Echium wildpretii rescue...

August 26, 2014, 8:12 am

≫ Next: Announcing plant lust, the blog!

There are very few things that have me dressed and wielding a shovel miles from my home at 7:00 in the morning. This is one of them.

On a whim I’d taken Lila with me to run a few errands one day. We stopped for a walk and did the circuit around my plantlust.com partner, Patricia’s, ex-garden. She moved early in the year and the garden has been on a slow decline ever since; new owners with different priorities. Patricia and a team of gardening friends (including yours truly) had performed a couple of digs, rescuing her fabulous plants from certain death. There wasn’t much left to see the day I walked, mostly just crispy leaves and tall weeds. But then I spotted these…

Against all odds there were Echium wildpretii growing, lots of them. These guys hadn’t been watered since who knows when, because the new owners planned to remove all the "plant material" and start over with lawn they were just letting things die. The echium came from seeds dropped by a plant which bloomed in 2012, this plant (photo from 2012)…

That blooming action was two years ago. Last winter (2013/14) saw ice, snow, lows of 12F and several days and nights below freezing. Yet there were new seedlings. The plants I'd just spotted were actually the second crop, I took this group of photos (below) in October of 2013. Those plants didn't make it through last winter...

But evidently their late (second year) seedy siblings did. So once I spied this treasure Patricia and I talked, she contacted the new owners, and here we were, with a small window of time in which to get what we could...

That's why we were there at 7am, you see we'd been told everything was coming out at 8am that day, to make way for the new landscaping (lawn) and we needed to be gone before the workers arrived (couldn't have any pesky plant freaks standing in the way of progress). Furthermore the two days prior had seen highs of 99 degrees, that morning it was muggy and in the 70's, these were not ideal digging conditions. Of course we didn't let that stop us. Here's Patricia's haul (she may have grabbed a few other things)...

And I had a couple of flats like this. Are you wondering where the soil is? That's the sad thing. When you're digging plants out of baked cement soil you don't get any roots. None.

Here's what we left behind, (look ma no echiums!)...

This is what the roots looked like on the plants I took home (dark because I'd soaked them in water). Not very promising right?

So I cleaned them up, removed some of the leaves, and planted them in the stock tank recently vacated of cucumbers (so much for that fall veggie crop I was planning on).

They've been kept extra moist and in the shade ever since.

A few of the really sad ones (super lacking in roots) went in a vase of water.

Things were looking pretty dire later that first day, and for a few days after, but then they started to turn a corner and perk up. Here's how things looked a week later. I've watered them twice a day, everyday and not let the sun directly hit the leaves. Several outer leaves turned crispy and were removed, but the ones which remain are strong and show promise (no more wilting).

When I tug on the plants they seem rather secured in the soil, perhaps they've sent out new feeder roots? One can hope.

The success rate for the plants in water wasn't so good. Two of four remain.

However those two are developing small roots and seem relatively happy...

All that work in hopes of getting more like this, one of the best Echium wildpretii in my garden ever...

If all goes well from here on out I've got 16 (!!!) echium to plant out in my garden. That's amazing. Of course now I'm trying to decide if I...

leave them here all winter (risky, above ground containers are more susceptible to freeze damage).
pot them up individually and then stage them here for the winter (ready to be whisked to warmer environs when the temperature drops).
plant them out in the garden once the rains return in October (or whenever they decide to return) and hope for a mild winter.

What would you do? Cast your vote!

↧

Announcing plant lust, the blog!

August 27, 2014, 8:25 am

≫ Next: Pollinator paradise and fun for people too...

≪ Previous: Echium wildpretii rescue...

It was inevitable really. When you get three plant-crazy people like myself and my business partners, Megan and Patricia, together we aren't going to be happy keeping the plant talk to ourselves. We've got to share the passion and get others excited about the possibilities, thus we've started a blog.

Blogging is part of our history at plantlust.com, if not for our respective blogs we never would have met back in 2009 and now, finally, we’re all blogging together. Those of you who miss Megan’s fabulous blog, Nestmaker, will be thrilled to know she’s back online. Patricia, a bit of a new comer to the blogging world, has got a lot to say about plants, and gardening, and won’t hold back. Of course you already know me. We’ll be posting three times a week, and we hope you’ll join us and be part of the conversation at plant lust the blog...

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Pollinator paradise and fun for people too...

August 28, 2014, 8:03 am

≫ Next: Powder and spikes, an odd combination of favorites this week…

≪ Previous: Announcing plant lust, the blog!

It's rare Andrew accompanies me to a Hardy Plant Society of Oregon function but somehow I managed to talk him into attending a presentation given by Annie Hayes, the Annie in Annie's Annuals. We sat next to the owner of this garden, Karen, and he struck up a conversation with her. Shortly after that she started working at my "neighborhood" nursery, Garden Fever, and we've been chatting ever since. That's how I happened to score an invite to her and her husband's open garden and studio event earlier this month...

I should also mention Karen is a garden designer and owner of Calendula Garden Design.

Her house colors have me wishing we'd gone with a bit of a lighter brown so we could have charcoal and green trim.

Her husband's work appears throughout the garden, and yes, I liked it. You know I'm not a fan of GARDEN ART but these heads didn't scream ART, they seemed to belong and added to the overall vibe of the garden.

This photo does not do this plant justice, this Grevillea victoriae was huge, it kind of scared me (since I've got 3 planted in my garden). Karen also said she'd pruned it way back recently too, since it was starting to make the neighbors nervous.

Detail of the side gate, the glass insets add a nice flourish.

And the same gate is repeated on the other side of the house, which is actually where we entered the back garden.

Look at those vintage chairs!

And of course the deck "skirt"...

The garden is filled with flowers and edibles, truly a pollinators paradise.

I'm not sure how I managed to photograph these artichoke blossoms when they weren't swarming with bees, maybe I sneezed right before I took the photo?

Did you notice the bags hanging from the tree in the last photo? They're protecting the fruit, if I remember correctly against codling moth.

How many gardens feature a working studio with kiln? Not many.

Pretty nice eh? I meant to take a few photos of Karen's husband's pottery but wanted to ask first and thus forgot.

Just beyond the studio is a sitting area/fire pit with the coolest chairs, which I also forgot to ask about.

Make that cool chairs and a table.

Yes this (very private) tub does get used.

Looking back towards the house from the studio.

Let's explore the garden...

Potato tower...

More garden faces...

And Karen's signature wine bottle edging. If you click on over to her website you'll see a small night-time photo of the bottles illuminated.

Thank you for letting us visit your lovely garden Karen!

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Powder and spikes, an odd combination of favorites this week…

August 29, 2014, 8:11 am

≫ Next: Let's go to the beach!

≪ Previous: Pollinator paradise and fun for people too...

Two plants were begging to be featured as favorites this week, two very different plants. The first one is all soft and powdery, Artemisia stelleriana 'Silver Brocade'.

Planted as a small 2-inch "basket stuffer" in June it's done a great job of stretching out to cover some ground.

I was worried it would take on a rough "dusty miller" appearance as it grew but so far that hasn't been a problem. Of course the real test will be what it looks like come spring, I imagine I'll be cutting it back for a fresh start.

The stats:

perennial groundcover hardy in zones 3-8
full sun, drought tolerant
yellow flowers in spring (which will be removed!)

The second plant, Pachypodium lamerei, is anything but soft, although it's crazy top-mop of foliage does have a "touch me" quality...

However with a quick glance below the leaves your fingers might recoil in horror, look at those spikes!

Serious spikes.

This one isn't hardy here in my Zone 8 garden (requires at least Zone 9+) so they (there's actually a pair planted together) go indoors each winter, and typically loose their leaves. The first time it happened I was concerned, but now expect it, as soon as they go back outside when temperatures warm in the spring the leaves reappear.

These can become small trees (up to 15ft tall) when planted in the ground. They're native to Madagascar, which explains the common name - the Madagascar Palm. They both have an extra nice crop of leaves this year, which is why they caught my eye. So you know what I'm wondering...what's looking good in your garden this week?

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Let's go to the beach!

September 1, 2014, 8:17 am

≫ Next: Farwest Tradeshow, 2014...

≪ Previous: Powder and spikes, an odd combination of favorites this week…

For families with kids Labor Day weekend traditionally means summer is at an end, in my part of the world the long weekend is celebrated with one last hurrah before the kids start school and life returns to a more predictable pattern. For some that last family outing is a trip to the beach...

Since we don't have kids I get to power on as though summer isn't over, after all if you're judging by the weather (or the calendar) summer has another month to go. Last weekend did however find us at the beach (Newport, OR, to be exact) and I thought it fitting to share my morning, as beautiful as it was. Here is where the kids should be playing, a swing set and a boat, how cool is that?

My generation would be reenacting Gilligan's Island (it was syndicated all through the 70's and into the 80's...it was what we watched every day when we got home from school), I wonder what current generations would do?

This was an interesting discovery. Picnic table, BBQ and a framed view of the ocean...

While dinner is tended to one can contemplate...

The low green is horsetail.

I love it.

I also love the blooming thistle.

Off in the distance is the Yaquina Head Lighthouse.

Last summer I was up there, under the lighthouse, looking down at the bird covered rocks.

Our beach weekend was based on crashing at a timeshare Andrew's aunt and uncle had booked for the week. It was a pretty ideal location, however there was a steep drop-off to the beach - but if you knew the path you could easily get down to sea level...

And here I am!

I don't think this was naturally occurring. It looks constructed.

Here I go again...I shared similar images of sea life washed ashore in last year's beach post. I find beach "litter" so amazing, I have to photograph it, fast forward on if you aren't interested.

Jellyfish, I really wanted to touch it, but I knew better.

The structure on the right was very interesting.

I wanted to pick it up and take it with me, but also recognized it might have some value to other life forms. I let it be.

There was still life inside that shell...

And those little shells were opening and closing, opening and closing. It was pretty amazing to watch.

Kind of disturbing but also terribly interesting, this little shellfish was being eaten by countless little creatures, I'm kind of bummed that none of them show up in this photo.

How many crabs are there in the ocean? If one was to guess based on the body parts visible on the beach on any given day then I would say hundreds of trillions.

This just might be my favorite "seaweed" of the day.

There's been a serious washout. Makes me wonder...

As does this. Who needs that much structure to get to the beach and how often do they have to rebuild?

Always, there are always the rock stackers.

This is where things get spooky. Imagine a grey sky and a little moody fog. Look at those long arms reaching out to grab YOU!

And that monster with the long arms...he sees those people in the distance and wants them!

Our day at the beach was splendid, a two-thirds point in the best of what summer has to offer. September, I expect more of the same...

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Farwest Tradeshow, 2014...

September 2, 2014, 8:15 am

≫ Next: Cassia didymobotrya is my favorite plant in the garden, this week…

≪ Previous: Let's go to the beach!

August 21st and 22nd found me at the 2014 Farwest Tradeshow here in Portland. This an annual event for the nursery trade, one I’ve attended the last few years. This year my show experience was a little different, I was one of the judges for the New Varieties Showcase. What the heck is a new varieties showcase? I'm glad you asked:

“Plants in the showcase have been selected for characteristics that are new to the market. All selections must be available for ordering by at least one Farwest Trade Show exhibitor, and they must be in large-scale production for the first time.” (source)

“The 2014 showcase featured 52 different trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals with interesting shapes, colors, growth habits and other characteristics” (source)

That’s a lot of plants!

My fellow judges and I had to select a “Best in Show” and 3 “Plants of Merit.” These fine ladies were my co-judges, on the left is Suzy Hancock, general manager at Portland Nursery and on the right Lorene Edwards Forkner, editor at Pacific Horticulture Magazine...

What was I doing in their company? I have no idea, these ladies are the real deal. In my attempt to act like I belonged I put aside my personal bias and thought objectively. Or at least I tried. Not all 52 plants we looked at will be shown here, but if you're curious they can be seen here.

I was very excited to see this one, Eryngium × zabelii 'Neptune's Gold', sadly the plants didn't make it to the show. Neither did Cornus kousa var. chinensis 'Madi-II' PPAF, which is reported to have "distinctly colored pumpkin-yellow fruit".

This is the foliage of Styrax japonicus 'JLWeeping' PP23755, which blooms pink...

Callistemon rigidus 'RutCall' PP23848 (Scarlet Torch™ Bottlebrush) below, if those flowers are really as red as in the photo this one is a winner. Sadly there were no flowers to see, and I did wonder about the hardiness (reportedly Zones 8-11).

Skyline Heather Collection - Calluna vulgaris 'Stockholm' PPAF and 'Sydney' PPAF I was surprised how much I loved these little guys. Soft spikes reaching up for the sky.

I couldn't help but put these in the "do we really need more..." category.

And these, well, I just wonder. They'll make someone happy I suppose.

Bad photo of Berberis thunbergii 'BailJulia' PPAF, Toscana™ Barberry. This was one of our three “Plants of Merit” and this is where having three judges that have to agree is probably a good thing. I wouldn't have necessarily chose this one but we had to compromise and another made a good argument for the Toscana. That yellow/green leaf margin is pretty sweet.

Sambucus racemosa 'SMNSRD4' PPAF, CBRAF, Lemon Lace™ Elderberry. This was another of our “Plants of Merit,” the foliage was amazing.

And gorgeous with the Physocarpus opulifolius 'Podaras 1' PP22361, Burgundy Candy Ninebark, which was one of my personal favorites. Why? It's size: 2–3 feet tall and wide. Who couldn't squeeze that in somewhere?

I think I need one of these.

This, Stachys 'Bello Grigio' PPAF, was our third “Plant of Merit," Suzy had great things to report about their performance in the border at Portland Nursery and as you know it's been very popular all over the blogosphere.

The fact there was only one small plant on display here speaks to just how hard it is to get a hold of.

So, I know you're on the edge of your seat wondering what plant won our pick for "Best in Show" I give you Chionanthus virginicus 'Spring Fleecing'...

Seriously. The foliage was gorgeous, long and shiny, and the contrast with the dark stems was remarkable. Add in the fact this is a male cultivar, and thus "no messy fruit" and it's just a stunning small tree. I would love a pair to replace the messy Styrax Japonica planted in my hellstrip.

That's it for the NVS, which is just a small part of the show. Here are a few highlights and other things I saw...

Proven Winners seems to feel caladium are going to be popular next year.

And I saw more Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt' this year, lots more. Hopefully that means the price will be coming down and I'll try it again.

For a side by side comparison here are the heathers I liked in the NV Showcase. On the left Calluna vulgaris 'Sydney' and 'Stockholm' on the right.

I like this idea, but done with different materials.

I was the lucky recipient of one of these, Cornus sanguinea 'Compressa', from Vanessa Gardner Nagel last spring. It's a fabulous plant.

The Little Prince of Oregon booth is always crisp and colorful, one of my favorites. This year their sign made use of their popular sempervivum offerings. It's only a matter of time before they're selling those letters too, don't you think?

These rusty offerings were from Garden Gallery Iron Works, I loved them! (nice people too)

The Walla Walla Nursery Co always has a good looking booth. This year however I saw something that stopped me in my tracks, and not in a good way.

These. Shame on you!

Luckily most of their succulents escaped such inhumane treatment.

Another good looking booth, T and L Nursery...

With more good looking 'Cousin Itt'...

How many agaves per square foot?

'Lanham's Purple' Shining Sumac...

Love the shapes and colors of these garden stools from Pottery Paradise (Richmond, CA, wholesaler). I hope some local retailer ordered a few.

There should have been a big screen TV in this booth, to go with the sofa.

Fabulous sculpture in the Bamboo Garden booth.

It was the creation of Charissa Brock and if you're curious it's worth a look at her website to see more of her work.

Monrovia seems to be still invested in the succulent "trend" (it's not really a trend any longer though is it?)...

Great combination of the Agave bracteosa and colorful sempervivum.

Here's something I haven't seen before, a vertical garden of Hakonechloa...

In the same booth (Blooming Nursery) I spotted a garden celebrity. That's Dr. Allan Armitage chatting up Grace Dinsdale (founder of Blooming Nursery) and an employee.

Prunus persica 'Pix Zee', love the foliage, don't really want a fruit tree though.

And finally I'll end this lengthy post with a walk through a dream forest of sculpted plants. The next best thing to visiting Pearl Fryar's garden (okay it's a stretch, but I enjoyed it)...

I'm not wild about the swirls, but I suppose they offer a nice counter point to the clouds.

Which I love...

Especially when they're in powdery blues and bright greens.

Or they swoop a little in one direction.

Oh and there was this. Of course if I had my own sculpted forest I would need one of these to haul my plants home with...

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Cassia didymobotrya is my favorite plant in the garden, this week…

September 4, 2014, 8:04 am

≫ Next: Sometimes they just die...

≪ Previous: Farwest Tradeshow, 2014...

The sign said “popcorn cassia” and thus caught my attention. I loved the look of the foliage and had decided to purchase it, even before it was pointed out to me that the leaves smelled of buttered popcorn when crushed, that was just a bonus (I thought the name was referring the shape and butter-yellow color of the flowers).

My Cassia didymobotrya was just a tiny thing when I bought it, no more than 6” tall. It’s grown to be 2½’ tall and currently has multiple flower spikes and fat black buds. Not bad for only two months in the ground!

Depending on who you listen to this plant might be hardy in USDA Zone 8, is hardy in Zone 9, or doesn't stand a chance lower than Zone 10.

When I bought it I was okay with that, but now I've grown rather attached and would really like it to live through the winter. Perhaps I'll have to look into Cassia hebecarpa, which is reportedly hardy to to Zone 4. Or maybe we'll have a mild winter (hope springs eternal).

The stats:

native legume of east Africa
grows up to 8ft tall x 5-10ft wide
wants full sun with even moisture
evergreen

Anything you're especially enamored with in your garden this week?

↧

Sometimes they just die...

September 5, 2014, 8:05 am

≫ Next: My bad-ass banksia...

≪ Previous: Cassia didymobotrya is my favorite plant in the garden, this week…

You can probably tell by the title this isn't going to be a pretty post, but if you garden you've no doubt lost plants and can sympathize. Here's my Brachyglottis greyi in better days (June)...

And here's how it looked last week right before I cut it back.

What happened? I wish I knew. One day it was looking great, the next it wasn't. Not enough water? There's one elsewhere in the garden that gets even less and it's fine. Too much water? No, I'm not that generous. I planned to leave it for a few weeks (after cutting it back) and see if it showed any signs of life, but that might just take more patience than I've got.

How about this one, Microcachrys tetragona, a lovely shade of gold don't you think?

Trouble is this is what it's supposed to look like (photo taken at a nursery display garden).

Thank goodness one of my pair looks okay.

No this one isn't dead, it's supposed to look that way. Hebe ochracea 'James Stirling', see that hint of green at the center? Proof it's alive. Unlike the one planted about 5ft way. I touched it and the thing disintegrated. Definitely dead.

This guy is a Piptanthus nepalensis var. tomentosus, purchased last fall it spent winter in the holding tank (and the coldest days in the basement), I think this image was taken in late October-ish.

I planted it out this spring. Here it is now...

The litter all around the crispy plant are dried up colocasia blooms. I don't think the piptanthus is going to make it.

Most of these deaths can probably be blamed on the heat and lack of water. I've been tossing around weather statistics on Facebook, and don't want to bore anyone who's read along there, but we did just experience the hottest August on record here in Portland, and only received .01" of rain. Try as you might to keep up with the hand watering something is probably going to be missed. Or in my case several things.

This sad state of affairs (below, a saxifraga) can be blamed on removing the privet late last winter. It missed the shade and I was too late to realize. Good thing the oxalis can step up to fill the void! (see it growing alongside the rock and snuggling up to the agave?

Here's what happy Saxifraga urbium ‘Aureopunctata' looks like...

Even the sempervivium are shutting down. I'm sure they'll be fine once the rains return later this fall.

Hopefully this little agave pup will snap out of it too.

My neighbor's hydrangea may not.

This is concerning as well. The lower, insides, of my Clematis tibetana var. vernayi are turning crispy.

And the Syneilesis aconitifolia looks ready to call it a day. So droopy and no amount of water perks them up. I've never seen my garden so dry. All around town trees are losing their leaves, and contrary to what I've heard a few people say it's not because it's fall! (which it's not, by the way) It's the heat and lack of water, those things are stressed!

The final horror that I'll share with you is this, my Sedum 'Autumn Joy' the entire plant looks like this, all three of them in fact. This is a little more concerning, like perhaps the amount of shade it's in now has caught up with it and it's got some sort of crud. Like I've said before gardening isn't for wimps, it's tough business!

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My bad-ass banksia...

September 8, 2014, 8:08 am

≫ Next: A little Hollywood in Portland’s Cully Neighborhood

≪ Previous: Sometimes they just die...

This is my Banksia ericifolia, it's bad-ass.

This is what's left of a flower spike from last spring. When I bought it it was in full glorious bloom. The remains aren't half back either, especially when you consider they're 5 months old.

But that's not why it's bad-ass. This is...

And this! Yes it has the beginnings of two more bloom spikes, I am thrilled.

Baksia are members of the Proteaceae family and as such have a bit of a reputation for not being the easiest plants to keep happy in a container. Thus the fact it's still alive, putting out new growth, and fixing to bloom, well it's very good news.

Here's an interesting tidbit for you..."Banksia ericifolia was one of the original Banksia species collected by Joseph Banks around Botany Bay in 1770 and was named by Carl Linnaeus the Younger, son of Carolus Linnaeus, in 1782." (source) If you're as wild as I am about Australian plants you should be reading the blog Crubs - the author, Amy, recently visited Kings Park Botanic Gardens and her photos are a treat for the eyes.

Since we're talking banksia I thought I'd share my others, kind of a family album. This is Banksia marginata, it's actually my second marginata as the one I was growing died last winter (it's the only banksia I've planted in the ground). In all fairness that one may have come back from the roots had I waited, but I was too impatient. I think I've got this one planted in a better (more protected) spot.

Banksia serrata (yes, with the serrated leaves) and Adenanthos sericeus (coastal woollybush, with the tiny red flower) on the right. The woollybush is also in the Proteaceae family.

Banksia grandis. This one suffered a little die-back earlier in the summer. It seems to be on the rebound.

Banksia blechnifolia, I've posted about this one before, when it was a featured favorite.

It's just amazing.

Switching gears a bit (but staying with the Proteaceae) here's a new flower developing on the Grevillea 'Peaches and Cream'...

And an older flower, falling apart.

This is the plant. It's hard to get a good photo of it because it's so large and airy. It's growing in the big black pot in the center (it's not hardy here) and then fans out to the full width of the image and beyond. This plant has been in full flower most of the summer. I thought it was done but several new flowers are forming.

Another Grevillea, G. 'Superb'...it's also currently in between flowers otherwise I'd share one.

And let's not forget the Leucadendrons: L. 'Ebony'

Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder'

And finally, Leucadendron argenteum. Which, while taking this photo, I realized I hadn't watered for a week. Not good when it's in full sun in a small container. I'd better go do a little watering now...

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A little Hollywood in Portland’s Cully Neighborhood

September 9, 2014, 8:13 am

≫ Next: Discovering new plants...

≪ Previous: My bad-ass banksia...

Last Saturday night, through the magic of the internet, I became aware of an interesting property quite near me which is up for sale. We’re not house hunting but the photos of the garden caught my attention. As luck would have it my plant lust partner Patricia is a real estate junkie and noticed there was an open house/garden tour the very next morning. We were there at 10 am...

Driftwood is a common landscape element at the beach in Oregon, not so much in NE Portland.

Further indication that something unique exists here…

The walkway to the front door is lined with great built-in brick planters. However a sign informed us that this is not the way to enter the property.

This is…

I considered just cutting right through to the pool.

But had to go investigate the formed earth couch first, I think that’s creeping thyme on the back.

Approaching the pool from the north side. The decking is made from salvaged boards from old decks on the nearby river.

Wow. Pools are not common here in Portland, especially ones that make you feel like you’re in California, as this one does.

The tall wall of plantings behind the trio of red cushioned lounge chairs (photo above) concealed an open space next door, basically a second lot (this property measures 253’ x 255’), with a commercial greenhouse…

Love the Paulownia tomentosa.

There's also a grape vine arbor...

Lots of tetrapanax and amaranth...

And another couch, this one with a echium end table and double sided…

With a view of the volleyball court, all completely out of sight of the home and pool area.

Back pool side…

The east end of the pool has a covered seating area with big hanging chairs.

The west end is where you’ll find a hefty table surrounded by boxwood balls and a driftwood fence.

The fountain is made of a pipe surrounded by curvy driftwood. Did you notice that rusted vertically slatted planter?

It’s a spinning roof vent (actually called a turbine vent) and I’ve been infatuated with them since I was a kid, my grandparent’s neighbor had them on their roof. I always thought they would make excellent planters and here’s proof!

Guess they make good fire-stick holders too. I'm on the hunt! (but would prefer galvanized metal).

This seating (and sleeping) area is off the daylight basement of the house and tucked under the deck above.

This is the deck…

And the view down.

You can see the greenhouse above the lounge chairs, through a break in the trees.

And this is a view of where I entered the garden to begin with.

After snapping the deck photos I entered the house and toured through, coming back out on the lower level.

Love the different materials in the paving.

Another photo looking west from the house side of the pool…

And of the plantings between the sleeping area under the deck and the pool.

If you’re curious about the house and want to know more the listing is here. At the point we left on Sunday morning there were offers coming in so who knows it might already be sold, or it might be waiting for you!

As I was leaving I spotted this set-up across the road, this looks like something I could afford, maybe I’ll be making an offer on this one, we could be neighbors!

↧

Discovering new plants...

September 11, 2014, 8:13 am

≫ Next: Colocasia fontanesii is my favorite plant in the garden, this week…

≪ Previous: A little Hollywood in Portland’s Cully Neighborhood

As I'm sure I've said a dozen times or more, I am very lucky to live in an area rich with amazing nurseries. Just last week I decided to visit Cistus Nursery, no real purpose in mind, just the luxury of a free afternoon. I wandered and enjoyed, knowing perhaps I'd fall in love with something I had to have. Naturally I did, Leucadendron 'Jubilee Crown'...

It has a similar airy soft feel to that of Adenanthos sericeus (Coastal Woollybush) and Phylica pubescens (from Annie's Annuals, loved and lost), but it's different. The description: "handsome medium-sized South African shrub with gray-green, red-tipped rainbow foliage and very cool pink to maroon cones. Height and width to 4-6'. Prunes easily into a low hedge or border planting. Feeding promotes faster growth, but avoid phosphorous at all costs. Water well to establish; after that, extremely drought tolerant. Full sun. Well-drained soil or container. Frost hardy to USDA Zone 9."

I also picked up a Caesalpinia gilliesii, my second this year (third plant "ever" if you count the one I lost last year). I wrote more about this one yesterday, on the plant lust blog.

If there was one plant I thought I'd be coming home with it's this, Delosperma sp. 'Leea Koppie'. I spied it in passing last time I was at Cistus, just for a moment. I don't know why but ice plants just don't grab me like they should. Even this one with the electric orange flower. I stood there looking at it, knowing I should just buy it, but I didn't.

This however, Ficus afghanistanica 'Silver Lyre', I've lusted after for awhile and finally came home with. Check out the photos on plantlust.com and you'll understand why: "A Cistus introduction...yet another hardy fig. We wonder where it's been all our lives. Native from Northern India to western Iran and Afghanistan and a delicacy there with its small, dark, very sweet fruit. We have selected this form from seed for its entrancing, filigreed, silver-green leaves of about 5-7". So far, ours have been for external use only as we have not tasted the fruit. Eventually might reach 15-20' in height; can easily be kept smaller with pruning. Sun to part shade. Very drought tolerant once established. Frost hardy to the upper edge of USDA Zone 7 so far."

So that title, "discovering new plants," is really about these next three treasures which Sean Hogan pulled out of the greenhouses and handed to me. First is Dendroseris macrophylla, which I thought looked a little like Euphorbia stygiana. Instead it's a flowering plant in the Asteraceae family, from Chile. Sean says it can form rosettes two-feet across, you know what talk like that does for me! There is not much to be found about this plant online, although it is offered on the Cistus Mail Order list for Fall 2014. I think I'll be planting it in the front garden where the departed Brachyglottis greyi was growing. Love those leaves...

Perhaps this Bommeria hispida will be tucked in nearby, maybe snugged up to the Agave ovatifolia.

Native to Arizona, New Mexico and Texas (according to the USDA) the Western New Mexico University Department of Natural Sciences says "Bommeria hispida is a somewhat leafy appearing, hairy low, creeping fern. The younger fronds are dark green, but as they age they turn copper and red. The top surface of each frond is covered with short, straight hairs. The bottom surface of the fronds is very crowded with not only straight hairs, but also hairs that are curly, like wood shavings." It is a mat-forming evergreen fern which can grow to 5-ft across, collected at 6200 ft in the Peloncillo Mountains of Arizona by Sean, hardy to USDA Zone 7. So fury!

One more, Cheilanthes lindheimeri, it's a bad photo but a cool little desert fern which I am thrilled to plant and (hopefully) watch grow. From a collection made along the border between Arizona and Mexico (by Sean) it was found growing tucked up against pink boulders, and under various cactus and Agave palmeri. Also hardy to USDA Zone 7. And in case you were wondering, the ferns are also on the Fall Mail Order list. New plants, there's really nothing better...

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Colocasia fontanesii is my favorite plant in the garden, this week…

September 12, 2014, 8:13 am

≫ Next: Garden Bloggers Bloomday for September 2014

≪ Previous: Discovering new plants...

Who doesn't love a colocasia? Those big leaves are welcome in most every garden.

I'm usually pretty successful overwintering them in the basement. They lose most of their leaves by spring, but they're still alive and usually leaf out when the temperatures warm in the garden, late June to early July. This last winter I lost several, perhaps I was too caught up in caring for the plants outdoors (it was a tough winter) and didn't give the colocasia enough water to keep them alive. Whatever the reason earlier this summer I bought this dark stemmed beauty, Colocasia fontanesii, to fill the gap. This is the view when I'm sitting on the patio and glance up towards the shade pavilion...

I've been admiring it for weeks and finally decided it deserved the "fav" spotlight. Taking these photos I was surprised to see that bright chartreuse point behind the shortest leaf.

It's going to bloom! A very rare occurrence for me. It won't be a showy flower but it's still a nice development.

The stats on Colocasia fontanesii:

tropical in the Araceae family
4-6 ft tall, and up to 5 ft wide in wet soils, or shallow water (and when planted in the ground where it can over-winter outdoors)
leaves can be up to 3 ft across
needs dappled shade to part sun
stems die back at freezing but should resprout from base if mulched well (down to USDA Zone 8, maybe 7)

Another thing I love about colocasia in general are the great photos you can take when the sun hits their big leaves and magically illuminates them. Pretty dreamy right? Anything you're admiring in your garden this week?

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Garden Bloggers Bloomday for September 2014

September 15, 2014, 8:07 am

≫ Next: Early autumn harvest…

≪ Previous: Colocasia fontanesii is my favorite plant in the garden, this week…

September 15th, we're down to the last full week of summer. It's been a good one, hot and sunny, but of course all too fast. It's time for a look at what's blooming as autumn is knocking at the door, to see the full report from blogs around the world visit May Dreams Gardens.

The canna's are going strong. It's a pity I'm unable to tell you what any of them are...

This is Callistemon citrinus, it's not especially hardy but went in the ground this spring. Time will tell...

This silly thing, Abutilon 'Red Tiger', has grown and grown and grown, but not bloomed much. Right now it's finally got 4 flowers and half a dozen buds. It must have realized I was eyeing it's spot and thinking about what I'd plant there when I got rid of it.

Cassia didymobotrya

Clematis tibetana var. vernayi

And the fully opened bloom of last week's "favorite" Colocasia fontanesii...

The Crocosmia 'Orangeade' just keeps on pushing out new flowers, I love this plant!

There were three blooms on the Hedychium 'Tara' this year, this the last one.

The spaced themselves out nicely, I've been enjoying them for 3 weeks.

Passiflora 'Sunburst' is a riot of blooms right now. My first go at rooting cuttings failed miserably. I'll try again.

Grevillea 'Peaches and Cream'

Mahonia fortunei 'Curlyque'

Mahonia gracilipes

Hibiscus syriacus 'Red Heart'

Sedum 'Autumn Joy'

Schefflera brevipedunculata, on it's third round of blooms.

The very unattractive buds/blooms/seed heads of Senecio mandraliscae.

And finally Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola'...enjoy your last week of summer!

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Early autumn harvest…

September 16, 2014, 8:20 am

≫ Next: Echeveria elegans is my favorite plant in the garden, this week…

≪ Previous: Garden Bloggers Bloomday for September 2014

What, you expected apples or pumpkins? Silly. It’s time to harvest the agave pups!

I’ve never before separated my Agave americana pups, I think because I’ve suffered from the delusion that if left in place they’d magically grow into a fierce spiky patch, like seen in the Southwest. Instead they turn mushy and die over the winter. After almost losing my “big” (don’t laugh, they’re big for Portland!) A. americanas last winter I vowed to not repeat that mistake again. Why not take advantage of the insurance nature is providing me?

I cut away the two furthest from mom, I just couldn’t bring myself to mess with the one snugged up against her.

There was another on the other side…

Got that one too, but left the two guys on the upper right in the photo above. They are just too tiny.

Here’s the other big A. americana…

I am thrilled these guys are both looking so good after I thought I’d lost them.

This one's got a few pups too...

Here’s the harvest, 8 new plants…

This one came out sans the roots, hopefully it will make it.

I love that plants so small still have wicked teeth and their imprints on the leaves.

All potted up to be protected and grow on over winter.

Of course we’ve still got a week of summer left and nice long sunny warm autumn ahead too! (see, I’m slowing coming to terms with it…)

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Echeveria elegans is my favorite plant in the garden, this week…

September 18, 2014, 8:23 am

≫ Next: WWTT #16

≪ Previous: Early autumn harvest…

If I lived in a slightly warmer climate scenes like the one below would be repeated throughout my garden...

But since I don’t, they aren’t. And so I enjoy the couple I have, this one especially since it’s along the path I walk from the patio to the house...

The agaves are always planted here for the summer, but this is the first year I've added the Echeveria elegans. I bought them at Cistus earlier in the year, if memory serves there were just two rosettes then. They've done exactly what I hoped they would, form a bit of a wrap around the base of the agave. Sadly the whole lot will be dug up in another couple of months, but be replanted in the spring.

The Cistus description: “Echeveria elegans (Mexican Snowball) Dense, blue-gray succulent species from Mexico that mounds or spreads slowly in tight colonies. Edges of leaves are slightly pink, producing equally pretty small pink flowers with a yellow tinge. Very handsome and uniform in the garden. More cold hardy than many other echieveria hybrids, this one makes an excellent rock garden or container plant that needs occasional winter protection below 25 degrees. Drought-tolerant. Plant in part to full sun.”

I love how their powder blue echoes the blue of the agaves. So...anything you're admiring in your garden this week?

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WWTT #16

September 19, 2014, 8:09 am

≫ Next: Lunch (and a stroll) in the Pearl…

≪ Previous: Echeveria elegans is my favorite plant in the garden, this week…

Yes it’s been awhile since we’ve enjoyed a good WWTT post, here we go...

Zipping along one day I caught the sight of something out of the corner of my eye. Something that made me stop and turn around, just to make sure I’d seen it correctly.

Yes, yes I had. But the thing is it was a hot day and the homeowner (gardener?) was enjoying a cigarette on his front porch. You can't see him because the porch is hidden behind that big green thing, but trust me, he's there. So I manned up and asked “can I take a photo of your cactus?”… “Yes, you can” and so I give you opuntia row...

So straight.

So spiky.

So, odd.

But I love it. It’s his vision and he’s going for it, barberry and mini-rose included. I just wish I knew what he was thinking.

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Lunch (and a stroll) in the Pearl…

September 22, 2014, 8:13 am

≫ Next: The Ricin Report

≪ Previous: WWTT #16

Earlier in the year my gardening friend, and former neighbor, Bridget, moved to Portland’s Pearl District. “The Pearl” is known for its restaurants, art galleries, shopping and condos. What about gardens? Yes, if you know where to look there are a few of those too. After a lovely lunch Bridget shared one her favorites with me…

I suppose calling it a garden is a bit of a misnomer, after all it’s more of a planted walkway between two buildings. However there are enough interesting plants to keep a pair of plant lovers gawking. I think this is Osmanthus 'Jim Porter'…

Metapanax delavayi

Schefflera delavayi

Are you thinking what I’m thinking? These are all plants taken from the Cistus catalogue. I wonder if it’s a Cistus Design project? Here we have Aspidistra under-planted with Trachelospermum asiaticum 'Theta.’ The Aspidistra is looking a little rough around the edges, lack of water? Winter damage?

I’m still not a fan of pots jammed full of multiple plants, but these are quite attractive. Sort of mini-gardens.

Mahonia eurybracteata, likely ‘Soft Caress’

The walkway opens out on to Jamison Square, the first park in the Pearl and a popular one with kids due to its fountain and wading pool.

But instead of joining the kids we turned left and walked by the Ecotrust Building…

And on to explore the rain garden at 10th @ Hoyt. A visit to this space was the second post I did on this blog when I started back in 2009. The building was designed by the architecture firm I used to work at and this space really captured my imagination.

The landscape design was done by KLA Architecture, if you’re interested there are better photos and a nice write up on their website, here. The concrete and rusted forms come alive in a rainfall, something we haven't had in a couple of months.

The older photos, on my blog and their website, show the gunnera at a much more impressive size. I wonder what happened?

Hope you enjoyed this urban garden adventure...

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The Ricin Report

September 23, 2014, 8:11 am

≫ Next: My favorite plant this week isn’t growing in my garden...

≪ Previous: Lunch (and a stroll) in the Pearl…

I almost called this post "the come back kid" but then decided to go with something a little more scandalous, or at least to try. So back towards the end of July when I declared the castor bean pictured below my weekly "fav" plant I was pretty sure it was going to be the reigning champion for size this growing season.

But ever since it bloomed (and look seed pods!) it's slown down.

Where as this guy, who was under 10" then, has exploded and seems determined to reach the top of the fence and beyond. Right now he's almost 5ft tall, in just 2 months time he's grown that much!

And that trunk, it's beefy, over an inch wide. It should be noted this monster is from seedlings given to me by Alison last spring. Alison your offspring is amazing, thank you!

It's especially wonderful that the foliage is in a place I can see it up close.

The three plants out in the front garden haven't grown much at all since the July post.

Back then several people said increased water would do the trick, along with heat. The heat we've had and the watering has stayed pretty consistent between them all, in other words it alone shouldn't account for the growth spurt on the comeback kid.

As you can see these two seedlings haven't grown more than a couple of inches.

What's the difference? I'm going with Heather's theory that they grow to fill the space available to them. The one in the back garden had nothing encumbering it's march up and out, where as the ones out front had to contend with neighbors nearby. Whatever the reason I'm thrilled at this beefy Ricinus communis in my garden...

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My favorite plant this week isn’t growing in my garden...

September 25, 2014, 8:17 am

≫ Next: Fail!

≪ Previous: The Ricin Report

Months back I toyed with the idea of combining the “my favorite plant” feature with a new one, something along the lines of “what I’m currently lusting after.” Ever since then the fav’s have been battling somthing fierce to see who gets to be written about, so it never happened. But the time is now! See that little plant snuggled up next to the rocks? It has captured my imagination and won’t let go…

What is it? I wondered that myself. A little puff ball skeleton, it was an anomaly in very simple garden I featured last week on the plant lust blog. All alone, it was like it sprung unexpectedly from seed, maybe a gift from a visiting bird.

I thought about posting it here and asking you all what it was, I thought about posting it to the “Plant Idents” group on Facebook. Yet before I could do either of those my plant lust co-hort Megan pinned it to a plant wishlist Pinterest board (we definitely gravitate towards similar plants). Now I know it’s Artemisia versicolor 'Seafoam'…

The description from the Plant Select ® program says all the right things: "Vigorous, attractive groundcover with lacy, mounding foliage of silvery blue. Good winter presence. Clump forming and non-invasive. Perennial. Xeriscape. Garden loam, clay or sandy soil. USDA zones 4b-8." Really could it be any better? Still the images I find on a Google search give me a little concern, it might be a little weedy for my tastes, especially when it blooms. Have any of you grown it?

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Fail!

September 26, 2014, 8:15 am

≫ Next: Back from the Bay, with treasures…

≪ Previous: My favorite plant this week isn’t growing in my garden...

Here’s a sure-fire recipe for a successful garden vignette:

1. Buy a super fabulous (large) focal point urn
2. Score a hard to find (and equally fabulous) plant to put in it
3. Bury them behind a couple of big plants so that nobody but you knows they’re there

Brilliant no?

Never one to do something halfway I took it a step further and also hid this excellent small tree, a Magnolia laevifolia.

The hidden container plant is a huge Grevillea 'Austraflora Fanfare' my friend JJ found for me at San Marcos Growers last spring. Back when I positioned the container and grevillea (and planted the magnolia) the melianthus hadn't yet emerged from the ground and the hakonechloa was only about 6" tall. Now I know. I won't make the same mistake again, at least not here. No doubt something similar is bound to be repeated elsewhere...

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