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Visiting my first open garden of the year...
This year I vowed to be better about visiting the open gardens available to me through membership in the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon (HPSO). In prior years it seemed mid to late summer before I'd...
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The 2014 ANLD Garden Tour...
Last week I took part in the pre-tour for the 2014 ANLD Garden Tour. This tour focuses on gardens designed by members of the Association of Northwest Landscape Designers, we visited 6 gardens mostly in...
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Spotty!
In my earlier post on the ANLD tour I mentioned our lunch stop at Garden Fever Nursery. They recently completed construction of a deck on which they showcase their collection of garden furniture and...
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Sempervivum 'Red Rubin' is my favorite plant in the garden; this week…
Well at least I think it's S. ‘Red Rubin’…I am rather bad at keeping track of my sempervivum.But see they're doing this crazy thing where they've moved down between the cement blocks next to our...
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And the winner of the title of the very last plant to emerge for the season is…
Sometime early this month, or honestly maybe late last month, I noticed leaves appearing in a spot that had been occupied by an Aloe striatula. Winter had killed the plant parts above ground so I’d...
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Opening your garden...
I’ve agreed to open my garden to the 80+ bloggers who will be in Portland next week for the Garden Bloggers Fling. I’ve always avoided opening my garden to groups, it’s just not how I want to...
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Hellstrip Gardening, by Evelyn J. Hadden
This book is a long time in the making, I believe there were at least two earlier versions which were shelved. I eagerly anticipated them both and am happy to report that holding Hellstrip Gardening in...
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Aloe dorotheae is my favorite plant in the garden (this week)…
If ever there was a plant that requires nothing but gives everything it is Aloe dorotheae. I have three, bought over consecutive years at Rare Plant Research. All they require for happiness is a winter...
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Smokin' and Boozin'...
First the smokin’…I caught sight of that cotinus, or smoke tree, from my car, about a block away. It was so magical I had to turn around and take a couple of photos. Have you ever seen such a smokin’...
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Two word Tuesday: urban planters
I love a picturesque gritty urban scene, even better if it includes a plant, an old building, and a blue sky. The blue sky makes it less gritty, full of possibilities, a few clouds make it mysterious....
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Weigela florida 'Dark Horse' is my favorite plant in the garden, this week…
Oh those silly people who purchase only plants they have a place for, they don’t know what they’re missing out on! I happened to be at Means Nursery a couple of weeks ago and fell hard for these dark...
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Yucca filamentosa, trash plants?
With time I’ve come to accept that many discerning plant people think Yucca filamentosa is a curse, the worst of the bunch...Okay I get it, this plant is rather hard to remove. Once you’ve planted it...
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An unexpected agave sighting...
Walking back with Lila from the "dog hotel" I pass this pair of in-fill homes. I can't even tell you what was there before, it was that unremarkable. I do know the current front plantings have changed,...
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July Bloomday!
I’m cheating. What with the Fling just wrapping up and spending an extra day with Mark, Gaz and Gerhard I knew I would not have time to do a proper Bloomday post. Instead I’ve decided to celebrate the...
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Greenovia aurea ‘Gran Canaria Form’ is my favorite plant in the garden (this...
This is the first blog post I've written in ages. Everything that’s appeared over the last week and half was scheduled in advance because I knew life would be crazy with the Garden Bloggers Fling in...
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A time to relax...
With the Garden Bloggers Fling behind me and a good (non-blogging) friend in town for the weekend I'm ready to relax. Today I'm just posting a single photo and urging you to all get out and enjoy your...
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The Garden Conservancy Tour 2014, garden #1
Since I had already pre-visited most the gardens we saw during the 2014 Garden Bloggers Fling (and posted about them) I made it a priority to attend this year’s open gardens through the Garden...
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July 2014 Bloomday, plus 7...
It's true, I did an actual Bloomday post (of sorts) a week ago. But since I've posted for every Bloomday since April of 2009 I was feeling a little odd about essentially skipping one. There are cool...
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Solabee, downtown
Last January I trekked on over to North Portland in search of Solabee. Once there I discovered they were no longer at that location, but I still had a great time poking around Salvage Works and vowed...
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Ricinus communis, it’s highly toxic and my favorite plant in the garden, this...
I adore the Castor Bean plant, and not because of it's toxicity. Although it’s certainly fun to mention that fact to the timid and watch them recoil in horror as though merely touching the leaves will...
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