I promised photos of the display gardens at Dancing Oaks Nursery and I intend to deliver. I however must warn you that even I—who took these photos—was surprised by just how dark they are. It was not a nice day to wander and photograph a garden.![]()
The building that I think of as the events facility is surrounded by gardens. Some tree damage (from the February ice storm) was evident in person but I don't think it will show up in these photos. The huge schefflera looked great...
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As did the dripping planters in the ponds/raised beds...
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I've always admired these huge planters in the warmer months and enjoyed seeing them now, when the garden that surrounds—envelops—them is dormant. It's been such a cool spring that everything seems behind schedule.
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Behind the pond/raised bed on the left there used to be a forest of large bamboo, this is what it looks like now. Shocking!
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Turns out this wasn't because of ice load but rather something the owners decided to do last fall. The tall bamboo was a maintenance nightmare and shading the adjacent greenhouse in a way that was not helpful, so they cut it down. Some will be allowed to regrow, but it won't ever become as dense as it used to be.
Other bamboo remains...
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I've long appreciated the way they use terracotta planters and chimney flues/pipes.
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It's so strange to see this pond exposed, I am used to seeing it completely surrounded by foliage.
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Yes please to this little vignette.
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The pond from the other side.
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That might be a Wissel's Saguaro Cypress in the center? Dunno, it looks a bit thick.
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A good looking arctostaphylos, which I can't ID...
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Solar panels!
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And off in the distance, my agave friends which I look forward to seeing every time I visit.
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Have I ever been able to make a positive ID? I'm not sure. I'm guessing maybe one of the Agave parryis or Agave neomexicana.
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They look pretty flawless!
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This was a sad sight to see. I knew from a Facebook post that the long arbor had succumbed to rot and ice load, but seeing it gone was just so shocking.
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Two photos from better days, these are summer shots too, which makes a big difference...![]()
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Back to current times. I was tempted by a Euphorbia stygiana I saw in one of the greenhouses, however having lost it twice I decided to pass.
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What a luxurious patch of Veratrum californicum!
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Why not plant a clump of cyclamen in your steps?
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More terracotta...
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And Echium pininana still under protection.
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We've had several nights at freezing here in Portland so I imagine things have been even cooler out in the country where Dancing Oaks is located.![]()
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Just a couple more photos; this very patch of Arachniodes simplicior 'Variegata' was where I fist fell in love with this fern. It never looks good in a container but once you put it in the ground it takes off and is a winner.
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The bleached out banana stalks are rather beautiful in their dead state...
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And the yuccas make me wish I had more garden space to plant up...
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Back to current times. I was tempted by a Euphorbia stygiana I saw in one of the greenhouses, however having lost it twice I decided to pass.
Weather Diary, April 1: Hi 68, Low 47/ Precip 0
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