Usually I remember the history of my plants. But this Leycesteria formosa aka Himalayan Honeysuckle has got me flummoxed. I must have purchased it, but I sure don't remember. Or perhaps I got it at the local bloggers' exchange? The reason this Himalayan...
Last week I shared photos from a visit to Sebright Gardens, this week we venture on to Dancing Oaks Nursery in Monmouth, Oregon. For those who live in Portland Dancing Oaks is a bit of a destination nursery -- about an hour and a half south of town. It's a beautiful...
As I may have mentioned, one (or twelve) times before, in Oregon we are rich with independent nurseries. We have so many to chose from it's almost mind-boggling. Last week I had a chance to visit a couple in the Salem area, south of Portland, ones I only get to once a...
Q. How do you know you when you've crossed the line and officially become a plant collector, rather than "just" a gardener? A. When you buy a plant just because it’s so darn bizarre and the words written to describe it, "truly a plant magnet for the plantaholic,"...
I love finding inspiration from other people's searches on plant lust. I'll admit, I'm a little set in my ways in my garden, and sometimes doubt I'm going to be swayed by popular opinion. But I'm always pleasantly surprised at what jumps out at me and right onto my...
What's the point of having an opinion if you can't later circle 'round and contradict yourself? Exactly. So while I did write about the importance of using botanical names (here) I now want to give a shout out to the excellence of some common names, in this case...
I'm a one-of-everything type of gardener, but I love obsessive collectors. People who can spend their lives completely fascinated with a specific genus or color or family. That's dedication. I never like to count a plant out, even if I don't get it, because somebody...
Usually, this is my favorite time of year in my garden. The big leaves are at their biggest and the trees and shrubs are having their fall growth spurt, and the garden is a bit closer to the jungle of my dreams. After a few rain storms have freshened things up and...
The garden is feeling camera shy this week. It's had a long dry summer and we are both really looking forward to some rain. I'm starting construction soon, finally replacing my chain link fence after years of masking the eyesore with plants. Since many of my plants...