August 2019 was a lifetime ago. Things were so different then. The garden was hot and dry, I was deep in the throes of writing a book. A hug upon meeting up with a friend wasn't something you turned away from. Nobody had more than a week or two's worth of toilet paper on hand...
So yes, these are photos I took last August, intending to post my them as my annual garden tour (2018, 2017, 2016, 2015), but I never got around to it. I had no idea how much I needed to see these photos now, to remember that summer will return. I also I have no idea why I didn't cut off those expired yucca bloom spikes before I took this shot...
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I do plan to trim up that archtostaphylos which is completely blocking the front door, just as soon as it stops blooming. This photo was a great reminder that it needed to be done, but the pollinators swarming it were an an even better deterrent.
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Things were pretty much left to their own devices last year, and it shows.
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I did finally trim the dried flowers on the Santolina chamaecyparissus, I think it might have been at the same time I was doing autumn leaf clean-up.
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Ditto for cutting back the verbascum spikes (there are two in this photo). I'm hoping my laziness means seeds scattered and there will be several babies popping up soon.
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Peeling bark on the Arctostaphylos x ‘Austin Griffiths'
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The volunteer sedum that lines our driveway is so lush and green right now, it's hard to imagine it's orange summer drought coloring.
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Note the dormant lawn across the street, that's your Portland summer standard (and I hate it).
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Although I imagine my cramscaped plant madness isn't for everyone either.
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The mailman pathway keeps getting smaller and smaller.
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And the spikes bigger and bigger.
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Another angle...
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Our house faces east, so the pair of Agave ovatifolia 'Frosty Blue' get plenty of hot sun, until about 2:00 pm in the height of summertime.
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Those low blue/grey mounds are Euphorbia rigida and they're in bight yellow/green bloom right now, just another few days and their seeds will start popping. Trimming them back is not a job enjoy. The sap is sticky, messy and dangerous. I have to suit up like a bee keeper.
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The north side of the house, and the neighbor's driveway. Close quarters, eh?
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The Mahonia x media 'Marvel' is certainly looking fabulous here, ditto for the Adiantum venustum, aka Himalayan maidenhair fern. This photo was taken before the neighbors had their kitchen remodeled and the contractors machinery exhaust burnt a large swath of it. Fingers crossed this year's new growth hides the ugly.
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Okay I'm about to take the mailman path of pain (spikes) and swing around to the south side of the house.
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Where I leave you at the gate to the back garden, we'll pick up back here tomorrow...
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But wait! I had to share these two sunny shots I took later that day. You miss the details which you can make out in the cloudy shots...
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But the sun lifts my spirits, maybe yours too.
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Weather Diary, Apr 8: Hi 73, Low 40/ Precip 0
All material © 2009-2020 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.
So yes, these are photos I took last August, intending to post my them as my annual garden tour (2018, 2017, 2016, 2015), but I never got around to it. I had no idea how much I needed to see these photos now, to remember that summer will return. I also I have no idea why I didn't cut off those expired yucca bloom spikes before I took this shot...
I do plan to trim up that archtostaphylos which is completely blocking the front door, just as soon as it stops blooming. This photo was a great reminder that it needed to be done, but the pollinators swarming it were an an even better deterrent.
Things were pretty much left to their own devices last year, and it shows.
I did finally trim the dried flowers on the Santolina chamaecyparissus, I think it might have been at the same time I was doing autumn leaf clean-up.
Ditto for cutting back the verbascum spikes (there are two in this photo). I'm hoping my laziness means seeds scattered and there will be several babies popping up soon.
Peeling bark on the Arctostaphylos x ‘Austin Griffiths'
The volunteer sedum that lines our driveway is so lush and green right now, it's hard to imagine it's orange summer drought coloring.
Note the dormant lawn across the street, that's your Portland summer standard (and I hate it).
Although I imagine my cramscaped plant madness isn't for everyone either.
The mailman pathway keeps getting smaller and smaller.
And the spikes bigger and bigger.
Another angle...
Our house faces east, so the pair of Agave ovatifolia 'Frosty Blue' get plenty of hot sun, until about 2:00 pm in the height of summertime.
Those low blue/grey mounds are Euphorbia rigida and they're in bight yellow/green bloom right now, just another few days and their seeds will start popping. Trimming them back is not a job enjoy. The sap is sticky, messy and dangerous. I have to suit up like a bee keeper.
The north side of the house, and the neighbor's driveway. Close quarters, eh?
The Mahonia x media 'Marvel' is certainly looking fabulous here, ditto for the Adiantum venustum, aka Himalayan maidenhair fern. This photo was taken before the neighbors had their kitchen remodeled and the contractors machinery exhaust burnt a large swath of it. Fingers crossed this year's new growth hides the ugly.
Okay I'm about to take the mailman path of pain (spikes) and swing around to the south side of the house.
Where I leave you at the gate to the back garden, we'll pick up back here tomorrow...
But wait! I had to share these two sunny shots I took later that day. You miss the details which you can make out in the cloudy shots...
But the sun lifts my spirits, maybe yours too.
Weather Diary, Apr 8: Hi 73, Low 40/ Precip 0
All material © 2009-2020 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.