Clik here to view.
Palm Springs!
Sadly no, we aren't headed to Palm Springs. Instead we're now four full months on the ground, at home. What I wouldn't give for a nice getaway! So I give you Palm Springs, or at least one family's...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Twenty one square feet of new space to plant!
Three and a half feet deep and six feet wide—twenty one square feet. That's the chunk of lawn I removed last month. It doesn't look like much, but in the scheme of things, it's pretty exciting...I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Let’s drop by the Huntington
Back on December 21st, 2019, I spent the day at the Huntington Gardens in San Marino, California. I visited solo, so I was free to take as long as I wanted, wherever I wanted. Several times I just sat...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Walking among the Cardiocrinum giganteum
An invitation to come see the giant Himalayan lilies showed up in my inbox: “Several folks have asked to visit our garden when the Cardiocrinums are blooming. So we thought we’d send out an invitation...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Wednesday Vignette: yucca knot
Sometimes leaves get a little tangled up with each other as they emerge. This however, well, it's a full blown knot.Weather Diary, June 23: Hi 93, Low 62/ Precip 0 Wednesday Vignettes are hosted by...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Côte d'Azur artistique
This blast from the past isn't a photo, but rather a post card, sent in July of 1937. The subject is Monaco, the Côte d'Azur, or maybe actually the subject is plants?Bonjour! Weather Diary, June 24: Hi...
View ArticleClik here to view.
More from my visit to Old Germantown Gardens
I really only intended to take photos of the blooming lilies, but when faced with an extraordinary garden, well, pictures just kind of happen!I believe this garden is 2-acres in size. The pair who...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Podocarpus matudae "blooms"...
I hope you won't mind a couple more photos from Old Germantown Gardens. I took this particular photo because I've always loved this combination of Tetrapanax and Podocarpus matudae.I stepped in closer...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The generosity of friends...
Back in May, maybe late April, my friends Laura and Charlie Heldreth dropped off a metal light fixture shade. They've used a few of them in their garden and were curious what I'd do with one of my own....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Wednesday Vignette; an opuntia of many colors
On any regular day this big mass of opuntia is pretty fabulous, however in bloom, well, it's an opuntia of many colors...Any plant that has yellow and orange flowers at the same time is...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Moss and adventure...
On a wet day in early June Andrew and I headed out, southeast of town, following the Clackamas River. As we drove I became enthralled with the trees covered in hanging lichen. The images I saw were a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
My pond-side Agave ovatifolia, a retrospective
Last week I found myself looking—really looking—at the Agave ovatifolia next to our stock tank pond. My thoughts were along the lines of "how much longer am I going to be able to leave that agave in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
First, I noticed the flies...
This time of year the wind kicks up in the evening and by the time darkness falls it sometimes gets downright crazy. I know this, because I dread it. It means trash from the fir trees behind us rains...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Garden touring last August (when things were "normal")
In late August the Oregon Association of Nurseries (OAN) holds its annual nursery industry trade-show, Farwest, here in Portland. Well, every year except this year that is, thanks to COVID-19 this...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Wednesday Vignette; wildlife...
A walk in the park (Commonwealth Lake Park) yielded multiple "wildlife" vignettes. Sadly all I had with me was my phone, but at least I was able to capture some photos.First this darling green...
View ArticleClik here to view.
On Instagram? You should be following @planty_magoo
Are you on Instagram? If the answer is no, why the heck not? It's a fabulous place for gathering inspiration and learning about new plants. I resisted for a long while, but since jumping in several...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Another trashcan lid, another project...
Standing on the patio, looking towards the shady corner and the back of the garage, it occurred to me that I needed something of interest adding height. Look at that expanse of emptiness and brown...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Greg Tyler's NE Portland garden...agaves galore!
Last week I shared photos of Ryan Wilson's garden, it was part of a tour of private gardens I took part in last August. Today we'll visit Greg Tyler's garden in NE Portland, the second stop on our...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Flower house
Another of the many black and white photos Andrew has collected for me...I wonder, is the photo one of those "mistakes" that occurred when you didn't advance the film all the way before snapping the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Garden Bloggers Bloomday for July, 2020
Welcome to Garden Blogger's Bloomday, July 2020 version. Up until the last couple of days it's been a cloudier and cooler July than what we've become accustomed to the last few years here in Portland....
View Article