I’m curious, have you ever been tasked with writing a description of your garden? On the surface it sounds simple, but then emotion gets in the way. All those things you see (they’re out there in the future, you can see them clearly), that others might not. You need...
I wish I had more to report in the way of progress in the Sea of Juniper bed, but alas, forward ho is stalled. Everything takes so much longer than I think it will. Between the remaining juniper stumps and the weather, it's not going as fast as I had hoped. I always...
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...
There is a folder on my computer, that holds my hopes and dreams. This folder is called Other People's Plants. Is there any plant you want more than the one you can't have? There are far too many reasons you can't have a plant, but my favorite is the...
Showtime! Well, not quite yet, but it’s the time of the year I start thinking about them, the annual garden shows. How better to break the spell of winter? I’m lucky to live in region that really does garden shows, not some “home improvement” show where a couple of...
It might be the first time in history that I didn't stab myself on this Yucca whipplei, but I was determined to snap photos and not sustain injuries--or pull weeds. It's mushy in the garden. Even Pumpkin declined her invitation for a walkabout. Several plants were...
Last spring, after hauling several awkward (and heavy) containers up from the basement, my husband Andrew proclaimed: “you really need to stop buying agaves and buy more aloes, they’re nicer.” I have to admit he’s right, aloes have considerably less-lethal spikes than...
I always celebrate this season with a tree, of sorts. I can’t imagine not taking advantage of the occasion for a little creative display, and the opportunity to haul things from outdoors inside for a couple of weeks. I do take liberty with the definition of "tree,"...
Winter is a great time to appreciate year round punch. The bones of a good tree, fruit laden shrubbery, spiky plants scoffing at cloudy skies. The bark of Crape Myrtles, Stewartias, and Japanese Maples, ooh la la. Confiners busy on double duty, sinewy structure...
As a native Portlander, I get a little defensive when people say things like "It must rain there all the time." My city-defending instinct first kicked in when I was a kid visiting family in Connecticut, and someone asked if we got snow year round. Somebody got me a...