemed to really be enjoying himself too.

I snuck a peak at the tag of this one, cleaverly hidden just inside the pot, Puya venusta, and it looks like it flowered...

So many fabulous plants, and we're just starting to realize this is a very big garden.

That hebe again...

And some of my group in the distance along with Shayne, in the cowboy hat (of course)...

The garden is both contained by, and extended by, the huge old growth evergreens beyond what is cultivated.

This picture cracks me up. I've just caught sight of the biggest Schefflera delavayi I've ever seen and yet these three are looking at the ground!!!

It was majestic!

As were the multiple palms...

And if I remember correctly the big leafed plants are baby magnolias.

That dark leafed creature caught my eye immediately.

It's a rhododendron right? Anybody able to give me a name? (I was too overwhelmed to think to ask while there)

I thought that pathway would lead back around to where we started and that would be the end, but no! There is another leg you can't see here which doubled back and took us to another section of the garden.

Ah my oak! (Quercus dentata 'Pinnatifida')

I am 90% in love with Trochodendron aralioides (Wheel Tree) but there is a little part of me that just isn't so sure. I think it's because the leaves are so glossy, they look a little plastic.

There were several echium, E. pininana I believe.

And of course an agave collection!

I loved the arching grass behind the agaves, acting as a graceful backdrop.

The agave collection was just off the side of this party pavilion. What a nice place to spend a warm, but rainy day.

And there was an onsite nursery of sorts, it was hard to resist the urge to go poking around through all the plants. I behaved myself, no doubt many of these treasures were destined for a garden nearby.

I believe this is the same dark leaved rhody (?) as in the earlier photo?

Another schefflera...

We're back up on the other side of the house now and things are about to come to an end.

It was hard to tear ourselves away.

What a lucky group we were to be invited to tour this amazing private garden. Thank you Shayne!

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The tree with a hairy leg...

November 13, 2013, 8:13 am

≫ Next: Euphorbia ‘Blackbird’ is my favorite plant in the garden, this week…

≪ Previous: The Cowboy’s Garden

Oh the unexpected benefits of walking a dog. She pauses, I pause.

She takes care of business I look around.

And see this…

A furry tree trunk! Seems the grass next door found a welcome spot for its tips and seedy bits to land.

I wonder what things will look like come spring?

I’ll be watching…

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Euphorbia ‘Blackbird’ is my favorite plant in the garden, this week…

November 14, 2013, 8:21 am

≫ Next: Bloomday for November, 2013

≪ Previous: The tree with a hairy leg...

While picking up more of Clifford's fallen leaves my eye was drawn to the Euphorbia 'Blackbird', behind the agaves.

I bought two small 4” plants last spring at Xera Plants (no, not all of those plants are mine)...

Planted them and promptly forgot about them. How could I forget about a plant with such beautiful color?

Ah heck, you know how it goes. So this is the other one, it doesn’t get nearly the sun and is much smaller than the one in the back garden.

Its color is about the same though, which is interesting, this is the one in the back garden, the one that caught my eye. It gets a lot more sun (and rain, as you can see by these photos).

The Xera description: "For drama in spring nothing beats Euphorbia. This selection has deep maroon leaves and in early spring clouds of burgundy-tinted chartreuse flowers. A clumping shrubby evergreen perennial to 2’ tall and a little wider. Full sun and well drained soil with a light summer water. An excellent perennial that is good looking year round. Drought tolerant when established and excellently adapted to our climate. Mix with mid-spring bulbs for a fantastic effect." Here’s an image of the flowers taken from a Bloomday post on May of 2012 - that particular plant was dug and tossed shortly after, the aphid infestation just got too nasty.

That’s my main issue with this plant in general, the aphids love it! The stats:

hardy in USDA zones 6a-10b
stays compact at 12-18” tall and 12-18” wide
drought tolerant once established, and likes the sun
as with all euphorbia the sap is toxic and an irritant, keep off your skin and away from your eyes

What's your favorite plant in the garden this week?

All material © 2009-2013 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

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Bloomday for November, 2013

November 15, 2013, 8:07 am

≫ Next: Agave crop circles

≪ Previous: Euphorbia ‘Blackbird’ is my favorite plant in the garden, this week…

In my garden November’s Bloomday seems to be much more about what has been and what will be than what is. I'm not complaining, just stating the facts. First we'll look at what has been. Chasmanthium latifolium...

Clematis tibetana var. vernayi

Disporum cantonese 'Night Heron'

Mahonia gracilipes, it's as colorful as a flower - don't you think?

And on to what is, is in bloom I mean. Abutilon hybrid 'Fairy Coral Red'

Callistemon ‘Clemson,’ going for a third round of blooms.

Fatsia japonica

Close-up

Grevillea victoriae 'Murray Queen'

Mahonia fortunei 'Curlyque'

Musella lasiocarpa, in it's final push to open all those yellow petals.

Rosemary (bad bad photo!)

Salvia discolor keeps pushing out the blooms. By the way these don't make great cut flowers, I tried.

Sedum 'Autumn Joy'

And what will be, weather permitting for some. Acanthus sennii

Arctostaphylos x ‘Austin Griffiths'

Edgeworthia chrysantha 'Nanjing Gold'

Grevillea 'Peaches and Cream'

Grevillea 'Superb'

Grevillea juniperina ‘Molonglo’

Mahonia x media 'Charity'

And finally, Tetrapanax papyrifer, this year I've got a couple of plants trying to bloom. This one is in the front garden and I've seen more than a couple people stop and stare. I love that!

So that's a wrap on my Bloomday experience. As always visit May Dreams Gardens for links to all the bloggers participating this month.

All material © 2009-2013 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

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Agave crop circles

November 18, 2013, 8:16 am

≫ Next: Celebrating a birthday

≪ Previous: Bloomday for November, 2013

Scanning the captive agaves the other day I noticed the lower leaves of this Agave parryi var. neomexicana turning an ugly shade of blackish purple.

After pulling it out for closer inspection I realized the problem was pretty advanced. Damn. This one was a gift and the very image of perfection when I received it last summer. Past experience has shown if I remove all the rotting leaves and get the plant completely out of the soil and let it dry up it can usually be saved. I’d started to do just that but then began to get creeped-out by the mini crop-circles stippled on the leaves.

What the heck?

What’s at work here?

I want to try and save it, after all it is (was) a gorgeous plant, and it's already having babies. But fear it might not be a good idea if something really nasty is taking over. What do you think?

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Celebrating a birthday

November 19, 2013, 8:16 am

≫ Next: Fatsia polycarpa 'Needham's Lace' is my favorite plant in the garden (this week)…

≪ Previous: Agave crop circles

I’m going to start this post with a bit of a disclaimer: if you're not a dog person, or at least a pet lover, you’re going to be rolling your eyes and thinking me insane. You’ve been warned.

We recently celebrated Lila’s 12th birthday. The celebration traditionally includes a small smoked dog bone from a nearby butcher as well as an “adventure” which for her means a ride in the car and a walk in a new neighborhood where there are lots of unfamiliar places to explore, bonus if there are piles of leaves too (pretty easy this time of year). Since Andrew and I were interested in lunch we inquired at McMenamins Chapel Pub and were told we were welcome to set with her outside and they even brought us a heater! Here's the birthday girl and, well, her "dad"...

We ordered just after a group of 25 (baby shower) so it took awhile for our food to arrive (and who am I kidding, MeMenamins is hardy known for speedy service). While waiting, and enjoying a fine glass of wine, I admired the plants from our table tucked just under the eaves. The leaves of their Catalina Ironwood (much funner to say than Lyonothamnus floribundus var. asplenifolius) looked so pretty silhouetted against the white sky.

And even better when I finally got up to walk around and explore a bit.

Tiny cones on a Metasequoia (I think?)

Well what have we here?

A major case of zonal denial! Acacia cognata Cousin Itt, I believe.

Only hardy to 20 - 25F this will be a grand test. A little urban heat island might be enough to keep it alive, if we have a mild winter.

Speaking of mild, the colocasia are still looking good.

This Schefflera taiwaniana was transplanted after a new patio installation was completed earlier this summer. I've been watching to see how it responded. It's not thrilled with the move but doing okay.

It looks like it will be fine long term.

This (on the right) is the biggest Edgeworthia I've ever seen...there could be entire villages lost in there and nobody would know.

No wonder I love the McMenamins plantings...they practice the same "cram-it" style of gardening that I do.

Up close on the right I think that's a Grevillea australis...

I'm only beginning recognize this one so I could be wrong.

Mahonia x media 'Charity', I believe...

And lordy! A gorgeous callistemon ( 'Woodlander's Hardy Red' perhaps) being swallowed by Muehlenbeckia axillaris...oh the horror!

A horror I feel personally as it nearly happened in my garden. I still love Muehlenbeckia axillaris but realize now that it's bent on world dominance.

Seriously.

Thankfully the callistemon seems to be doing just fine, thank you very much.

Flaming ginkgo, with a lovely blue powdery base.

The sexy smooth bark of an Arctostaphylos.

Brachyglottis greyi (Senecio greyi)

Behind the Chapel Pub is an on-site nursery of sorts, I enjoy peeking through the fence to see what they've got going on back there.

Fabulous still life with an over turned rusty cabinet, water pitcher and 4" plant pot...

And off in the distance I discovered a bit of a new plant obsession. Look how those large leaves change color from the top to the bottom of the plant. Any guesses? I inquired and was told Daphniphyllum macropodum. Instant plant lust for sure, even though some may refer to it as the Redneck Rhododendron...

The building next door has been boarded up for sometime.

But the interesting plantings continue down the street and around the corner.

I wonder what they'll do with this space someday?

These sad little opuntia are planted completely around the corner and ripe for vandalism. So easy to pick a pad and toss it.

Opuntia get no respect!

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Fatsia polycarpa 'Needham's Lace' is my favorite plant in the garden (this week)…

November 20, 2013, 8:09 am

≫ Next: Visiting Western Horticultural Products…

≪ Previous: Celebrating a birthday

As we enter this time of short, mostly wet days it’s the plants I can see from the windows and doors (as I come and go) that get the most admiration. This is the view from one of our bedroom windows as I make the bed each morning…

Fatsia polycarpa 'Needham's Lace' or as I’ve read it called on UK plant forums Fatsia Polycarpa Edward Needham form.

Here’s the view from the driveway into the back garden. There’s no missing this plant whether you’re inside the house or headed out to the car!

The reason it’s planted so prominently (literally “in your face” if you’re walking into the back garden) is because it was only a tiny thing when I brought it home in March of 2011 (below, a gift from Sean at Cistus Nursery) and I wanted to be able to see those gorgeous leaves…clearly not a problem anymore!

This plant seems to still be rare and as such it was hard to track down much information to share with you. However in my experience it’s quite comparable to the better known Fatsia japonica, in other words easy schmeezy. Here’s a description I found from the UK, on eBay of all places - auction ended May 19, 2013:

RARELY SEEN HERE IN THE UK - Edward Needham Form
Fantastic unusual plant new to cultivation in the UK, endemic to the high hills of Taiwan this hardy evergreen is a must for all those who know and love plants. Like the more easily found Fatsia japonica, it can grow tall (perhaps 3-5 metres like a small tree) in sun or partial shade. There are 2 plants in the picture - my own larger one which is to give a good idea of how yours will be after it ages a bit more and to see the beautiful dark leaves which become huge with about 5-10 lobes per leaf divided nearly to the base. The plant I'm selling is the one next to it which is well rooted in a 3.5" pot. Apologies for the damp photo - this is Cornwall at the moment! Grown predominantly for its exotic year round leaves there are small white flowers which appear in dense panicles in the autumn.
(the auction photo is still up if you want to see it, I wasn't able to copy it)

Why do I love this plant? The deeply cut leaves primarily, but the color variations in the foliage is lovely as well. The new leaves emerge a bright fresh green…

And eventually age to a darker green which makes the yellow veins all that more prominent.

Heck I even love the trunk, now that it has one.

I’ve been toying with the idea of moving it this spring, since it is a little close to the walkway. Then again as it grows taller and loses its lower leaves it won’t be a problem. So what plants are you grateful for in your garden this week?

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Visiting Western Horticultural Products…

November 21, 2013, 8:10 am

≫ Next: When my Amsonia hubrichtii grows up and other random things…

≪ Previous: Fatsia polycarpa 'Needham's Lace' is my favorite plant in the garden (this week)…

I first met Sally Priest of WeHoP at the Farwest Show in 2012; the cool plants in their booth stopped me in my tracks. Once I started chatting with Sally something clicked and I just knew this was a cool company. When they got wind of us garden bloggers making the trip up to the Heronswood open garden and plant sale in September they invited us over to see their operation and even put out a fabulous snack spread for us to munch on (after all plant shopping is hard work).

WeHoP “is a Pacific Northwest plant broker for wholesale growers, grower/retailers
and retailers.” They bring up exotic plants from growers in California like San Marcos Growers and Monterey Bay Nursery. At Sally’s place in Poulsbo, WA, they trail various plant combinations in the idea garden and maintain a small group of greenhouses, which also serve Sally's other project - filling the signature blue pots in downtown Poulsbo. That’s Sally in the black and white tee and Tonya (WeHoP Marketing Director) in orange.

Because of the time of year we visited (early September) the greenhouses were mostly empty. Still we poked around and found some treasures.

Synadenium grantii Rubra

Leucadendron 'Jester' I believe. What I don't believe is that I left without it.

Another lust worthy Furcraea...

Adenanthos, I think maybe A. x cunninghamii.

It was time to leave the greenhouse area and venture back to the garden. I regret not getting a shot of the beautiful spread, but we were all so ravenous we kind of attacked it.

There was even entertainment! Diego was a charmer who wouldn't take no for an answer. Look how big that stick is...

Gorgeous containers were everywhere...

Seriously!

Grevillea 'Austraflora Fanfare'

Cutie!

Sally and Tonya also announced the beginnings of another company, Petula (the sign on the gate across the bridge reads "the future"). No doubt this will mean even more fabulous plants available to us here in the PNW. You can read more about their plants and plans here, on their blog.

Black Tulip Magnolia

Red Buckeye, Aesculus pavia

Another mixed planting.

Grevillea 'Ned Kelly'

Adenanthos sericeus (Coastal Woollybush) is the star here.

Gomphrena 'Pink Zazzle'

In case you haven't already figured it out Sally has a lot of fun here in the idea garden. These are small glass votive holders she filled with succulents, stuck in chicken wire and framed.

She certainly has a way with mixed plantings doesn't she? And a dramatic flair with display. What a fun visit, thank you ladies for inviting us, I hope to come back again next year!

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When my Amsonia hubrichtii grows up and other random things…

November 22, 2013, 8:11 am

≫ Next: Far Reaches Farm, stop #6 on our Kitsap Peninsula plant adventure…

≪ Previous: Visiting Western Horticultural Products…

Ah the beauty of a mature clump of Amsonia hubrichtii in the fall...

I stopped by a friends house to snap a couple of photos of a different plant but was stopped in my tracks by this beauty. When mine grows up I want it to look just like this!

Another day, another errand....I stopped by Digs Inside & Out to see what was new, it had been too long. They had a few of these wide-leaved kalanchoe with just a single baby plant on the tip of the leaves.

Pretty cute.

Next stop, Lan Su Chinese Garden. I was on a mission (more on that below) but have a few favorite plants I like to visit when I'm there. This Daphniphyllum humile is one of them...

Not quite as fabulous as the variegated one I'm on the hunt for, but still pretty gorgeous.

I forget which mahonia this is (in bloom across the pond), but was looking pretty gorgeous too.

This was my mission. I wanted to check in on their Quercus dentata 'Pinnatifida' and see if it had lost all of it's leaves and what the structure of the plant is like. Glad to see it's a little goofy looking too, just like mine.

The fallen leaves look good...

I must find one of these Loropetalum chinesis (the dark foliage). Several of you suggested it when I asked for ideas on hardy, dark, "evergreen" foliage. I guess I'm finally ready to take the "fringe flower" plunge, so sexy!

Now we are at the glamorous offices (sarcasm) of Kaiser Permanente, where they're mocking me with a Daphne x houtteana...

I think I'm finally ready to take the plunge on this one too, price be damned. What was it the Outlaw said the other day? So many plants, so little garden...

Our last stop on this whirlwind tour, Cistus Nursery...

It was a very fuchsia-colored day.

Also a bit of a sad day, seeing the plants tucked in the pavilions. But at least they can stay toasty and dry in there, and they're still shop-able!

Agave 'Burnt Burgandy'...sexy!

Cannas and eucomis...

Whoa! New grevillea crush! This is G. 'Pink Pearl'...

Pink!? Why pink. Damn. Still that foliage is fabulous.

It was Yucca rostrata madness under the big-top. So many, and all with distinct personalities.

Standing right here is a great cure for the fall/winter blues, much cheaper than a flight south.

Echeveria 'Doris Taylor'

Yes the blue really was that intense...

In closing a photo of perhaps the only place in Portland, Oregon, where you can actually sit under an echium...

I should have asked if they planned to take it inside for the winter or if it had outgrown it's time in the big-top and was going to be left to face the elements. If so I wonder what it looks like now, since we've had a hard freeze?

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Far Reaches Farm, stop #6 on our Kitsap Peninsula plant adventure…

November 25, 2013, 8:17 am

≫ Next: And finally, The Desert Northwest...

≪ Previous: When my Amsonia hubrichtii grows up and other random things…

Continuing our day-long nursery/garden adventure my garden blogging friends and I piled back in our cars (after wrapping up our visit to WeHoP) and headed for Far Reaches Farm in Port Townsend, WA. True Kelley and Sue were selling plants at the Hersonwood open and sale but that was just a tiny fraction of what would be available at the nursery, how could we not visit?

If I remember the story correctly the husband of an avid Far Reaches shopper paid to have the green roofed pavilion built. He wanted a shady place to rest while his wife shopped. Now the rest of us benefit from his generosity.

The view from the pavilion area...

But let's do what we came here for...shop!

Yay! I've been hunting for this for awhile (I had one years ago, it died). From the label: "Architectural botany. This Mexican Sea Holly brings the exotic right into your garden. From a basal rosette of spined leaves arise tall stems bearing silver-white flowers reminiscent of Proteas. These last for a couple of months and are great dried. Fertile well drained soil."

Ptilostemon afer, a biennial thistle relative. And no, I did not accidentally leave out any letters from that name.

Ah the sexy leaves of the Schefflera macrophylla...

So very beautiful...

So very impossible to find! This one was growing in their display garden, not for sale. Which was actually a good thing because had it been Peter and I might have come to blows.

Super tall Pseudopanax ferox.

I think if I had to spend much time in a lath house on a sunny day I would get a very bad headache!

What a remarkable clump of Pyrrosia sheareri! They say: "Collected in Taiwan by gifted plantsman Steve Doonan, this amazing Fern is hardy to at least single digits. This is a locally famous fern frustratingly slow to propagate and always red-lining the Plant Lust meter. We've cornered the market so get 'em while you can! Easy in morning sun/shade."

Cute! Hakea epiglottis (below), a member of the Protea family and it's hardy (Z7): "So happy to finally offer this hardy evergreen member of the Tasman Protea family. Been smitten with this for years seeing it thrive in the UBC rock garden. Texture like no other. Small curly white flowers with a gentle fragrance. Good drainage and low water. Spurned by deer."

Okay to be honest I wasn't really up on my game as far as photo taking in the nursery was concerned, it had already been a long day. I paid for my purchases and then wandered back to get some photos of the plants we saw on the way in.

I'm thinking that must be Kelly and Sue's house, with the orange chairs on the porch? If not whomever lives there is lucky to have an amazing nursery in their back yard.

Rosa sericea ssp.omeiensis f pteracantha, or as I remember it the Wingthorn Rose.

Quercus dentata 'Pinnatifida'...

Piptanthus nepalensis var. tomentosus: "Our collection from Yunnan in 1997 of this cream of the crop higher elevation Piptanthus. Imagine our excitement seeing just 3 plants growing in a rubble outflow at the base of a steep hill after hours of walking across the valley of the Gang ho ba. Great silvery silken trifoliate foliage and large yellow pea flowers. This makes a multistemmed rounded shrub to 6' tall in our border. Most folks mistake it for a shrubby Argyrocytisus (Cytisus) battandieri until it blooms with flowers evocative of Laburnum. We've grown and killed several collections of the green-leafed P. nepalensis but this variety (which we have offered in the past as P. aff. tomentosus and much earlier as P. forrestii) is far hardier having withstood early November 14F with strong winds despite not being hardened off as the previous week had been in the 60's. Thanks to Grahame Ware for sharing recent research in the genus and hopefully nailing down the correct name. With botany however, never say never."

Pretty cool right?

Well here's where we transition into what I bought, and I bought one of the Piptanthus. Actually from Far Reaches at the Hersonswood sale, I felt even better about my purchase once I saw the huge plant at the nursery. Here's mine awaiting it's eventual planting in the spring.

I also picked up another Pyrrosia sheareri, my first purchased in the spring at the HPSO Plant Sale has done fabulous and I "needed" another.

Naturally I grabbed a couple of the Eryngium proteiflorum...

And one of the Hakea epiglottis too...

This one, Lomatia tinctoria (center in the photo below) wasn't on the sales tables but I'd seen it earlier that morning in the Outlaw's garden and he'd mentioned they might have it. I asked and just like that one appeared! "Guitar Plant. Choice evergreen Tasmanian Proteaceae family member whose vaguely guitar shaped flower buds open to a wild riff of white flowers that will have you playing the air trowel. Hardy to a normal zero degrees and drought tolerant when established. Needs no fertilizer."

And this plant, Salvia clevelandii 'Alpine Form', I smelled way before I saw it. I grew one of these a few years back but it died after a particularly wet and cold spring. Here it was, that lovely warm sunny fragrance yet again: "From the town of Alpine at 8000' in southern CA comes this selection of one of the most powerfully fragrant of the CA native sages. The leaves on this woody 3' shrub scents the air and begs to be fondled. Whorls of blue flowers in late spring. Hot, sunny, and lean soil. Dry when settled." I grabbed it. However a word to the wise, what's a wonderful scent in the garden becomes a little overwhelming in an enclosed car for a three hour drive...

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And finally, The Desert Northwest...

November 26, 2013, 8:11 am

≫ Next: In a word, cold.

≪ Previous: Far Reaches Farm, stop #6 on our Kitsap Peninsula plant adventure…

A couple days before our Kitsap Peninsula adventure I got an email from the organizer, Peter (aka The Outlaw, but you probably already knew that), asking what time I needed to be back to Tacoma to meet up with Andrew. He'd hatched a plan and wondered how late was too late. Then he told me he'd emailed with Ian at The Desert Northwest, who just happened to be having an open nursery event that day in Sequim, just 45 minutes or so beyond our last stop, Far Reaches Farm. Ian was willing to stay open a little later and Peter proposed visiting. YES!

To say I was excited was an understatement. The highlight of the day just went from seeing Heronswood for the first time to visiting The Desert Northwest, and I am not exaggerating. In fact I was so excited to be there I took very few photographs. No pictures of the overall greenhouse set-up. No pictures of the sign, as I usually try to do. That's why I ~~stole~~ borrowed the DNW logo from their website to use at the top of this post. It just seemed wrong to launch right into the plant pictures without any sort of introductory photo. Hopefully Ian won't mind and do something crazy like ban me from ever purchasing plants from him again.

So enough chatter, let's get on with the visit! Here's Anna checking out some fabulous plant treasure. I hope she won't mind when I say watching her see these plants for the first time was great fun. I heard her exclaim "oh what's that!!?" several times.

Naturally there were agaves...

Some of my favorites even.

I'm thinking a puya? I emailed Ian to get specific names on a some things but forgot to ask a few, like this one.

Pseudopanax ferox, I never tire of the colors.

Alison and Peter shopping in the background.

Banksia pilostylis...

I should give you a little background on The Desert Northwest, in case you're not familiar with them. From their website: "We are a specialty nursery located in Sequim, Washington, dedicated to the production and promotion of noteworthy water-wise plants! Here you can find a wide range of interesting and hard to find treasures, such as cold-hardy desert plants, plants from the Southern Hemisphere, Mediterranean plants, dryland native plants, and more. Founded in 2005, Our aim is to show Northwest gardeners how to make plant selections that require little or no summer water once established. We specialize in mail-order, as many of our plants also offer excellent performance, or potential, outside the Pacific Northwest! We propagate and produce all of our own stock here at our nursery in beautiful Clallam County, Washington, without the use of chemical fertilizers or pesticides. We also offer seed of some plants."

There is also this: "Our web site is also intended as an informative resource for those who wish to learn how to grow various kinds of unusual plants, especially xeric plants and others adapted to our summer-dry climate. Please enjoy the photo galleries, blog, and plant articles on the site! We hope you learn something interesting while browsing through our pages, whether it be about rare plants, gardening, or our climate."...it's true! The amount of information available on the website is amazing.

Here Anna is holding Banksia grandis. I bought one of these from Ian at the spring Hortlandia sale in Portland. I think he plans to return to the sale this April.

Grevillea 'Poorinda Royal Mantle'

And a flower...

Banksia blechnifolia

Banksia cunninghamii...

Pure madness, in a good way of course!

Another Leucadendron jester, I believe.

Protea punctata (dried flower) with Leucadendron laureolum (narrower leaves, on the right).

Grevillea lanigera 'Mt Tamboritha'

Ficus afghanistanica 'Silver Lyre,' I don't think this one was for sale - I saw a tag from another nursery (one I frequent) in there. I'm glad I took a photo though, it's a beauty and one Andrew Keys introduced me to during his visit to Portland last summer.

Okay finally what did I buy? Well not as much as I would have liked to. The fact this trip was done in September not May had a dampening effect on my desire to purchase. Plus there was the budget, always the budget (and as you know if you've been following along I had been buying plants ALL DAY LONG!). So I picked up a Banksia blechnifolia, I bought one last spring but it sadly turned crispy when I (stupidly) left it in the hot sun while it was still in it's little 4" container (my excuse is I was stuck in jury duty). It's spending winter in the shade pavilion greenhouse.

My second purchase was a happy coincidence. Remember when I saw this Microcachrys tetragona earlier in the day at Celestial Dream Gardens but couldn't buy it because they didn't have any?

Well something possessed me to pull out the scrap of paper the name was written on and ask Ian if he had one. He did, sold! His description: "Microcachrys tetragona - STRAWBERRY PINE - From the windswept heaths of Tasmania's rugged highlands (I say that whenever I get a chance) comes this unique coniferous shrub that doesn't really look like anything else. It is thought to be a relict from a larger group of plants that was once widespread throughout the Southern Hemisphere. Making a low shrub to an eventual 2' tall and perhaps 3 - 4' wide, its fine, whipcord-like branches are a rich shade of deepest green. In the garden it tolerates sun or partial shade, and while it is easy to grow and moderately vigorous, I would not expect great drought tolerance since it comes from a region of high rainfall. The common name alludes to the female strobili which are bright red and resemble little berries."

So ends our day-long plant buying adventure. Judging by the car it was a very successful day...

But wait there's more. I shared the back seat with a few plant passangers...

This eucalyptus was particularly friendly.

We wrapped up the day with a lovely dinner before Laura, Charlie and Anna had to hit the road back to Portland. Peter, Allison and I just had to trek to Tacoma. If I recall it was about midnight when my head hit the pillow, a very long day having left Portland at 5:30 that morning, but oh so worth it!

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In a word, cold.

November 27, 2013, 8:11 am

≫ Next: I’m thankful for…

≪ Previous: And finally, The Desert Northwest...

Last week saw the coldest temperatures of the season, a low of 26.6 in my garden. I know that's not cold by most standards but hey, I'm a wimp! The cool-down had been predicted, and so I had plenty of time to get prepared. I thought I was, but then I saw this. How could I have completely forgotten about the Echium candicans 'Star of Madeira'?

It would have been so easy to turn an old terra-cotta pot over this guy...

The one in the back garden looks a little better, it might make a recovery. It was so beautiful, and sadly too big to have been easily protected. I enjoyed it while it lasted.

Earlier in the season I considered digging the Salvia discolor and trying to over-winter it, but I'd pretty much decided not to. Now the final decision has been made for me. Truth be told I'm kind of glad as I think the brown and white coloration post-frost is quite gorgeous.

I cut a branch and brought it in the house, it filled the room with that lovely decaying, fall, smell.

There will be no Acanthus sennii flowers for me. By days-end the stems had turned mushy and fallen over.

After taking the photo above I turned back towards the salvia to see Lila drinking from the previously iced over rain gauge, which had melted in the sun. Evidently water tastes better when it's not in her bowl.

She did attract my attention to this purple cordyline I picked up for cheap last spring. Experience says theses aren't at all hardy but this one still looks good.

When I looked out early in the morning the Melianthus major 'Antonow's Blue' foliage was all limp. It perked up with the rising temperatures.

And the Sedum rubrotinctum still looked good.

Not so for the bits of Blue Senecio - it's not happy. Ah well, I took a lot of cuttings, it couldn't all be saved.

The Phylica pubescens from Annie's was untouched.

But just a couple of feet away the lawn was locked in a frosty state.

Duh, I meant to wrap the trunk of my in-ground tree fern. I guess better late than never.

Elephant ears (colocasia) look even more like their namesake once hit by frost.

Grevillea rivularis (lacy foliage, upper right) looks good, Aloe maculata not so much. When the leaves turn solid green they've frozen.

It didn't occur to me until after the second cold night that I'd completely forgotten about the Echium wildpretii. How could I? So easy to cover! I had four of them, this was the biggest. Hopefully it will pull through, hopefully they all will.

The dark leaf cannas actually get even better after a freeze, that is until their leaves turn to mush and the stem collapses.

Ever the tough guy my Mangave 'Macho Mocha' shrugged off the cool temperatures.

Although this split in the fleshy leaf is new, perhaps a little frost damage.

And once again my hope of seeing Tetrapanax blooms has been crushed, the buds are droopy and that's never a good sign.

Finally I'll end with an image of a tree just up the street. Perhaps it's done this before but this is the first year I've noticed the ombre coloring with super dark maroon leaves at the top, shading down to yellow-green at the base. It's way more dramatic in person, but hopefully you can appreciate the show.

So that was the first round, I'm currently hearing scary things about next week. The "S" word is being mentioned. Temperatures in the teens (and lower) are being discussed and the two worst words in the English language (arctic air) are being used with frightening frequency. I'm seriously wondering how I would go about constructing a heated dome over my garden, Andrew's handy...

All material © 2009-2013 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

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I’m thankful for…

November 28, 2013, 8:07 am

≫ Next: Banksia marginata is my favorite plant in the garden; this week.

≪ Previous: In a word, cold.

Pinterest! Every once and awhile I notice there’s a pin on Pinterest sending a lot of traffic to my blog. Of course I have to go see what image is creating the stir, a couple weeks ago it was this one…

Oh the horror! That was our house and garden in March of 2011. The post the photo came from was a "before and after" when we removed the inherited camellia (it's already gone in that image). I am thankful that someone thought it worth their time to pin that photo and tag it “pieres tree” (Pieris japonica I presume, there was a pair), after all its reminded me just how far we’ve come and how different everything looks now compared to just a couple of years ago. I am thankful for dark brown paint and time for plants to grow! Here's a photo taken this week, to illustrate the difference…

Looking through the original post I also cringed at this one (there's the camellia with pink blooms - just right of center)…

Here's the "now" - oh and I should also mention when the above photo was taken I was starting on a front yard overhaul, having lost a lot of plants in the previous cold winters and deciding to go an entirely different direction.

Besides being thankful for Pinterest I am also thankful for the important things; my health, my family and friends (both my in-person friends and my online friends) and this wonderful life I am able to live. I am fortunate. Thank you for reading and I wish you all a most wonderful Thanksgiving holiday if you are celebrating.

All material © 2009-2013 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

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