Visiting the garden of Keeyla Meadows, during the 2013 Garden Bloggers Fling…

December 26, 2013, 8:27 am

≫ Next: Wandering a Bay Area neighborhood…

This is exactly the garden I would expect from the woman who wrote Fearless Color Gardens: The Creative Gardener's Guide to Jumping Off the Color Wheel...

Subdued and understated, no. Exuberant and embellished, yes.

While it is way to chaotic for my personal taste I loved visiting. How can you not enjoy a space that is such a reflection of the owners style?

And of course it was full of beautiful plants.

And while there was a riot of color all around you the colors all played nicely together and transitioned perfectly from space to space.

Keeyla kindly opened her home and studio for us to wander through, even the second floor balcony off her bedroom. With my background in (and love of) lighting design these fixtures caught my eye.

What wonderful light to fall asleep under!

Outside on the balcony, looking down on the garden, it was shocking to see just how small the space was (and I totally missed that outdoor shower until looking at my pictures)...

I think you could visit this garden everyday for a month and still not take it all in, there were decorative touches everywhere!

I spotted Keeyla's vehicle on the street. Thank you for opening your colorful garden to us Keeyla!

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Wandering a Bay Area neighborhood…

December 27, 2013, 8:12 am

≫ Next: Buffalo Bill’s Exotic Cactus Ranch, again (yawn….)

≪ Previous: Visiting the garden of Keeyla Meadows, during the 2013 Garden Bloggers Fling…

While I loved the excitement of three intense days spent touring gardens and nurseries with my fellow garden bloggers during the Fling, I finally hit the wall in Keeyla Meadows’ garden. Too much!!! I needed a little alone-time before we got back on the bus, so I wandered around her neighborhood a bit enjoying the silence.

Just for a bit though because I was soon joined by Scott, Peter and Alison. Seems they needed to get out too. I have fond memories of the four of us just wandering up and down the street. We even happened upon a house for sale and toured through it, oddly I didn’t take any photos. Maybe because I had gone photo-crazed on these trees just minutes before.

They were amazing...

A little Callistemon-ish...

But that bark!

The four of us were unable to come up with a name for my new obsession, but I later shared a bit of bark I'd picked up with KS of Gardenbook. And in fact she walked back down to look at them with me and came up with the name Melaeuca, part of the Myrtaceae family.

My research has been unable to get a definitive ID, the best I've come up with is Melaleuca quinquenervia (Punk Tree) or Melaleuca armillaris. Neither of those seem quite right though.

So beautiful!

I eventually tore myself away from the mystery Melaleuca and we wandered back down the street. That's Keeyla Meadows house again...

Whoa! That's a huge Eriobotrya japonica!

That tiny person in the lower left isn't a child it's Peter (the Outlaw)...

The homeowners even modified their fence to fit around the tree, love that.

And there was fruit!

Here's an interesting fence style.

A little too rustic for my garden, but I bet you could get some nice vines growing through there.

Finally it was time to get back on the party bus and continue the adventure (on another day)...

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Buffalo Bill’s Exotic Cactus Ranch, again (yawn….)

December 30, 2013, 8:07 am

≫ Next: Green-wall and more, another post freeze follow-up...

≪ Previous: Wandering a Bay Area neighborhood…

During our mid-September trip to Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, we stopped in at my fav, Buffalo Bill’s Exotic Cactus Ranch...

Or rather we stopped by twice. The first time they were closed due to the flooding…

Flooding caused by monsoon rains, which made these ocotillo look wonderful with their lush green leaves...

The second time we stopped by, they were open! I think Andrew is pointing at that fabulous Pachypodium lamerei...

The *yawn* in the title of this post is making fun of Andrew who, when he saw me taking pictures, asked “You aren’t going to post about this place again are you?”

The answer was yes, of course! Sure I posted about our visit last January but that was months ago...

Bad blurry picture but I had to include it if only to mention that I finally bought one, Kalanchoe tomentosa 'Chocolate Soldier'...

I bought a much smaller version of this Euphorbia trigona 'Ruby' when we visited in 2011, sadly it's dead now. It never really recovered from being shipped home.

This was my other purchase for this trip, Mammillaria gracilis var. fragilis...

Opuntia rufida minima monstrose (Mini Cinnamon Cactus)

The laminated sign in the center of this grouping reads "Landscape Outdoor Cacti," I think the owner is trying to inspire the locals to plant...

I used to not care for the woody base of old opuntia, but I've grown to admire them.

This amazing hot pink cactus (there were several) had no label. I tried to get a name from the owner but he was busy with a couple who were picking out curiosities to take home.

The female half of the couple later dumped her purchases on the ground as they were leaving. She managed to catch one of them with her hand, which was then covered in glochids, not a great introduction to cactus!

Echinopsis melanopotamica

There were so many things I wanted to take home with me!

But once again we were flying and had limited ability to return home with plant purchases.

Someday...

In the mean time I'll always have the pictures...

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Green-wall and more, another post freeze follow-up...

December 31, 2013, 8:21 am

≫ Next: Happy 2014...

≪ Previous: Buffalo Bill’s Exotic Cactus Ranch, again (yawn….)

Remember that green-wall I spotted last summer? I was excited it was nearby so I could keep an eye on how it performs over the seasons. Well I'd actually kind of forgot about it, until I drove by last week and there it was! Considering our recent cold snap it looks pretty good, although I'm not sure what the story is with that white bit of fabric in the upper left-hand corner.

And the plants towards the top, which were flowering blue in September, are crispy critters.

Still it's not all bad. I'll give it a "B-" for now...

Back in my own garden it's become obvious the Cordyline australis are indeed melting. That color, it's just not healthy...

And the one on the edge, the most exposed, has flopped. Ah well, it was fun while it lasted.

I've also discovered a little tip die-back on the Callistemon pityoides 'Excellent'. Overall it looks healthy and I'm sure it will be fine, I needed a push to prune it anyway. But see that golden smudge in the background, just to the right of the dead tip? That would be my Banksia marginata, it's not looking good, it's that golden brown color all over.

There's also a small Trachycarpus that's not looking good (several brown leaves), the Chondropetalum elephantinum has turned black, and my (fairly recently purchased and not yet planted) Drimys winteri var. chiloense is loosing its leaves. But heck if we're going by the meteorological calendar there's only 2 months left of winter!!!

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

↧

Happy 2014...

January 1, 2014, 8:01 am

≫ Next: Aucuba japonica ‘Longifolia’ is my favorite plant in the garden, this week…

≪ Previous: Green-wall and more, another post freeze follow-up...

Wishing all the best for you and yours in the New Year!

(Lila may have celebrated a little too hard last night)

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Aucuba japonica ‘Longifolia’ is my favorite plant in the garden, this week…

January 2, 2014, 8:14 am

≫ Next: Well, lookie there...

≪ Previous: Happy 2014...

During our little arctic nightmare in December I remember casting a glance at the Aucuba japonica ‘Longifolia’ and wondering if they were going to make it (I have three). None of them were protected (after all they are supposed to be hardy to USDA Zone 6) and they all looked positively miserable. Thankfully they’ve all bounced back without a bit of damage. This one has been in the ground for almost 2 years, planted from a 1 gallon container (please ignore the dried-up persicaria leaves that I haven't managed to clean up yet).

With our continuing fog cover and strange light conditions I couldn’t get a decent photo of any of them, they really are a rich dark glossy green. This is the oldest, planted in the spring of 2011, also from a 1 gallon container.

Why is this plant deserving of the “favorite” title? They power through a long hot summer never asking for a thing. Planted in deep shade they get by on very little water, all the while looking fabulous.

They are already starting to bud-up…

Here’s an older image of the flowers, small but sweet. Last year a couple of red berries formed as well.

My three plants all came from Xera Plants here in Portland. Here’s their description: “Shiny, dapper and always glossy green this form of Acuba is often overlooked, but it’s a supreme shrub for dry shade. Long slightly indented leaves have a willowy effect and add light and grace to woodlands, especially where greedy roots take away soil moisture. To 8' tall and 5' wide in 5 years. Small flowers are not conspicuous. Easy to grow, hardy to cold. Pairs well with Rhododendrons and as a not too dense backdrop. AKA 'Angustifolia'.”

If you're between USDA Zones 6b - 9b and need a fail-proof shrub (with biggish leaves) for dry shade I recommend this one. It's a beauty. Any favorite plants in your garden this week?

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Well, lookie there...

January 3, 2014, 8:14 am

≫ Next: The Vercler Castle

≪ Previous: Aucuba japonica ‘Longifolia’ is my favorite plant in the garden, this week…

Turning the basement plant lights on one morning something caught my eye, a very slight pink tint where there never has been...

Looking down into the cup formed by the leaves I was surprised to see this...

I bought this bromeliad labeled as a Neoregelia hybrid.

Since I'm no expert that's what I've always believed it to be.

But this strange bloom has be thinking otherwise. After all to the best of my knowledge Neoregelia blooms happen within the cup, you have to look down to see the tiny flowers. This one was definitely not staying put.

After a little research (the book Bromeliads for the Contemporary Garden once again proving to be extremely valuable) I've decided this is actually a Billbergia, perhaps B. brasiliensis.

Watching the bloom spike grow has been very entertaining.

We missed a few days since we went away for Christmas...

But thankfully bromeliad blooms go on for days. The first picture was taken on December 21st, this one on the 28th...

If the container the plant is in wasn't so large I'd haul it upstairs where I could better appreciate the show.

This photo is from New Years Eve. I keep waiting for the blue bits to open and curl back...

Finally! A New Years Day gift...

I think this is a sign it's going to be a very good year in the garden.

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The Vercler Castle

January 6, 2014, 8:09 am

≫ Next: Adiantum venustum is my favorite plant in the garden (this week)…

≪ Previous: Well, lookie there...

Our Christmas was spent in Spokane, WA, visiting my family; it was all very low key and relaxing. In other words exactly what we needed. The one thing my parents insisted we absolutely had to do was drive by “that house.” I asked what exactly made it “that house” and all my mother would say was “you’ve never seen anything like it.” I asked “good or bad?” and she replied “I just hope you have your camera.” Well of course!

With a build up like that I didn’t know what to expect, then we turned the corner…

Did you notice the guy up at the top of the column on the right (in the green jacket, above)? That’s Jeff and this is his home and creation, seventeen years of work. When we first pulled up I was dismayed that he was up there working, after all how was I going to take pictures when I was being watched? Thankfully he was okay with me taking photos and even offered to give us a quick tour. Score!

Jeff is a welder and has done all of this work himself, I could have spent hours photographing the details and asking him questions. As it was I did manage to inquire about his inspiration and I was told he spent a lot of time reading books and magazines and looking around the internet. Andrew asked what he called it and Jeff said “The Vercler Castle,” Vercler being the name of the street.

Later we did some online research and discovered the house was included in the book “Washington Curiosities, 3rd: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff” I found an excerpt from the interview: “Jensen is a welder by trade and says the idea to start adding brick turret like structures and generous amounts of ironwork to the outside of his home didn't come to him in a middle-of-the-night dream or from a struck-on-the-head vision. "I was out in the yard one day and needed a trellis for my ivy and gourds and other vines to grow on. So I built one. And then I built more." Eventually came multiple brick and metal turrets, giant planters shaped like medieval cauldrons, a guard house and other castle like features. "Inside it looks like a regular house," says Jensen. "But outside, yeah, I guess you could say I'm the man who turned his house into a castle."

We're now at the back of the lot, and new construction is obvious. There was a covered walkway leading out to a framework yet to be finished.

That's frozen water under the stairs, and the cannon-like pipes on the left spray water in the warmer months.

Looking back toward the house...

I didn’t manage to get a great photo of those gourds Jeff referenced, many of which were still hanging on dried vines (you might have noticed them in a few photos). All the golden foliage told me this would be a very different place to see in the spring, or early summer. Perhaps I’ll have to visit again the next time I’m up that way (here are some greener photos I found online, although these are from back in 2011 and a lot seems to have changed since then).

Those fiberglass planters were huge, easily 2.5-3ft across, Jeff said that's Virginia Creeper growing in them.

The metal sided building you can see within the brick and metal fence is the actual house.

This is a view of the top of the house.

How many turrets (or more properly "turret-like structures") do you count? I see 9 in this photo alone...

The quality of the construction and repeated details say this isn't just some crazy project gone astray but a man with talent and vision who's realizing his idea of how things could be.

Even more turrets...

Look at those crazy planters on the left...

This was such an amazing gift to see and tour with its creator, a place I will not soon forget.

Oh and remember the shot I started the post with - Jeff at the top of the unfinished turret on the right? Will actually it was finished but he's been ordered to take everything down to 3ft at the front of the property, so he was up there knocking down what he worked so hard to create. Building code ya know...

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Adiantum venustum is my favorite plant in the garden (this week)…

January 7, 2014, 8:16 am

≫ Next: Plant Jewels of the High Country

≪ Previous: The Vercler Castle

This week’s favorite is easily overlooked most of the year. It’s small and kind of fragile looking; so much so I was sure it couldn’t be hardy when I first saw one. But it is, rock sold hardy to Zone 5a and evergreen into the mid-teens…

My Adiantum venustum weathered that sub-freezing week in December and a night at 12F and still looks good. These two were planted (too close together) last spring. When I say it’s easily overlooked it’s mainly do to my cram-scaping. The taller plants grow up around it and it becomes hard to see. Right now when most have them have died back I find myself wishing I had more (and looking at this photo wishing I'd taken the time to clean up a little)…

It’s the black wiry stems that really make this plant for me. They act as the perfect counterpoint to the small green leaflets.

They look great in containers too.

The only time they don’t look great is when the gardener neglects to give them the moisture they need over a long dry summer. These are on the north side of the house and I just didn’t pay enough attention to them.

Still they are kind of pretty with the mosaic of different colors, just not as lush looking as the ones up top.

The stats:

also known as Himalayan Maidenhair Fern, and yes, it’s native to the Himalayas
hardy in USADA Zones 5a-8b and prefers light shade with plentiful moisture, although some sources say it can tolerate dry soil when established (which I guess is why my two oldest plants are still alive)
eventual size 6-12” tall, 2-3’ wide
new growth is said to have a warm bronze blush but I honestly don’t recall seeing it

I might cut these two back hard in the spring and hope they quickly bounce back to their nice 2ft wide mound, only with bight green foliage (they’ve been in the ground for a little over 2 years, starting out from a small 2.5” container).

Do you have a stand-out plant in your garden this week? Please tell us about it!

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Plant Jewels of the High Country

January 8, 2014, 8:07 am

≫ Next: What if there was always a blue sky above?

≪ Previous: Adiantum venustum is my favorite plant in the garden (this week)…

I picked up ‘Plant Jewels of the High Country’ at Powell’s Home and Garden Thanksgiving weekend. As a used book (published in 1972 by Pine Cone Publishers in Medford, Oregon) it was a bargain. Once I got home and started reading I realized just what wonderful little time capsule I’d found.

The author, Helen E. Payne and her nursery Oakhill Gardens, in Oregon, seem to have both passed on in the 42 years since this book was published. Whoever owned this copy was a fan of both Helen and her nursery. The book is autographed by the author and taped just inside the cover is a post card (shown below) featuring a green roof at the nursery, which Helen writes about in the book. Referencing semperviviums she says: “One of the most fascinating things about these plants is their tremendous will to live. I have known them to put out roots in midair, to root to a damp board and even on a bare rock. On tending to our sempervivum and sedum display beds, I often find myself with a surplus of plants. Once when carrying a “chick” which I planned to pot up, I paused to help a customer. I put the “chick” down in the nearest place, which happened to be a lava rock. Now, a year later, it is firmly rooted and surrounded by a family of chicks. As a further experiment, I tossed plants onto the metal roof of another shed which had a thin skim of fallen leaves, dust and totted branches from our towering oak trees. When the shed was torn down two or three years later, to my amazement I found that several of them had made large, healthy mats. Now I am in the process of planting sedums and semperviviums directly in the mossy limbs of an ancient oak tree which grows within a few feet of our back door.”

The printed text on the back of the post card reads “Oakhill Gardens – a garden in the European style. “Hen and Chicks” (Sempervivums) are grown on roofs from Norway to Ireland as a guard against lightening or a charm against the devil”

The book dedication reads “To Slim (her husband) without whom this book could never have been written” and just under in a cursive script there is a note added (presumably by the books former owner), it reads “who died 2 ½ years ago – (July 1989 today).”

The book is full of hard earned wisdom and a few signs of the time. For example in the introduction we are told “In order to keep the price of this book as reasonable as possible ($15), the number of color plates was necessarily restricted. While the decision to not show some items was arbitrary, other photographs were not easily available.” We live in such a different time, color images surround us.

Writing about her beginnings…“A windfall, a very small inheritance from a great-aunt whom I had met only once, and I had a small greenhouse built. Looking around the 12 foot by 20 foot space, I wondered how it would ever be filled. This is a standard reaction, no matter what size the greenhouse. I became interested in propagating azaleas and camellias, and before long the greenhouse was full and overflowing. The next step… a small nursery business.”

And going into detail about the semps… “The mother hen will usually bloom in its third or fourth year. Let it. If you want to see the bloom, but don’t let it go to seed. Sempervivums cross as readily as fleas in a hopper, but the seedlings are seldom as fine as the named hybrid plant. Remove the flowering stem by running a sharp knife around the base of the plant, creating a small hollow. Add a tablespoon of soil to this hollow and place one of the chicks in it so that an ugly bare spot is not left. If it is a good sized clump with many chicks, they may usually be gently pulled or twisted around until apace is closed. The blooms of the smaller sempervivums may be snipped off with scissors since their stems are more slender.”

There is also a healthy section of the book devoted to sedum. Talking about propagations she notes: “It has been said that most succulents can be propagated from leaves or parts of leaves. This is not true of sempervivums or hardy sedums with the exception of Sedum dasyphyllum glanduliferum. All the hardy sedums must have stems and leaves. No sempervivum can be propagated in this manner. You must use one of the offsets or “chicks”. A further word of caution: do not set the rosette too deep. Many people do this thinking that they are protecting the plant, instead of which they are inviting rot.”

On pg. 117 I came face to face with proof that there is really nothing new “Discarded farm plow discs make excellent planters. Ask or them at a farm machinery supply store. Be sure that the outside edge is not dented or too badly worn.” And here I thought plow disc planters were a relatively new idea!

Inside the book I discovered a pair of articles cut from our local newspaper, The Oregonian. Dated July 21, 1989 and June 8, 1990 they both carry the byline of Dulcy Mahar. I only know Dulcy as the author of a much loved column which appeared weekly in the Homes and Gardens section of the paper. It was interesting to learn she was once a reporter for the paper. Here's a photo of Mrs. Payne...

There is a sizable section of the book given over to descriptions (and a few photos of) select semps and sedums and then the book wraps up with 15 pages devoted to sharing her experiences collecting plants in the field (a fun read). Finally tucked in before the requisite credits, bibliography and mentions of specialists and collections, is a page that says simply "To see..." followed by a list of 11 scenes such as:
...a preview of spring in the returning color of the sempervivums;
...in the shining mountains of the Sierra Nevada, obtusatum growing on a white granite ledge;
...spathulifolium purpureum shining blood red in a spring rain;
...from season to season, the folding and unfolding of the lunar rosettes of Silvermoon...

I wish I could have met Helen E. Payne.

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

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What if there was always a blue sky above?

January 9, 2014, 8:11 am

≫ Next: A sunny Saturday in New Mexico…

≪ Previous: Plant Jewels of the High Country

After weeks of fog and solid cloud cover here in Portland we finally enjoyed a few (mostly) sunny days last weekend. It is amazing how a blue sky above takes a weight off my shoulders and the blinders off my eyes. Everything is brighter and so much more seems possible. Thinking about this I remembered a couple of photos I took at the Albuquerque airport last fall…

That’s the ceiling in a restaurant we stopped to eat at. I guess they are trying to make their customers feel they don’t have to rush outside to enjoy the New Mexico sky?

It was shortly after arriving home from that trip that I saw an ad for Sky Factory in a magazine, they produce these kind of installations. While their about us blurb is a bit canned (“Our business is to provide you with the highest quality Illusions of Nature™ and to do so affordably”), and the artists statement a bit grand, the idea has my mind working on the possibilities. Just look at all the sky images available (jungle canopy! tropical trees, blossoms and palms!)…or what if you could submit your own images? I would like an image of Clifford's leaves and a summer blue sky…

Or maybe Clifford and one of the neighbor's conifers?

Or what about the Albizia julibrissin 'Summer Chocolate'…

What if there didn’t have to be those silly dividing panels and it was a thin sheet which could be applied like wallpaper on your ceiling? Oh and what if the sun would rise, shine and set all right there on your ceiling? What if…

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A sunny Saturday in New Mexico…

January 10, 2014, 8:12 am

≫ Next: Planting up my Case Study Ceramic Planter from Modernica...

≪ Previous: What if there was always a blue sky above?

Last October, the afternoon of my father-in-laws funeral in Truth or Consequences, NM, I went for a long walk. I knew I was leaving New Mexico the next day, returning to a grey and rainy Portland. And the day’s events had me in a mood, understandable I’m sure. I’ve saved these sunny saturated photos, knowing they’d be just the thing to warm my soul on a cold grey day in January. I hope they do the same for you.

This is a vacant lot just a couple of blocks from my in-laws. Andrew and I went exploring there together.

The land is just feet from Interstate 25 as it passes by Truth or Consequences. The main use seems to be beer drinking and bonfires, closely followed by dirt-bike riding. I've walked through here many times but never seen this...

A friend's friend identified it as Echinocereus fendleri var. rectispinus, another said possibly Echinocereus triglochidiatus.

Speaking of spikes...

While I did bring home a few opuntia pads from that trip none of them were from this plant. Wow…that’s some serious spikes.

That’s an odd palm tree! (*wink*)

This little Tephrocactus articulata ssp. papyracantha (I think that’s the proper name) was the smallest thing planted in a well done xeric garden we drove by many times. I wanted to photograph it because even though it’s so small those long white papery spines glowed and it commanded attention.

Such an odd little wall made even stranger by the top layer of rocks.

These opuntia were growing thick on a bank next to the road. There was a house back there but you could hardly tell.

Not all of them looked so healthy and plump however.

It was fascinating to see the interior structure of the dried up pads.

I guess they don’t really care if you’ve got the entire phone number for the Rock?

Nor are those really rocks…

I wanted to get close to this lush blooming ocotillo but it was in someones yard, and there were dogs.

So so so beautiful!

Cylindropuntia leptocaulis or Desert Christmas cactus.

There are a few of these old street lights in Truth or Consequences, I live the colors.

Suddenly I felt like I was being watched.

So spiky, so dead.

Very much not dead! This may have been the healthiest palm in the whole town.

And there are even spikes…

This rock fortress is protecting a tiny little seedling.

Someday it will hopefully outgrow its container.

The sun was flooding these plants with the most amazing light, I figured there was no way I'd capture it with my good ol'point-and-shoot but I had to at least try.

Then I turned back to look at Turtleback Mountain...

And back again just in time to notice how the sun was lighting the blooms on the grass along with the spikes of the cylindropuntia. The desert sky and the desert sun, there really isn't anything else like it...

↧

Planting up my Case Study Ceramic Planter from Modernica...

January 13, 2014, 8:13 am

≫ Next: More from Portland Nursery…

≪ Previous: A sunny Saturday in New Mexico…

Last month I received an email from the fine folks at Modernica asking if they could use some of my photos for their blog. Truth be told I was a little embarrassed to say yes because the photos they were asking for weren’t my best, but say yes I did. We corresponded back and forth a bit and during that time my post about finding a surprise seedling in a succulent container went up. Somehow that crazy post combined with my willingness to share photos had them sending me one of these as a thank you...

Seriously…! I was doing the “how lucky am I” dance when it arrived. Andrew came home from work that night and said something like “ya, what I got you for Christmas isn’t going to measure up to that” (not true but that’s an entirely different post). In the email they said they were excited to see what I decided to plant in it. Does that sound like “you need to go shopping and buy yourself a new plant!” challenge to you? Yes, yes of course it does!

Somewhere in the back of my mind I remembered that Portland Nursery usually has a houseplant sale in January (30% off!). January, the darkest month, suddenly had a fun plant related task...

Last week I packed up the planter and off we went on a field trip to the Division St. Portland Nursery. This was an entirely new experience for me, usually I fall for a plant and then look for a suitable container to plant it in, this time I got to think about what plant best suited the container. As I walked though the greenhouse I realized I’d already been envisioning a sanseveria…

How very mid-century modern!

Sansevieria suffruticosa

But there were so many other plants to check out, can’t make a hasty decision! Philodendron x 'McColley's Finale'.

Maybe…

I love me a nice Monstera deliciosa but the ones they had were a little too big for the planter.

Schefflera 'Amate Soleil'

Alpinia variegata (ginger)

Alocasia Amazonica

Okay, who am I kidding? Time to check out the spikes!

Fun, but I’ve already got a couple of these…

Euphorbia 'Zig Zag'…

Maybe…

Love them.

Euphorbia grandicornis

Love it,but not here.

Oh an Echinocactus grusonii would be fabulous! But since I stabbed myself picking it up, and this planter is going to be in the living room right at eye level for Lila, I decided against even looking at it.

Echeveria nodulosa

Wow! I love this. Plus they had two so I could buy them both and have them spilling over the sides.

Cleistocactus winteri

That’s fun!

How about an aloe?

Or maybe I should try a mixed succulent planting, although I’m never very good at them.

Maybe a bunch of colorful small plants?

Or this! Epiphyllum 'curly'...

So after a final parade of the favorites guess which one was the winner?
...
...
...

The Golden Rattail Cactus! (Cleistocactus winteri or also possibly Aporocactus ‘Golden Rattail’ I found both names online). My other favorite was the Echeveria nodulosa but it was so dark and I liked how these yellow spikes almost seemed to glow. It is January after all, we need all the light we can get!

Back home and it’s time to plant! But…but there is no drainage hole. Not really a huge issue because I don’t plan for this container to go outside. However I’ve said that before then moved it outside, forgetting there wasn’t drainage, and been surprised when the plant drowned. I could just place the plastic container inside the black one and treat it as a cache pot but I’m never happy with how that looks...

Time to drill! But what if I break that super cool black pot? My trusty old drill bit has never done me wrong, drilling through all manner of ceramic and clay pots as well as fiberglass without issue. Maybe it was time to upgrade to a diamond tipped bit? I went shopping, I gathered advice (a masonry bit perhaps?) and in the end went with a new version of what I already had. Comparing them I couldn’t believe how dull the old one had become.

Success! (a little water is a must when you’re drilling drainage holes, the friction gets things smoking in no time) Had this planter been destined for life outside I would have drilled a couple more holes, however I didn't want to press my luck.

I mixed in some grit (sold as Chicken Grit)…

...with regular potting soil, to help with drainage. I try to come up with a mixture that when you grab a fistful of moist soil and squeeze, then open your palm the soil falls apart and doesn’t remain a ball.

I was worried the spikes on this guy would make planting a nightmare, but they actually stayed on the plant, not in my gloves.

The final step…adding a top dressing of pea-gravel. Don’t the rocks (left) look better than the soil on the right? I always finish off my containers with rocks, I'm crazy like that.

And the finished pair...

Oh, and you-know-who had to get in a picture too! So which plant would you have chosen for the container?

More about that sale at Portland Nursery:
30% off all houseplants
Friday January 17 thru Sunday January 19, 2014
Both locations, Stark St and Division St

The fine print…as I mentioned Modernica sent me the ceramic planter free of charge, Portland nursery also extended their 30% off sale prices to me in advance so that I could shop and post about it before the sale. They also kindly gave me a $25 gift card. I acknowledge these kindnesses but also trust you know I only write about things I am really and truly excited about. Both of these qualify, in a very big way.

All material © 2009-2014 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

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More from Portland Nursery…

January 14, 2014, 8:14 am

≫ Next: My newly purchased Bloomday for January 2014

≪ Previous: Planting up my Case Study Ceramic Planter from Modernica...

I took so many photos during my visit to Portland Nursery I thought I’d share a few more (plus there were other plant purchases we need to discuss). Pedilanthus or Devil's backbone, I couldn’t buy this plant because I don't have the strength to resist the temptation to pull off all the leaves.

Euphorbia stenoclada

So so spiky.

Whenever I see one of these grafted plants I think of the characters on Star Trek which my brothers and I called “The Bunheads.”

Look leaves!

Lots of spikes…

And friendly plants too...

Loved this begonia.

And I have a love/hate relationship with the colorful crotons.

But you know I love me some colorful pottery!

As I seem to blog about every winter, a visit to the greenhouse at the Division St Portland Nursery is a great way to shake the winter blues. With all the houseplants and decorative pottery 30% off this coming weekend (at both Portland Nursery locations) it’s a great time to visit!

Even the tillandsias will be on sale…

And the staghorns…

And the bonsai…

So what else did I buy? Here’s “my haul”

I fell hard for this ~~Cryptocereus 'fan'~~ Selenicereus chrysocardium…

It wasn’t quite right for my Case Study planter but I picked it up to go in this white hanging container from IKEA (photo from summer 2012). The mixed succulent planting hasn’t looked good for awhile now. It will live in the basement and go outside for the summer.

I also picked up another Cryptanthus (it’s not blurry in real life)…

And this Stapelia. I have no idea if the dark color is natural or due to stress, but I loved it!

The sale details:
30% off all houseplants
Friday January 17 thru Sunday January 19, 2014
Both locations, Stark St and Division St

The fine print…as I mentioned Portland nursery extended their 30% off sale prices to me in advance so that I could shop and post about it before the sale. They also kindly gave me a $25 gift card. I acknowledge these kindnesses but also trust you know I only write about things I am really and truly excited about.

All material © 2009-2014 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

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My newly purchased Bloomday for January 2014

January 15, 2014, 8:11 am

≫ Next: Yucca filamentosa 'Color Guard' is my favorite plant in the garden (this week)…

≪ Previous: More from Portland Nursery…

The local go-to plant for January blooms seems to be the hellebore, sadly none of mine are open yet. You'd think my standing over them with camera in hand would have pushed the flowers over the edge into full bloom, but no. My disappointment over this, mixed with a healthy dose of spring fever, had me walking the isles yesterday at my neighborhood nursery - Garden Fever. Thankfully this sweet little Helleborus lividus 'White Marble' was willing to come home with me, thus breaking the "no flower" curse for this January Bloomday...

However as these things go the buying didn't stop there. You see as I walked past this Hamamelis x intermedia 'Early Bright' I was hit upside the head with the most amazing scent. I usually have great difficulty smelling witchhazel, but this little twig knocked me over with it's powerful fragrance...plus it was that pinky orange color I love...plus I had been considering adding a hamamelis to the garden. Sold!

Once home I looked it up online only to discover this downer of a description from Gossler Farms (they supplied Garden Fever with the plant): "Wow! What fragrance! H. 'Early Bright' has small orange-yellow flowers in January. The flowers aren't very exciting but the fragrance is probably the best of any hamamelis we've sniffed."...THE FLOWERS AREN'T VERY EXCITING. Are you telling me I finally bought a witchhazel but I managed to purchase one with boring flowers? I'm such a loser...

In other Bloomday news...the yellow-puffball flowers of Acacia baileyana 'Purpurea' are filling the shade pavilion greenhouse with their lovely scent.

While the potted Acacia pravissima hasn't quite broke into flower yet.

The buds on Edgeworthia chrysantha ‘Akebono’ are swelling, but still colorless.

And I don't think this Grevillea victoriae has the chutzpah to open anymore of its buds. It's still in shock from the cold.

I'm holding out hope for the Grevillea 'Suberb'...

And trying to do the same for Grevillea juniperina ‘Lava Cascade’ and ‘Molonglo’ both of which are covered in buds but appear to be dying from the center outward (more cold damage).

The Arctostaphylos x ‘Austin Griffiths' is just hours from bursting into full bloom, oddly it's the only one of my four arctostaphylos that has buds on it this year.

If my rather poor Bloomday showing has you wishing for more, visit May Dreams Gardens for links to all the blogs participating in the flower show this month.

All material © 2009-2014 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

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Yucca filamentosa 'Color Guard' is my favorite plant in the garden (this week)…

January 16, 2014, 8:13 am

≫ Next: Hey, there was a cactus on that roof!

≪ Previous: My newly purchased Bloomday for January 2014

Recently I arrived home at dusk, the light from the sky was steel-grey and the foliage in the front garden all sort of blended together. Well, everything except for the foliage of the Yucca filamentosa 'Color Guard', it was glowing as though lit from within.

Seriously...

I tend to overlook these plants most of the year. They do their job; look good and bite the little soccer players who pay no heed to where they step.

But they certainly do lend a nice bit of light when it is so needed.

See how the one up in the main part of the garden just jumps out at you?

Gosh maybe I need to actively seek out more bright yellow foliage?

The stats on Yucca filamentosa 'Color Guard'...

hardy in USDA Zones 5a - 10b
eventual size of 2ft tall (without the flower spike) and 3ft wide, as they do clump
heat and drought tolerant and loves sun
flowers in the summer and the hummingbirds do take notice
in the cooler months the yellow center stripe can take on a dark pink tint

What plant has caught your attention this week? Please tell us about it!

I'm also linking this post to Pam Penick's "Foliage Follow-up" which occurs every month on the 16th, the day after the popular Garden Blogger's Bloomday meme. Foliage Follow-up is a celebration of the real star of our gardens, the foliage.

All material © 2009-2014 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

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Hey, there was a cactus on that roof!

January 17, 2014, 8:14 am

≫ Next: Colorful conifers at Portland Nursery

≪ Previous: Yucca filamentosa 'Color Guard' is my favorite plant in the garden (this week)…

I enjoy taking different routes. See a street you’ve never been on that’s going the direction you are…take it! You never know what you might find. The odd addition to this house (is that plywood?) caught my eye.

Then I saw the furry green roof.

Then I saw the cactus.

Cactus on a roof, in Portland, Oregon. I tip my hat to you; people with the cactus on your roof.

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Colorful conifers at Portland Nursery

January 20, 2014, 8:09 am

≫ Next: Something’s missing…

≪ Previous: Hey, there was a cactus on that roof!

I guess it’s time I confessed. In fact most of you have probably already figured it out, maybe even ahead of me...I’m starting to “get” the appeal of the conifer. Now let’s not get crazy, I’m not going to be planting any Douglas Fir trees and I still carry the scars of my Spokane youth spent raking pine needles and picking up cones by the bagful (thanks Mom). But how could you come face to face with this…in January...

And not find it beautiful? Exactly. When at Portland Nursery for the houseplant sale I went out to see if by chance I could score another Blue Pacific Shore Juniper (no luck), but I quickly became enthralled with their conifer display. Such amazing color and texture!

Cedrus deodara 'Twisted Growth'

Cupressus arizonica var. glabra 'Blue Ice'

Araucaria araucana has been a favorite for awhile.

Just to be sure there wasn't a Blue Pacific hiding from me I walked to the back of the nursery to check things out. That’s when I noticed this cram-scaped little island. I guess when the nursery is full of plants and people it’s easier to overlook.

And let’s be honest, this is actually what first caught my eye.

Poor thing's not looking too good though, I wonder if it was the ever-present threat of water?

That ground cover in front of it is quite interesting.

Anyone know what it is? I wonder if I would like it as much if it were green?

Here’s another unexpected addition, Corokia cotoneaster.

The golden hebe also called out to me…

Hebe ochracea I believe.

While it’s a beauty on the outside I do not care for the ugly insides.

It feels good to have finally come out of the conifer closet.

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Something’s missing…

January 21, 2014, 8:09 am

≫ Next: Podocarpus matudiae is my favorite plant in the garden this week…

≪ Previous: Colorful conifers at Portland Nursery

A better blogger would have had a camera in hand to record the moment. Instead I chose to respect the dead and conduct a solemn, unrecorded removal. The giant Acacia pravissima is gone.

The one I planted too close to the house because I thought it would die; has died. Or at least it turned a funny color and all the leaves began to fall to the ground like confetti.

Sure I could have left it for awhile longer but the look of its leafless limbs was tearing at my heart. And let’s be honest, Andrew had wanted to get rid of it for awhile now (that whole too close to the house thing). Here it is February of last year, I can't believe how much it grew last summer! It was over the roof…

As you can see in this photo taken during the December freeze.

I had hopes it would come back from the roots, maybe a wild patch of suckers! That’s why we left a bit of trunk too. But talking with Paul Bonine of Xera Plants he squashed that dream saying Acacia’s with phyllodes will do no such thing. With what? New word for me!

Phyllode – a laterally flattened photosynthetic blade.

While I am sad it’s no longer there to wave at me through the bedroom window I completely expected that it would die when the temperatures dropped, in fact I didn’t expect it to live as long as it did. Still it’s strange to look along the back side of the house and actually be able to see the loquat.

Since we’re already on a depressing topic let’s look at more plant death shall we? Isn’t this a striking look for a Trachycarpus?

And how about this Libertia (in front of the Nolina), I really preferred the bronzy/orange tones pre-freeze (this is just one of 5…I really had no idea this plant was so tender)…

Do you think the Abutilon hybrid will bloom this summer? Ya, probably not.

Phormium ‘Tom Thumb’ fooled me into thinking he was gonna make it, he looked fabulous for a month. Now this (the leaves should be green with a brown edge)…

Stems of the Euprhorbia stygiana are starting to flop over and the whole plant has taken on a bizarre coloration.

It would be beautiful if this was fall color, but it’s not.

The tips on Callistemon pallidus 'Blue Foliage’ died back pretty rapidly. Now the whole plant is drying up and the leaves are curling.

Whenever we’ve dipped into the low 20’s/high teens C. ‘Clemson’ has shown damage, however this event takes it to a new level…

The most surprising Callistemon damage however is on ‘Woodlander's Hardy Red’. I thought this one was bullet proof, it’s not.

I think we’ll stop here, I could go on but that wouldn’t be good for either one of us.

All material © 2009-2014 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

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Podocarpus matudiae is my favorite plant in the garden this week…

January 22, 2014, 8:09 am

≫ Next: A visit to Cistus and more…

≪ Previous: Something’s missing…

Last week the Outlaw wrote a blog post showing a line of very realistic looking fake plants. This got me thinking about my new Podocarpus matudiae, a gift from Sean Hogan at Cistus Nursery. When he pulled it from greenhouse stock and handed it to me my first thought was “that looks fake!” And due to my inability to properly sensor my outbursts I said so. Nice...my mother would be proud.

But there’s something about that bright green new-growth and thick, almost waxy, foliage that makes me think of fake plants. It’s just so, so, green!

And that’s why it’s my favorite plant this week. After spending time with the dead it’s nice to see something so vibrantly alive…

Here’s a picture of a much older plant growing in Sean’s garden, I borrowed it from a post on the Cistus Facebook page sharing results of the December freeze, both good and bad. Obviously it sailed through the cold temps.

Here’s a 2-yr old plant growing in the Seattle garden of Justin Galicic (who blogs at Growing Steady, thanks for the photo Justin)…

To see the plant when he first purchased it check out his blog post on a visit to Cistus in February of 2012. Here’s the description from Cistus: “From 5200 ft in the Sierra Madre Orientale cloud forest, our collection of this lovely and rare Mexican podocarp, one of the most beautiful hardy conifers for tropical effect. To 20 ft tall or so with weeping branches and a graceful form -- a large textured presence in the garden. Damp soil and dappled shade is best with protection from drying winds. Has tolerated temperatures below 10F, upper USDA zone 7, so far.”

A “tropical effect conifer”…now that’s something I can appreciate. As to where I’m going to put a currently 12” tall plant that can eventually reach 20ft tall, that's the question!

Is there a plant which has caught your eye this week? Please tell us about it!

All material © 2009-2014 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

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