An afternoon at Cistus, talking about the Portland Botanical Gardens

I spent the afternoon of October 6th out on Sauvie Island at Cistus Nursery and Rancho Cistus (home of Sean Hogan and Preston Pew) touring, visiting with other plant people, and hearing the latest on how the planned Portland Botanical Gardens are progressing.
The weather was magnificent, I think Mother Nature was blessing the event.
I walked Sean and Preston's home garden first, this photo and the above are from the desert island bed at the end of the driveway and just in front of their home.
The entrance to the home's front courtyard...


On the front porch...
Marcia Donahue's work.

Yucca and Cheilanthes tomentosa (I think), what's not to love?
Working my way around the side of the home now, there are a few gigantic containers.

I remember when they first moved out to the island and this was all open, Sean made quick work of filling things in.
Creatures were a buzzing around the blooming Schefflera delavayi.


Verbena and eryngium.
Seedling eryngium starting to work their way across the pathway.

The crevice garden...

Aloiampelos striatula / Aloe striatula was wiped out all over town thanks to last winter's extended cold. How nice to see them again.
Acanthus sennii, bloom slightly expired.
Hesperoyucca whipplei fireworks, with a Chris Dixon crevice garden in a pot (yet to be planted up). 




Walking back towards the house, looking over my shoulder...
Time to go join the party.

There was a presentation on where things stand with the proposed location for the garden. This graphic was my most interesting take away, comparing the proposed site here in Portland with other botanic gardens, from Kew to the Denver BG, New York BG, and our local Leach BG.
Of course if you want to donate to the effort there's a page for that, click here.
After the event wrapped up I (naturally) walked thought the nursery proper...

Agave ovatifolia 'Vanzie'
Agave 'Ruth Bancroft' (sharkskin)
What did I buy? Just a couple things. A nice Opuntia x 'Beaver Rita' for a container project I'm working on, and a beautifully variegated Pyrrosia lingua 'Ogon Nishiki' to fill an empty driveway container over the winter.