open garden season: Hardy Plant Society of Oregon

open garden season: Hardy Plant Society of Oregon

by | May 18, 2019 | Gardens

Anita Barbey and Todd Liebow kindly opened their historic garden to Hardy Plant Society members this weekend. (Just join already. Months of fabulous garden tours and all for $35.) From the HPSO guide: The garden was designed and constructed for Lady Anne Kerr McDonald and her husband Sir James McDonal in 1940. It includes rare mature trees–Stewartia monadelpha, Trochodendron araliodies, Acer Griseum, Sciadopitys verticillata, Cunninghamia lanceolata, and Metasequoia gylpostroboides.

I did not take pictures of any of those things, because I forgot while looking down. And I was distracted by all the other gardeners I needed to talk with. (more…)

plant lust list: Canna musafolia

plant lust list: Canna musafolia

by | May 7, 2019 | Gardens

 

How much fun is it to say Banana Canna. Right up there with Sambucus. This post has nothing to do with Sambucus–aside from the delight in saying its name. Sambucus was my first deliberate Latin plant name utterance. Megan taught me when she urged me to buy a lacy Fern Leaf Elderberry. That plant got big and gorgeous. No worries. The new peeps poisoned it and it is long gone. I will not be bitter, I swear.

Canna musafolia aka Banana Canna is not only fun to say, it’s leaves are big, dramatic, and it sways romantically in the breeze. You’ll think you’re on vacation. (more…)