Last May I discovered this garden by accident, parking in just the right spot to catch a glimpse of it and know I needed to look closer (post here). That luck struck again when I happened to drive by in late November as the setting sun was bathing everything in golden light.![]()
Back when I first spotted it the plants were in the process of being planted and the gravel wasn't spread, it was fun to now see it all "completed" (as if a garden is ever complete, but you know what I mean...).
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That agave on the right, on the house side of the pathway, is built up on a nice little hill, excellent drainage!
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Funny how different my camera felt about the light once I walked over to the shady side. Oh and that eucalyptus, don't even remember seeing it the last time I was there!
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At the base of the eucalyptus—a beschorneria? Excellent form.
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I love how even the smallest planting pockets hold agave pups.
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And the mix of sharp and soft seems just about perfect.
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Back to the golden side...
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In front of the rock, Agave x protamericana 'Silver Surfer'.
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I feel confident in that ID only because I ended up chatting with Jess—one half of the gardening team here—online and asked him what agave it was. That talk led to an offer of Agave 'Silver Surfer' pups (uhm, yes please!) and an invite to stop by and stroll the garden, which I did mid December.
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Back there, at the corner of the house, Leucadendron galpinii!
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Silver cone-bush. Amazing! (more photos below)
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Here's the last golden photo...
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This is the largest Agave ovatifolia in the garden, which sadly is experiencing a bit of rot near the core. Jess jumped on digging it up and protecting it and I think it's gonna be fine.
And now I've fast-forwarded to mid-December when I stopped by for a visit and met Jess and Kariena and walked the garden with them. I'll say it again, anyone who thinks social media is only a negative is wrong. How else would like minded gardeners who live across town from each other meet?
I was stumped by this one, but Kariena said it was a myrtle they picked up at Xera Plants. I love those berries and the foliage smelled great too.![]()
If you clicked back to my original post on this garden you might remember the Leucadendron 'Ebony' I spotted near the house. I got to get up close and personal with it on this visit.![]()
This plant is not one you see planted in the ground much here in Portland, as it's not technically hardy here. Jess and Kariena placed theirs to receive maximum protection from the house and during our cold-snap last week they wrapped it and added lights for heat, fingers crossed!
A few more agave shots, this time taken from within the garden. These are all planted in well amended soil and many of them are on small hills or berms to help with drainage.
And now taking a closer look at the plants up against the house. These were part of the first wave of planting in 2018, whereas the agaves and such went in just last spring, 2022. Isn't the form on this Yucca rostrata just so elegant?![]()
And as I promised, more photos of the Leucadendron galpinii. This one also received protection during last week's cold and ice.![]()
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Arctostaphylos silvicola 'Ghostly' behind the leucadendron...![]()
Finally, here is a shocking "before" photo of the house and front landscaping that Jess shared with me. Can you even believe it? Jess and Kariena certainly had vision didn't they? 2014...![]()
And now...
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All material © 2009-2022 by Loree L Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.