Clik here to view.
Yuccas don't set seed here in the PNW, or do they???
As usual my Yucca filamentosa bloomed for several glorious weeks in June and July. They're so fabulous I cannot imagine the garden without them.Several blog readers/Instagram followers asked if I'd...
View ArticleClik here to view.
August's Bloomday
Wow. It's the middle of August, how did that happen? After the longest spring in history (in my mind at least) now summer is flying by and it's time for August's Bloomday and a look at what's blooming...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Portland agaves...
Since I take my job as Portland's Agave Ambassador very seriously, it is my duty to keep you up to date on all the latest agave-goings on about town—and there are a lot! First up this Agave parryi I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Tell the Truth Tuesday, where's my towel?
Where's my towel? Cause I'm throwing it in—right after I dry off my arms. The raccoon bastards win. Well, I'm assuming it's the raccoons, because it happens at night. I've seen squirrels do a delicate...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Wednesday Vignette; spikes and spurs
I took this photo last week when snapping shots of flowers for Garden Bloggers Bloomday. I didn't really see what I'd captured until editing photos on my laptop screen. Do you see it?In case you don't:...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Tlachiquero
Here we have another of the many postcard/photograph gifts I've received from my husband. Aren't the colors fabulous? And hey, that's a big agave! However the first thing I said when I saw this one was...
View ArticleClik here to view.
For a moment I was in SoCal...
Driving home one afternoon I suddenly got it in my head to do a take a quick detour past a garden I've visited a few times. Wowsa!Will you take a look at that Agave americana 'Variegata'!I'm not sure...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Andrew's Top Ten (Today)
After reading the July 2nd post "My Favorite Flowers: A Post By Facilities Manager"—over on the blog Chickadee Gardens—in which Tamara's husband, David, selected his favorite flowers, I asked Andrew if...
View ArticleClik here to view.
That's a lotta nepenthes!
Ya I know, but I had to! (a lotta / alata)...I currently have five Nepenthes alata, I love them. They're both exotic and undemanding—and relatively easy to find, hence the fact I have five. Talking...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Wednesday Vignette: Let’s drop by the Huntington
I'm all sorts of in love with this image from my December 2019 visit to the Huntington Gardens. It looks like I have a fancy camera with a fish-eye lens, right? But this was taken with my trusty old...
View ArticleClik here to view.
August walk-about...
It was one of those afternoons where I just could not sit at my desk any longer. So I walked...Look at this cute pumpkin sling!A wide shot of the garden.I'm not a huge fan of the coneflowers, but...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Ficus pumila 'Monier's Hardy'
When I tour gardens in warmer climates and see creeping figs—Ficus pumila—crawling along walls I become extremely jealous. Here's a lovely specimen in Jennifer's garden in Austin, Texas. I visited...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Botanical Garden roadtrip to Kalama, WA...
What, you didn't know there was a botanical garden in Kalama, Washington? That's probably because it's cleverly disguised as a McMenamins hotel and restaurant, Kalama Harbor Lodge.Okay in all...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A mossy branch with benefits
Back in early July I needed to pick-up Andrew after a fishing adventure (his, not mine) and parked right next to a downed tree with a lot of moss on it. Our weather had been dry, so the moss was...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Wednesday Vignette: tomato hand salad...
As much as I love to plan dinner recipes based on our Sungold tomato harvest, I like to snack on them when I'm working in the garden even more. Recently—as I reached for a dark orange pop of flavor—I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Project plans: bye-bye ceanothus...
April is when my Ceanothus 'Dark Star'...is at the top of its game. The buds are amazing......and the flowers live up their promise.Here's an image from when both it and the Echium wildpretii were both...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Trashcan lid planter with a staghorn, yes I did
You may have heard my claim that I don't care for staghorn ferns, it's true! I've never seen the allure. Well, that is until I laid eyes on this one at Bob Hyland and Andrew Beckman's garden here in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Out with the Azaleas, in with the Agaves
What have you got planned for Wednesday evening, around 7 pm? Nothing? Why not attend a talk I'm giving for the Northwest Horticultural Society: Out with the Azaleas, in with the Agaves.Originally...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Masa fresh delivers, in more ways than one...
A few years ago I met with Trang Sharbaugh, she and her biz partner were looking to start up a business that has since become masa fresh. They call themselves the first "online farmer's market" and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Wednesday Vignette; check out those verbascum!
I was going through a bunch of old photos of the garden when I found this one from 2010. I have a pretty good memory when it comes to the garden and it's various forms—even more so when it comes to...
View Article