I was recently invited to tour the garden of a Facebook friend. He reminded me that we'd met before, in front of a dragon sculpture at the Yard, Garden and Patio Show back in 2014. Indeed we did! He gave me his address then, and I had every intention of doing a drive-by, but never managed to do it. Thank goodness for second chances! This is the scene that greets you as you enter the garden. That forest of Canna? Wayne grew them all from seed, ditto for the monster Castor Bean.
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I was sent home with a handful of seeds from that garden eating beauty, hopefully I'll get similar results next year.
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Wayne lives on a huge corner lot in NE Portland, he's been gardening here for 8 years. I visited late on a drizzly-autumn day, the light was poor. Yes, that's my way of apologizing to Wayne because I am not showing his garden in the best possible way. I'll just have to go back next summer and capture it at its sunny peak.
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Isn't this cool? Wayne is reworking it with different plants (hence the bare-spots). What a great focal point.
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This combination stopped me cold. Who knew Podophyllum could be happy tucked under a Nolina 'La Siberica'?
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And this Hebe is a beauty!
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Tree ferns...
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A mini-forest of them! I'll show you were they spend the winter in just a few photos.
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Iris confusa
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Some might shudder at this image (Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbiae) but I think it's rather lovely. Wayne cuts it back hard every spring (with a lawnmower) to keep it looking fresh.
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Stachyurus salicifolius, its structure nicely highlighted by an under-planting of yellowing Hosta. Wayne was very gracious to let me visit in early November, many gardeners wouldn't dream of sharing their garden with a pesky, camera-toting, blogger so late in the season.
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Wayne mentioned that his Schefflera delavayi was hit hard by a bad winter (must have been 2013-14) but it's rebounded nicely and now has multiple trunks.
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We've only seen a tiny fraction of the garden so far...
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What's that? A Monstera, in Oregon!? Yes, and no it's not hardy here.
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Nor is that red flower real (although the plant is), Wayne obviously likes to have fun with his garden.
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Another ginormous Castor Bean.
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Oh that blue Abies, so beautiful. It's glowing...
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If my memory is correct that white flower is also an impostor (I'm trying not to use the word fake).
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Just think, back before the PKW's there were Phormium this big all over Portland. Not anymore...
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Check out that Colocasia! It looks big right?
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It is! That's Wayne, he's 6ft 2in...meet Colocasia gigantea Thai Giant
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That little door opens into a root cellar. Original to the property, it's where the Tree Ferns spend winter.
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Canna 'Stuttgart'
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Ah...Daphniphyllum macropodum, another great plant that you don't see often enough!
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Farfugium japonicum 'Giganteum'
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Okay...we've walked through a large vegetable garden with raised beds and are now standing at the side of the garden. The lawn you see here...
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And here...is actually beyond what would be considered a hell-strip in some parts of Portland. Here it's just a nice wide buffer from the side-street.
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A handsome Cupressus arizonica var. glabra 'Blue Ice' (I think) ends this fabulous garden visit...thank you Wayne!
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All material © 2009-2015 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.
I was sent home with a handful of seeds from that garden eating beauty, hopefully I'll get similar results next year.
Wayne lives on a huge corner lot in NE Portland, he's been gardening here for 8 years. I visited late on a drizzly-autumn day, the light was poor. Yes, that's my way of apologizing to Wayne because I am not showing his garden in the best possible way. I'll just have to go back next summer and capture it at its sunny peak.
Isn't this cool? Wayne is reworking it with different plants (hence the bare-spots). What a great focal point.
This combination stopped me cold. Who knew Podophyllum could be happy tucked under a Nolina 'La Siberica'?
And this Hebe is a beauty!
Tree ferns...
A mini-forest of them! I'll show you were they spend the winter in just a few photos.
Iris confusa
Some might shudder at this image (Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbiae) but I think it's rather lovely. Wayne cuts it back hard every spring (with a lawnmower) to keep it looking fresh.
Stachyurus salicifolius, its structure nicely highlighted by an under-planting of yellowing Hosta. Wayne was very gracious to let me visit in early November, many gardeners wouldn't dream of sharing their garden with a pesky, camera-toting, blogger so late in the season.
Wayne mentioned that his Schefflera delavayi was hit hard by a bad winter (must have been 2013-14) but it's rebounded nicely and now has multiple trunks.
We've only seen a tiny fraction of the garden so far...
What's that? A Monstera, in Oregon!? Yes, and no it's not hardy here.
Nor is that red flower real (although the plant is), Wayne obviously likes to have fun with his garden.
Another ginormous Castor Bean.
Oh that blue Abies, so beautiful. It's glowing...
If my memory is correct that white flower is also an impostor (I'm trying not to use the word fake).
Just think, back before the PKW's there were Phormium this big all over Portland. Not anymore...
Check out that Colocasia! It looks big right?
It is! That's Wayne, he's 6ft 2in...meet Colocasia gigantea Thai Giant
That little door opens into a root cellar. Original to the property, it's where the Tree Ferns spend winter.
Canna 'Stuttgart'
Ah...Daphniphyllum macropodum, another great plant that you don't see often enough!
Farfugium japonicum 'Giganteum'
Okay...we've walked through a large vegetable garden with raised beds and are now standing at the side of the garden. The lawn you see here...
And here...is actually beyond what would be considered a hell-strip in some parts of Portland. Here it's just a nice wide buffer from the side-street.
A handsome Cupressus arizonica var. glabra 'Blue Ice' (I think) ends this fabulous garden visit...thank you Wayne!
All material © 2009-2015 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.