Plants surprise me every time. I know they grow and all, but holy moly, the lengths to which they go. When we removed our 12' x 40' section of mass planted juniper, I didn't have an exact plan. Except for the little lower bed which spoke to me right away: Sedum...
I sometimes hesitate to show before and after photos of my former garden. It's distressing for us gardeners to see the fruits of our love and labor laid to waste. Recently, though, I've been perusing old photos in consideration of my new garden. I was...
I've previously visited The Oregon Garden only in July, you see a very different place in January. Maybe that's why, in past visits, I'd not noticed the small xeric garden to the left of the formal entrance. It doesn't look newly planted. Even if the Yucca rostrata...
Last week it was icy and cold, and I worried that I'd lost interest in gardening. Oh, I was still in it for my day job, researching plant info and managing the plant lust database. But I wondered if I'd made a switch akin to my relationship with magazines--wherein I'd...
Uh oh. It's getting to that time of year when good intentions are headed toward next-year's to do list. How did it go so fast? I mean, it always does, but still. And to clarify, by ticking-off, I mean making the task list mad! Does it happen this way for everyone? I...
Just a bit over a year ago, I had the vision of someday removing the giant swath of Juniper we inherited with our Flamingo Park House. The "Sea of Juniper" was some 12' wide and 40' long. Apparently, back in the 60s and 70s, people got the notion that mass planting...
Last February I was inspired to do the unthinkable; count my containers – and thus admit that things might just have gotten a bit out of hand. I wasn’t going to take that dangerous step alone however, I wanted company and thankfully a couple of gardening friends were...
I mentioned Darcy Daniels last week as one of our areas many talented garden designers. Well, lucky us--members of the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon (HPSO)--Darcy held her garden open last week, giving fellow gardening enthusiasts an opportunity to ogle her collection...
A few years ago, at a party for “plant people,” I was introduced to a friend’s new beau. His first question, “favorite genus?” I didn’t hesitate, not even for a second, before answering…agave! As I may have written here previously, my being a part of this plant lust...
I’ve been meaning to count plants that made the move with me to Flamingo Park, but trying to do so with camera in hand is always a mistake. I’ve gone on that fool's errand at least two dozen times. Today, I put camera on counter and gathered paper in hand. On my way...