We happen upon gardening inspiration all the time–an exciting new plant combo spotted on an apartment balcony here, a master gardener’s open garden tour there. We love to share the latest sights that have us seeing new plants and old plants in new ways.
Do you count losses from pesky winter weather as opportunity? That's the path I'm taking. This small tree/large shrub for instance. Do you think it's a sign that I can never remember its name? Oleander? No, that's not right. It has Rosemary-like foliage. It's from New...
It's well established that the weather gods are crazy, all over the country. Apparently California's HUGE storm will alleviate drought, with flash floods, mud slides, and other general pestilence. Around these parts, it's been raining nonstop. We've had more rain in a...
I'm sometimes tempted to write off holidays that seem primarily Hallmark driven. But that's the curmudgeon in me. When I was a kid, Valentine's Day ranked right up there with Halloween. I can feel the cramp developing in my right hand just thinking about all those...
Seriously. There's not Camellia one in my garden. I thought I didn't like them. But I suspect it's a prejudice born of those ubiquitous mis-pruned Camellias of my youth. When I was a kid, every yard had at least one, and usually more. Apparently, though, they ain't...
It seems a terrible oversight that Hamamelis aka Witch Hazel is not represented in my garden. And there are so many fab plants to choose from. Thusly, I seek to remedy this omission. I'd love to hear about your favorites. The photo of this Witch Hazel is in a nearby...
I'm having trouble keeping track of what's what. There was the holiday blur, with odd hours and events, vacation days, a couple December birthdays--or maybe a dozen--I can't really remember. And then we had the situation with weather. So extra bodies around the house,...
You may have heard that we got an unusual bit of snow here in the Pacific Northwest. This is a rare event, and many of us have no idea what to expect in the aftermath. There are a couple opinion camps on snow itself. Those who abhor it--they've often moved here from...
Do you have any notion of the percentage of evergreen versus deciduous trees in your area? I hadn't given it much thought. I've been wanting to add conifers to my garden, not too big--and I want them to have an open canopy. But other than that, what I don't know is a...
How do I always forget how cold it gets when we head into winter? I always imagine I'll do this task and that--after the weather is finished with being too hot. Hah! Rumor has it we're getting our first freeze over the next couple days. Soon, I can put away any notion...
Gardeners have been known brake hard when they happen upon this scene. It's an ordinary city lot in the Alameda neighborhood located in northeast Portland. As you can well see, the gardener here employs stealth and magic in the tiniest spaces. You know when you have...