Visiting the garden of another Portland agave lover...(Part 1)

I believe this may be the third time I've visited my friend Linda Callahan's garden, but it's the first time I've actually taken photos to do a blog post... finally!

Of course I wanted to press pause and start snapping photos the very first time I stopped by, but when you start talking and walking, taking photos just slips your mind.

Okay I lie, it never actually slips my mind, but it takes a back seat. This visit I decided to finally make photos a priority.

The date was November 8th, and I can say with confidence the garden looked just as amazing as if I was visiting on a summer day. Of course before we go any further I have to point out those adorable barrel cactus in the window. How cute are they?

So this bad boy, isn't it gorgeous? Unfortunately I can't tell you which agave it is because it came unlabeled, but it's pretty fabulous (and I got a pup!).

Here we have the ultra-sexy combination of the dark mahogany bark of an arctostaphylos, with the red leaf margins of an Agave 'Blue Glow'...

In front there is a Yucca pallida, the remaining one of what used to be a pair, the white rocks are what's left of a successful cat deterrent (and much nicer than my kitty skewers).

This stunner is a pup of an agave we'll look at in a minute, on the other side of the driveway.

Agave parryi and Agave bracteosa.

There's also a sweet Tetrapanax working it's magic in the front garden, you may have seen it in the previous photos? It's that perfect height, making a statement but where you can still really get a good look at the leaves.

Spikes!

We've walked up the drive now and are very near the front of the house. Agave ovatifolia 'Frosty Blue'.

Agave parryi and I think a Dasylirion wheeleri.

You probably spotted the Yucca rostrata in an earlier photo, it needed a close-up.

If you page back up to the beginning of this post you'll see just how small Linda's front garden is, yet we're still looking at the plants to the right of the driveway, how is that even possible?

Two Agave parryi, backed by a Beschorneria yuccoides.

In case you're wondering about the soil all these magnificent plants are growing in, Linda started with a lovely compact clay but has worked in pumice and grit to the point she's got several inches of well draining goodness in which to plant. It's definitely paying off!

She also has a fondness for conifers, like this beauty...

Pinus densiflora 'Cesarini's Variegated'

One last look at this side of the garden...

And then we move to the thin strip next to the driveway.

Damn! Check out that beauty! It's the momma of the pup I pointed out earlier, as well as one in my garden and one growing in Gerhard's garden in Davis, CA.