This was my second visit to the Ruth Bancroft Garden. The first visit was in March of 2012, it had been a cold spring and thus many of the winter covers were still in place. This visit, in June, was the opposite of cold. Even though it was our first stop of the morning it had to have been in the 90’s.
I was distracted by the heat, and also as I toured I enjoyed a conversation with Gerhard of Succulents and More (yes he’s renamed his blog), who drove down from Davis to meet the Fling participants at the garden. I had no idea I took over a hundred photographs that day. The garden is just that inspiring (to me, I did hear of others who were not as enchanted, but we each have our own ideas of paradise don’t we?).
I shared the history of the garden in my 2012 post, so this time it’s just all about the sexy plant photos! Although I should mention there was an exhibition fundraiser of artworks happening in the garden during our visit. Since I’m not a fan of such things I managed to (mostly) avoid the art in favor of the plants. If you’d like to see the artwork my friendsGerhard and Peter both did a fabulous job of capturing it all.
Several of the large Agave franzosinii just inside the entrance were putting up their tall bloom spikes.
I bet they've left quite the hole since the bloom means death to the mother plant.
In fact there were a lot of tall blooms shooting toward the sky that day.
Aloe capitata var. quartziticola, a favorite.
Here's the best of the art, in my opinion. From Marcia Donahue...
Aloe striata, maybe...
I believe I let out a squeal when I first laid eyes on this Leucadendron ‘Ebony’...
Agave attenuata ‘Boutin Blue’
Agave attenuata, by the dozens!
The always sexy Agave 'Blue Glow'...
I already shared this photo in a post last summer, but I wanted to share it again. This is Gerhard and me posing for Pam Penick who graciously agreed to take our photo. As the Portland Fling planning committee works on putting together the 2014 Fling (July 11, 12, 13) it's memories like this visit that make all the work worthwhile. The magical place that is the Ruth Bancroft Garden made even better because I got to see it with my garden blogger friends!
So to end our visit (as I recall I was one of the last to get on the bus) there was shopping!
As you might remember (from this post), I was allowed to buy a tiny one of those Leucadendron ‘Ebony’...
And I also grabbed a Grevillea 'Superb'...
As well as this Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder' (all photos taken last July).
I am happy to report they are all still alive! Here they are now, hunkered down in the SP-greenhouse for the winter.
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