Jeff Fairchild's garden, before I left for the Fling

Back in mid-July, before I left town to attend the Garden Fling up in the Puget Sound area, I visited an open garden here in Portland, one that came highly recommended by my friends Heather and Tim. I'm so glad I did!This sea of Blechnum chilense (aka Parablechnum cordatum / Chilean Hard Fern) was out in the hellstrip next to the public sidewalk.
I love this fern!
There was also a colorful cotinus...
...and a fabulous hydrangea/mahonia combo, if I remember correctly the mahonia is M. confusa 'Narihira', the spots belong to Podophyllum 'Spotty Dotty'.
Stepping back...
Here's a close up of the unique hydrangea blooms. Little did I know then, that the Fling was to be hydrangea-heavy. I've come to see this shrub as not being suited to our "summer dry" climate so it was shocking to see them in almost every garden on the Fling. Then again Portland is much warmer (and dryer maybe, I can't accurately speak to that part of the equation) than the Puget Sound area.
Moving closer to the garden's entrance; the hellstrip is in the foreground (rocks), then you can see the public sidewalk and then the green fern wonderland of the garden.
Ferns!
A not-so-boring green mash-up.
Looking up into the garden (which is on a very dramatic hillside/slope) you can see more podophyllum, these are P. pleianthum.
There's Jeff, the gardener/owner climbing the start of the 50 steps that lead up to the house.
Before we climb, we've got more to see in the hellstrip...
The containers of fuchsia blend nicely with the large ferns.
And a podocarpus.

The garden description in Jeff's words: "My shade garden is situated on a steep hillside in NW Portland. Many plants were collected from Heronswood in the late 1990's offering a glimpse of what these unusual varieties look like when mature. My garden includes unusual trilliums, toad lilies, podophyllum, hellebores, a wide variety of ferns including two varieties of tree ferns, epimediums, camellias and much more. Though our lot is a standard 50x100 foot lot, being on such a steep slope has offered me a larger planting space with different moisture and light conditions. Rustic paths are throughout the garden for those wishing to explore the slopes or simply relax and enjoy the quiet."I tried to get ID on this sexy back-lit fern but was unsuccessful. Maybe you know?
Another section of hellstrip, this just beyond the containers.
Anybody able to identify the succulant/sedum?
Rhododendron williamsianum
Another fuchsia...
Finally it was time to climb the steps...
There was water available to hydrate for the journey.
Cyrtomium
Look how flat those rhododendron leaves have made themselves...
Almost there...
Once at the top I chose not to explore some of the steeper paths down through the slope. Not tempting fate.
Rhododendron 'Everred' maybe?
Bamboo looking impressive with those large culms.
I knew there were going to be tree ferns, this is the first one I spotted.
Even after you've landed on the flat ground where the home sits there's another steep slope above...
A small (level) patio area behind the home.


And then BAM! The big tree fern comes into view...
Jeff's home is on the left, the blue siding is that of a neighboring home.
Since this was an HPSO Open Garden, on a lovely warm summer evening, I was not the only visitor in the garden and I didn't get a chance to ask Jeff how he goes about protecting his tree ferns, most of which are Dicksonia antarctica.
Here's another, smaller one...
My friend Heather to the rescue! Her successful method of protection is based on what Jeff told her he does: "He takes a large nursery pot, cuts the bottom off, then cuts it in half lengthwise. He drills holes and zip ties the halves together. This way he can wrap the trunk with the pot, then fill it with grass or whatever. As the fern gets bigger he can add pots on top." Here's a photo of one of Heather's ferns which withstood our crazy record-setting week of winter last January. I think I'm going to have to try this myself.