Just a quick romp through the fabulous Cistus Nursery on Sauvie Island. We are so lucky in the Pacific Northwest; fabulous nurseries abound. And on a personal note, it was our wedding anniversary, so my husband, Bill, was indulging me. I'm telling you, this dude is a...
May your explosions be of the quiet variety. Quiet beauty. I'm for that. And so are the animals. Have a Happy Fourth. Cheers
The Hardy Plant Society of Oregon holds a giant spring sale--and also a smaller Fall Sale. Oh, there is still a gaggle of crazy gardeners vying for fabulous plants, but the fall sale is a little more mellow than spring's Black Friday crush. And a great feature of the...
Well designed gardens are known for their sweeps and swaths of the same plant. Onesies are frowned upon -- plant in groups of threes, or better yet five or even seven. But how can I possibly have room for all the cool plants if I do it that way? Thus I’ve resigned...
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...
I'm starting to think every front garden needs one. Mine sure does. A big old, stop-the-car, would-you-look-at-that, jaw dropping, statement plant. The kind you make sure to drive by when you're in the neighborhood, like an old friend. Exhibit A The Agave salmiana...
No, I’m not talking about the harvest. For most of us autumn means an abundance of falling leaves. Leaves you rake, leaves you use the blower on, and then there are these. These you simply pick up by their stems, almost like you’re collecting a wildflower bouquet. I...
We've all watched new homeowners move in and take over an existing garden. Some work with what they bought, taking out and adding to, making their mark on what was created by another - but now belongs to them. Others opt for the scorched earth approach and can only...
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...
When I started my post last week, I meant to write about a trip to Cistus Nursery with Loree, intrepid Mistress of Danger Garden. But once I got on that Highway, there were so many other fascinating places to visit--at least in my fanciful imagination. So back to the...