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How to Begin a Fling in Middle Age

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O.K. already, I'm pushing the truth a little with the middle age thing.  How many 104 year old men do you know?   Recently,  a group of about 70 garden bloggers from around the world met in San Francisco for an annual event known as the Garden Bloggers Fling.  Having only blogged for a year, this was my first fling and it was fabulous.  I'll be posting about the great gardens and nurseries we visited for quite a while.  Maybe I'll keep some treasures for winter when it's cold and we can all use a nice memory of 90 degree days.
 
For those arriving early enough, a cocktail party was held at the home and garden of artist,  landscape designer, and fabulous host, Shirley Watts and her husband Emmanuel Coup the night before the event started in earnest. There are some great pictures of this party that capture the spirit of the evening here.   Also at the aforementioned link, there is an image of this "fireplace" illuminated from behind as the natural light diminished - gorgeous.
 

Shirley's work fascinated me and the entire interior of the home was beautifully done and treasure filled!
This verbascum with wavy leaves  and gold  cast to it's leaf hairs (V. undulatum aureo-hirsutum?) in the front garden was pretty special!
 
There are created and found treasures throughout this marvelous garden.

At least three but maybe more of these frosted glass or plastic (didn't try to lift it) heads of broccoli were to be found in the back garden.  I love how they seem to glow from within!


Ceramic flowers  in a mixed container.

You'll see lots of images of this patio on the blogs of fling attendees as it was quite popular.  Notice the podophyllum in a pot in the upper left of this picture!

Cool path paving idea!

Having just fallen off the turnip truck in horticultural paradise, I decided to check out  some of the plants at other gardens along the street.  Bougainvillea and brugmansia are both hardy in the ground in the bay area  - swoon.  

And doesn't everyone have a tree fern nearly as tall as their house?  I've already decided that it may be time to move.

Simply gorgeous!
 
Meanwhile, back at Shirley's place...  

New addition to the back of the house facing the rear garden.

Fifa is very sweet to share her space with us!


Clever screen idea.  Love the use of mussel shells but I'll bet that other collections might work in this sort of application.  Although it would be dense, broken glass would be interesting. 

 
Light plays a huge role in this garden.  As the sun got lower in the sky, the huge billboard like panels glowed from behind and lamps placed throughout the garden began to share their light. 






This plant was a big hit!  Leaves like an angelica & flowers somewhat resembling a hellebore.  Shirley shared the name but I forgot it.  Fortunately, I remembered to bring a writing utensil (Thank you Westin Hotel)  to all future garden visits.


Many stunning details!

The designer/gardener/creative force herself.

 
This was my first garden fling and I wasn't sure what to expect but the friendliness of  so many plant minded gardeners at this opening soiree made me happy to have attended.  Stay tuned for more from sunny California!  Many thanks to the sponsors of the fling who contributed products and whose financial support kept costs down for attendees.   


Justin Galicic's Magic: The 2013 Normandy Park Garden Festival

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This weekend, Alison Bonnie Lassie and I had the pleasure of attending the second annual Normandy Park Garden Festival, coordinated by Justin Galicic who writes the blog Growing Steady, formerly known as Zone 8.  The festival, which included a plant sale (plants from Far Reaches Farm and of Justin's own propagation,) garden tours, lunch, a presentation by Kelly Dodson, special activities for children,  and hula lessons, took place in Justin's spectacular garden.  The event was meticulously planned and seemed to go off without a hitch. 

Ample signage along the route to made finding the place a cinch.  Parking a little way up the street and approaching the garden on foot, one could easily see that this is no average garden!  Notice the small black plant markers similar to those used in botanical gardens.

 
Metapanax delavayi.  This is going to be exciting!


Another thing that made a big impression on me was the lack of a fence.  Welcoming paths led directly from the public sidewalk into the garden.  Are there no deer or vandals in this area?



Drawing closer, we got a peak at the large lawn with seating for 150 or so of your closest friends.  One of the many things I admire about gardens on a larger scale than mine (that's pretty much all gardens) is their ability to have gorgeous huge trees AND sunny growing areas. 

We were greeted on the sidewalk out front by a friendly volunteer who asked our names and wrote them in lovely script on nametags.

Instead of going directly to the garden, we went to the driveway to check out the plant sale.  One must have priorities!

The sale alone was worth a visit!  I didn't even get an image of Kelly's tables of plants as it's difficult to grab plants and take pictures at the same time. 

Not only were there plants on all of the tables down the middle of the driveway but also flanking each side. 

Further up the drive, there was a sign that said Garden Open Today with an arrow pointing in the opposite direction of Justin's garden.  One of Justin's neighbors also opened their garden for the day which was very kind of them.  You might be thinking at this point that someone who has just toured sixteen gardens in three days might not be interested in seeing another.  Silly you. Here are a few images of that garden.  The weather was perfect for enjoying the day outside but not so great for taking garden pictures.  Sorry for the quality of these!


I'm totally in love with these stairs.

Unfortunately, I didn't get the name of the folks whose garden this is but is it's a beautiful and restful space,  the lush greenness of it reminding me of why I love the PNW. 








Outdoor living at its best!


Attractive edible gardens.
 This garden just keeps going and going!




Now back to Justin's garden...
 
Just up from the plant sales area, the driveway curves.  On the left is one of the most ornamental edible gardens I've seen.  Leslie Bennett and Stefani Bittner would be pleased!  None of my pictures of this area are very good so you'll have to see it yourself when you visit  next year at the third annual Normandy Park Garden Festival!

Here are some images in random order of the garden.  I'm very impressed that Justin does this all himself. 
The white arbor on the left leads to the rear of the edible garden area & some well behaved bamboo.  The path on the right leads to the greenhouses.

 Turning around we come to the tropical feeling area with the water feature that Justin created.



A great place to sit and relax but I can tell you that from the looks of his garden and from watching Justin in action at this event, he doesn't sit still much.  Either that or he doesn't require sleep.


 Looking out from the front of the house.  Yes, those are Schefflera taiwanianas flanking the entry.

Looking the other way.  So well designed, such a perfect balance of formal and informal and so many fabulous plants.  Something for everyone!




So excited was I to see this special space that I kept randomly revisiting spaces.  Here we are back at the entrance to the edible garden.

Dig how tall this Musa basjoo is already!  I wonder what Justin's trick is? 

A youthful admirer of the banana blossom, one of two (already.) There's some sort of magic afoot here!

The  proximity of the banana and Magnolia macrophylla, aka banana leaf magnolia made me smile. 

 
Arundo donax towers behind the pond/tropical area. 

Around the other side, the wet tropics give way to a dry garden. 


It was a joy to see this grape arbor that I'd read about Justin making. 

 And now we're at the front central axis of the garden. Remember the round pond from before?

Cussonia paniculata or cabbage tree has attractive Glaucous gray-green palmate leaves and it was exciting to see large tree sized specimens in the ground in California.  This far north, we have to grow them in pots and haul them inside during the coldest part of the winter.

Here, beneath this towering redwood, a dais was set up for Kelly's speech and the Hula lessons which followed.
 
 Here's the magician who makes this awesome garden and this truly special event happen.  Notice that his name tag simply says "volunteer."  His humility would not allow him to reveal that he is an accomplished pianist, educator, gardener, plant geek, and builder but a brief chat with his proud dad, Al, revealed many of Justin's fine qualities.



And here he is sharing announcements, schedule for the rest of the day and introducing Kelly.  From the audience, mom heckled, "he's 31 and single!"  I feel I would be remiss if I didn't pass this on.  (Sorry Justin.)

Kelly was quite entertaining, knowledgeable,  and funny.  Think of reading one of his plant tags and multiply that experience by an hour and add animation.  I almost didn't recognize him in shorts and a cap, fairly conservative garb for this character!
 
Many thanks to Justin, his family and friends who volunteered so much time and energy to make this great experience possible.  What an incredible gift to give to your neighborhood and outsiders  like Alison, the guy below, and myself who were lucky enough to attend! 
 
 
 
Alison and I decided not to stay for the hula lessons  so that we would have time to visit City People's Garden Store which pal Loree  loves and has most recently blogged about here and Ravenna Gardens.  We do NOT have a plant addiction problem!

Hardy Fuchsias, my favorite plant in the garden this week.

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In the gardens of my Alaskan hometown, many a fuchsia basket was hung and appreciated.   They seemed so exotic with their loud flower colors and generosity of bloom.  Imagine my surprise many years ago when I left a fuchsia basket outside during the winter in my first Washington garden and it  sprouted new leaves and flowers the next summer.   I may still occasionally fall for a particularly lovely fuchsia basket but now I mostly enjoy the hardy varieties that are planted in the ground and form upright shrubs.

If the winter is mild, they bloom from June until December or whenever the first hard freeze hits.

Pollinators, including humming birds love fuchsias both planted in the ground and in the ubiquitous (at least here) hanging baskets. 



The hardier varieties tend to have smaller, more dainty flowers but they are produced in abundance.


Unlike their hanging basket cousins, these can tolerate full sun in costal areas.

Color combinations range from loud and garish (yum!) to subtle and tasteful.

Some people think they look like dancers with their long legs and twirling skirts.

Although some may eschew fuchsias as too common, I enjoy their unsophisticated splendor!  (Stolen directly from Rebecca's blog.)


They're blooming their heads off at a nursery near you right now!   I hope to visit Joy Creek Nursery near Portland soon as they always have a wide variety of these gems. (Because one can never have too many plants, right?)

'Gartenmeister' is not fully hardy here so it gets spend the winter under glass. 

I admire the way the dark foliage contrasts so nicely with the brilliant orange flowers!
 
Golly, I almost forgot one of my favorite foliage plants, Fuchsia Autumnale.  I didn't take a picture of it earlier and now it's dark outside but this is a hardy fuchsia whose blooms are actually secondary  in beauty to it's gorgeous leaves.  To see a bunch of lovely images of it go here.
 
To learn more, go here,  and check out the Northwest Fuchsia Society's page here.  The hardy fuchsias in this post, with the exception of the last one, are hardy from zones 8a - 10b, tolerate light shade to full sun, and like rich soil. 
 
Be sure to click on over to Danger Garden, the host of this meme to see other gardeners' favorite plants this week!

The Organic Mechanics' Paradise Garden

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Colin Thompson's book,  The Paradise Garden, is about a little boy named Peter who is  driven crazy by the urban noise all around him.

 "Only in one place was there any peace.  In the west of the city was a fabulous garden.  There, behind its tall walls and thick trees, it was possible to escape the noise.  For Peter, who had lived all his life in narrow streets, it was the closest place to paradise he had ever seen." 

Peter decides to live in the park one summer but as summers will, that one came to a close and by autumn, Peter was lonely and he knew that it was time to go home. The story ends with Peter planting his own paradise garden in his back yard.  


On the first day of the garden bloggers fling in San Francisco, our bus drove a short distance from our hotel (10 minutes) and stopped in front of an apartment building.  Street, sidewalk, building edifice with no sign of green anywhere. Here's a picture from google maps.
 

 Were we stopping to pick up a late arrival?  Flat tire?   No on both counts. We followed  instructions to get off the bus and follow our leader.  We dutifully folowed through a convolution of stairs and corridors which seemed to get smaller and darker as we went.  There was one  glimpse of daylight.

And then we were herded into another dark hallway.   Baa, Baa.  This one had some green at the end.  You can make your own 23rd Psalm parallels here if you wish. (You know, shepherd/green pastures, etc.)
 
We were all a little relieved to find at the other end a garden,  not just any garden, but a paradise garden in a courtyard created by the arrangement of several older apartment buildings, just like the one in Thompson's book.  This magical place is the creation and home garden of Organic Mechanics James Pettigrew and Sean Stout. 
 
A used votive candle holder, found in a church by OM sits on the left of the door at the end of the hall.  I already know that this will be my kind of garden!   
 

You'll see many images of this fabulous walk on the blogs of fling attendees as it was a big hit with the group and it's way cool!

 
Beautiful high brick walls enclose the garden giving it a sense of security and sanctuary from the bustle of the outside world.  There are many wonderful plants and objects to be discovered in this garden.  I've a feeling that we could spend several days here and we'd still be finding treasure.





Beside the still waters.


Looking up.


 
A sunny spot is home to an interesting collection of drought tolerant plants.









So much to love in this garden.  I'm thinking that a mantle like this might rot in my garden.  I'll have to find one and see!

 
The plants were all so fabulous.  The fragrance of the brushed foliage of this tagetes (yup, that tall yellow flowered thing is a marigold which is hardy here)  is a delight.



Looking back toward the door to the left through which we originally came.

Makes you wonder what they'll pull of their hat next.

The bunny on the left is embarrassed by my bad attempt at humor. 



So many reasons to adore this garden! 


I wonder what Vicki's  husband will think of her "singing duets" with a 25 year old named Simon?   Oh well, what happens at the fling stays at the fling, right?

Here are our hosts, the Organic Mechanics themselves,  Sean Stout and James Pettigrew. 
 
 

Visiting City People's Garden Store

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You know how it is when you've heard a lot of great things about a place from friends and you finally go, expecting to be let down because nothing could be as good as all the hype?  That's the attitude with which I approached my recent visit to City People's Garden Store. I'd read many of Loree's posts about this place and watched the You Tube videos:


But it's just another nursery, right?  And honestly, what can  be expected space wise of a nursery so close to downtown Seattle?   One should never doubt Ms. Danger's seal of approval but still...

Was I ever bowled over by this cool, quirky, large, something for everyone from novice gardener to  the geekiest plant nerd plant place!  We even saw Jose Gonzales, star of the above videos pass by.  I was tempted to yell out, "Talk dirty to me Jose!" (see first video)  but decorum urged restraint. Uncharacteristic, I know.

Look at this!  Can you believe that we are only a few minutes from Downtown Seattle?   Notice all the tall trees in the background?

I also realize that I took no pictures of the amazing shade plant selection or more or the unusual plants.  It's hard to take pictures when trembling with excitement and filling your wagon.
 
Coneless cone flowers.
 
Echinacea 'Hot Papaya'

 
Echinacea purpurea 'Double Scoop Bubble Gum'

This place has a lot of space and all of it is full of cool stuff! 

Schefflera taiwaniana anyone?




Tables and tables of grasses!

Even a good selection water plants!  There were more inside!

This papyrus almost came home with me but I already got a tall one this year so this cutie stayed with the people at People's!  Sure is sweet though!

One of my favorite Acers, A.palmatum 'Ukiguomo' whose foliage is ghostly white when it first emerges and looks more like flowers than foliage.  Because it likes light shade, it still brightens up a dark corner beautifully.  Do you enjoy seeing your favorite plants in nurseries?  It's like seeing old friends!

Sarracenias always make me smile.  I have several and it's fun to cut open last years dead pitchers and see how many bugs they consumed.  My largest bowl of these sits atop my compost bin and loves its location!


because I didn't have any of the deep red ones, a couple of these came home with me!

Besides the outdoor areas being packed with plants, there is this covered indoor/outdoor area with temperennials, pots, etc.

And an indoor area that keeps going and going!  Lots of lovely houseplants and giftware in here!

Sometimes simple is best.  Yellow variegated cordyline in a simple blue pot equals magic!

Time to pay for our finds.  Who is this way out chick?  Why, it's none other than Alison, my partner in plant crime, with whom I've been lucky enough to share this adventure!

In addition to the aforementioned Sarracenias, the following plants came home with me. Because you can never have too many hardy fuchsias...

Because I have a recently opened up shady spot to plant, Pulmonaria 'Majeste' and Woodwardia unigemmata.

And this cool Carex  sideiosticha ' Banana Boat' that Loree found on her last visit.  I think it'll be happy and creates nice contrast in this shade pot with these other evergreens.  gotta throw a stone or crushed glass mulch on there soon.

While I was outside taking pictures of my plant finds, I was distracted by this beautiful view from my jumble of a garden.  This is the upper part of my neighbor's garden.  Isn't it beautiful?  The lady of the house loves to keep her garden as spotless as she keeps her house.  I'm so lucky that they're understanding of my messy tendencies! (In my house/garden, you have to move stuff aside to find a place to sit - it's interesting stuff but still...)  The big petasides leaves are encroaching from my garden but the neighbor doesn't seem to mind.  This is the back of the house next to mine that I posted about earlier that will be going on the market soon.  Interested?  I'd be happy to give you more information!



Slightly different from this mess that really needs some work!
 
But first, there's this recently liberated area of dappled shade  that needs to be planted.
But I digress.  City Peoples Garden Store is a treasure!  My only regret is that I didn't start going their earlier and I look forward to many more enjoyable visits to this fabulous nursery!

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day July 2013

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On the fifteenth of each month, our gracious host, Carol, at May Dreams Gardens hosts one of the longest lasting garden bloggers' memes, Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day.  Bloggers are invited to share pictures of what is blooming in their gardens each month of the year.  To learn more about Carol, Bloom Day, and to see a list of garden bloggers around the world who are participating this month, click on her link above! 

Here are a few of the blooms in my garden today.

Hydrangeas


 

 

Do you see the similarity in the flowers of the above hydrangea and those of it's cousin, Dichroa febrifuga?


Brugmansias

 
Aconitum napellus (Monk's Hood)

Tuberous begonias


 
This one still is still thrilling me.  Relatively new in the trade, it's a Begonia boliviensis variety, hybrid, or selection that's this rose pink color.  Love it!

 
Rose 'Fragrant Cloud' is sure earning the name!  I love the scent of roses wafting on the air!



The fragrant oriental lilies are starting to bloom.  Such a fragrant time of year!

 
 
Dahlias



 
Alstromeria

Eryngium 'Big Blue'

Crocosmia 'Lucifer'
 
 Clematis

Grevillea 'Ned Kelly'


Abutilon megapotamicum (of course)

Hemerocallis 'Hyperion' one of my faves, has huge flowers and a beautiful fragrance!  It was too early for them to be open for the day.  Hey bud, smile for the camera!
 
 Too pretty to eat, right?


 Artichokes get to bloom  this year.  It's surprising how many people have asked what these were even before they opened.


"The Calla Lilies are in bloom again."
 
 
Hope you all have a great Bloom Day!

Foliage Follow Up July 2013

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Every month around this time, I head out with my camera to try and capture foliage within a certain category or unifying theme and I come back with totally random images.  This month, I was thinking about interesting foliage combinations but then this Asplenium scolopendrium caught my eye and I forgot about the idea. Ooh, maybe it still qualifies; see the camellia leaf in the upper left? 
 
Fortunately our monthly foliage follow up host, Pam Penick, is  tolerant of my randomness. I had the pleasure of meeting Pam in San Francisco at my first Garden Bloggers Fling, another of her brainchildren.    Make sure to click on over to Digging to join the foliage fest!


Fuchsia 'Autumnale'


Trachycarpus wagnerianus


Cussonia paniculata sending out a new flush of leaves which  come out in groups on this plant. 

The red table/green room collection keeps growing.  The idea was to get these planted in the ground or in decorative pots. Oh well, plastic is so much easier to haul inside in the fall, right?  The basket was going to be discarded at work so I thought it would make a good planter for some small succulents.  Probably should line it with landscape fabric before I plant anything in it so that the soil doesn't all fall out.

The amazing risen-from-the-dead Agave weberi surrounded by  Pelargonium 'Indian Princess' whose red-splotched chartreuse leaves I love.

Fern-like foliage of Tanacetum vulgare.

Phytolacca americana ‘Silberstein’ or Variegated Pokeweed.  There's an interesting post about this plant at Gardening Gone Wild.

Miscanthus 'Giganteus' formerly listed as Miscanthus floridulus; aka Miscanthus japonicas, commonly called Giant Chinese Silver Grass (That's a lot of names!)  It's 12 feet tall  and I call it a pain to clean up every spring!  Tetrapanax  with Sinocalycanthus chinensis in the middle. 

Corprosma  makes me smile because it sailed through the winter.

Polygonum 'Painter's Palette'  mingling with Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple'

Thanks Pam for hosting another foliage follow up and for reminding us all to appreciate the beautiful foliage in our gardens.

This is My Gaden and it is Dangerous; The Matt Gil sculpture Garden

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The second garden we visited on the Garden Bloggers Fling in San Francisco was the Matt Gil Sculpture garden which is mostly situated on a huge cliff, prone to mudslides in heavy rain and directly beneath a curve in one of America's busiest freeways. So, you could be buried in mud or a truck carrying hydrofluoric acid or chlorine gas could come careening around the corner, fly off the highway, and land in your lap. 
 
Of course, there are also dangers inherent in large scale art.  For some reason as I walked through this garden, the following scene from Beetlejuice  went through my mind.
 
So steep is the cliff  in some areas behind the home and studio of the sculptor and his wife that gardening must be done by repelling from above.  Talk about gardening on the edge!




 The freeway noise added to the vibe of this place and I suppose one would eventually just tune it out if (s)he lived here.  I wonder if there is an interesting play of headlights in the evening.

Of course, not all of the plants are living in such precarious situations.
 








The garden is also serves as gallery for the imaginative work of Mr. Gil.




The piece above would fit very well into Auntie Mame's apartment remodel yes?
 
 
 
Kangaroo paw looking stunning in the sunlight.


 Fortunately, there was a nice bit of flat space in the garden as well.


 Agave 'Blue Glow' was getting a lot of attention.  I blame Heather for posting beautiful pictures and writing about how much she liked this plant. Here we see Alison kneeling to worship the plant while Loree  photographs something else.

It is beautiful isn't it?

Not all is spiky and dangerous.  Here a lovely combination of ferns graces one of the few shady spots to be found.

Such a treat to see a protea growing in the ground!


The home, in an industrial/modern style perfect for the site, contains lots of treasures.  I especially liked this area dominated by the curvaceous lines of the string bass.


Looking down from the balcony to see happy garden bloggers  taking it all in! 


NOID succulent.

Funky echiveria hybrid.

Dig the orange coloration that these take on when given sufficient sun!

Precarious hillside, spiky plants, industrial setting, and huge art  combine make this a fabulously dangerous  place to visit! 

 

Visiting Rosedale Gardens in Gig Harbor, WA

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About a month ago, Alison, of  Bonnie Lassie fame, and I visited Rosedale Gardens which we'd both visited before but not for quite some time.  We were greeted by these bronze giraffes towering above the shade plant area. 

 
A nice variety of very healthy looking shade offerings!

Newly emerging foliage of Rhododendron sinogrande is as beautiful as any flower IMHO.  Sinogrande has huge tropical-looking evergreen foliage like a loquat on steroids.

Oh Deer! 
 

I didn't ask but think that it might have something to do with seeing how many flamingos one can find around the nursery.  There were many! 


On the other hand, maybe they outfit you with a rifle and fly you to Florida for a weekend.  When is flamingo season anyway?
 
 
 Good to know!

The larger ones in the picture are over 10 feet tall.  Honey, I warned you about continuing to dump that radioactive waste down the drain! 
 
 
If the everglades aren't really your thing,  you might like something from the lone star state.  Should that be capitalized?  One does not want to mess with Texas!  (A smaller state than Alaska. Just sayin' is all.)
 
 
Nothing screams  desert authenticity quite like a concrete bull skull and river rock.   

Unless, of course,  it's  pink saguaro cacti and a rusty Stegosaurus skeleton. 
 
One of the great things about Rosedale Gardens is that they have lots of space to display large pieces in garden like settings.  There was even an additional sculpture area that we didn't visit because we wanted to visit several places that day.

Love this Buddha face fragment.  (about 3 1/2 feet tall) and think it looks especially nice with the climbing hydrangea foliage!

We really have a thing for glass in our gardens in the PNW.  Aren't these interesting?

Cool  idea of creating a glass plant in a pot with several glass leaves.   Gorgeous!
 
She would look fun in my pond!  Although I'm still thinking the nearly life-sized shark head I saw at Bark and Garden might be even more interesting in that spot.


Placement is perfect here for this large as the real thing Easter Island head.  Did you know that they also have bodies that were buried as a result of erosion?  Look here.

Lots of great pots!  Very clever the way this row of columns is displayed in a line paralleling the natural columns created by the fir trees.


Would it be cruel to keep some goldfish in the large pot with the bronze eagle approaching for a little bit of fishing?


They call Washington state the evergreen state for a reason!

Because Rosedale Gardens is situated over a large space, plants of various kinds are displayed in groups dotted throughout the property.
 

How are sempervivums and the following picture of painted rocks the same? 
 
 



O.K. everybody, all together.  Because they're both called hens and chicks!  That's hens and CHICKS,  Alison!   Seriously, wouldn't it be the bees knees to put these in a rockery surrounded by sempervivum?   Maybe I should go back. 


My niece, Alison, (the first Alison in my life) needs this dragonfly gate!


So, I get the idea of painting a dead tree but this one had leaves trying to grow from its branches.   Is painting tree bark harmful to the tree?    Just curious. I also have a lot of extra paint hanging around.  Hmm.

Did you notice this guy hanging from a branch in the previous image?

Lance Armstrong as a child?
 
 
 Nice sized Magnolia macrophylla, one of my favorite trees.

You never know what you'll run across in the bushes.

What happens in the Pines stays in the pines!  
 
Of course we all want to know if what we've heard is true about what this guy does in the woods but he was a strong silent type and wasn't answering any silly questions. 

Lest you think this place is all about the yard art, let me assure you that they do have great plants as well like this Quercus robur 'Concordia' or Golden English Oak which I'd only seen (and bought) at  Far Reaches Farm previous to this.   It's a great tree that retains it's gold color through the whole growing season and looks absolutely wonderful next to a deep red leaved Acer palmatum!
 
 
So, how was our visit to Rosedale Gardens?   Not Baaad, not baad at all.
 




I'll certainly go Bach again!
 
 


This was delightful!  an actual traffic signal  wired for home or garden use!   You could let garden visitors know what's expected of them.  Slow down there mister, what's your hurry?  Go ahead, smell the lilies.  Stop picking the flowers and leave them there for everyone to enjoy.   Every garden needs one!   
 
I'm sure this is what Ms. Boone was singing about! 
 
O.K. I'll stop already but you should really go and experience all the fun of this place yourself!

A Garden Bloggers Fling Visit to Annie's Annuals Part One; Going to the Chapel.

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For those of you who didn't attend the recent garden bloggers' fling and who are following my series of posts about it, we now find ourselves still in day one of the adventure.  It's a beautiful sunny morning, we've just visited a couple of incredible gardens and we're now visiting Annie's Annuals and Perennials in Richmond, CA. (one of the fling sponsors) where we'll have a nice catered lunch and listen to an informative presentation done by a representative of the Dramm Corporation,  a  major sponsor of the event. Thanks again to all of the sponsors for keeping costs down for participants allowing a larger number of folks to attend not to mention all the cool items donated!  Like many gardeners,  I've ordered from Annie's catalog and online for years and was looking forward to seeing this fabled place in person. (BTW, if you don't get Annie's catalog, and enjoy gardening, make sure you click on the link above and rectify the situation.  Since Annie's carries a lot of rare and unusual annuals that will grow in nearly every zone, there is sure to be much in her catalog that you can't live without!)

Perhaps you already know that I love yard art, tasteful to tacky,  it all brings me pleasure.  I should say that  clean architectural lines, beautifully placed pots, limited color etc. to be an equally  stimulating artistic statement.   The Dramm presentation (I think it should have been titled, "It's one Dramm thing after another.")  took place took place beneath the shade of  an event tent(whew, it was a sunny and hot day!)  Dramm's new line of brightly colored and well made irrigation tools were a delight to see but my attention wandered during the presentation to a chapel in the background.


 
 
The work  by California mosaic artist Tina Amidon, is titled "Allegorical Reliquary-Mosaic Chapel Fountain" and is a visual delight through which to walk.   I love symbolism  and tried to figure out what was being said here.


I wonder if the round or rose window at the top of this end panel with it's space ship and moon is an intentional homage to the space window at the National Cathedral?

The inclusion of entire three dimensional objects like these tea pots in this large-scale mosaic  fascinated me!


The rose window at the other end. 


Here's a video of the artist explaining her work.  It's interesting to hear her explanation after reading my own interpretation into her opus and also to see water pouring over one of the side walls.  You can see the receptacle at the base of this wall.  I wonder if it's still functional?





Not that this needs water.  It's quite interesting just the way it is. 





The chapel is for sale in case you were wondering.  I didn't see a price but I bet that the friendly folks at Annie's would be more than happy to tell you.  You may find yourself




Could you see this  chapel in your garden?  I think I have a place where it might work very well.  How much do you suppose it would cost to ship a few tons of concrete nearly a thousand miles?  Fear not, it may be heavy but not as heavy as one might think.  From Ms. Amidon's website, we learn that it's "made of mosaic and stucco on polymer-fortified concrete, fiberglass mesh, and polystyrene foam armature.  Hmmm.


 Do you remember the UNCF slogan, "They're not looking for a hand out, just a hand?"  
 
 
 Are you a fan of mosaic work?  Stepping stones, mosaic pots, or other objects?










 
 
  Unfortunately, the paint is crackling off the red bottles taking away their original vibrancy. 
 
What are your thoughts about this chapel?  Does your garden need it?  Do you think it might be interesting  but only in someone else's garden or do you dislike it altogether?


Garden Bloggers' Fling Visit to Annie's Annuals Part Two; What a Place!

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Have you ever visited a place that you've heard about and ordered from for years only to find that the place just didn't live up to the hype?  I was fairly sure that Annie's Annuals couldn't be as wonderful as the catalogs made it look and was ready to say something like, "what a great nursery BUT..."  Seems like the only big But(t) at Annie's was my own.  Annie's is a magical place that is even better than the catalog makes it look.  To make the visit even more special, we got to meet Annie herself and listen to her share her passion for growing  unusual plants from seed without the use of growth regulators.  This is a woman passionate about her trade and whose ebullient  nature is infectious!

Here's Annie trying to make herself look younger for the camera.  Really?  Any younger and she'd be embryonic. 


The wide selection of unusual plants is what truly takes center stage at this nursery where they grow all of their stock themselves.


There was also some fun artwork!



Tithonia



Aeonium nobile, a plant that's a favorite in my own collection.  It's monocarpic so it'll be sad when it blooms once and dies but it's a relief to know that Annie has some more waiting!


Greenovia aurea 


 
In drought situations, Greenovia aurea curls up like the one in the middle of the picture.  Isn't that adorable?

 
Huge Dyckia just outside the chapel. 
 

Crassula capitella 'Red Pagoda' looks even better in person!  This is worth bringing in for the winter!

 Echeveria (elegans?)

The plant tables go on and on!


Annie's signage is very informative.  Since I was flying back, I took lots of pictures of plants, tags, and signs.  As you might imagine, there are more things in the nursery than what's in the printed catalogue.  However, I was told that one could order non catalog items as well.  Hooray!

Aloe, Aloe.  Is anybody there?



Digiplexis  - Coming next year. 


Baby Cussonias. 

Solanum quitoense, another of my faves!


Leave it to Annie to come up with a variegated  form of Impatines niamniamensis!  Purty!

 
Graptoveria 'Crested Form'


No idea.  We'll call it "Assorted Succulent"  like  retailers sometimes do.



Aloe glauca



Denise  having a Growing Obsession with Wachendorfia thyrsiflora. 

Just hanging around.




It's a shame  they're afraid of using color at Annie's!

From riotous carnival to subdued cottage garden in just a few steps.  What's not to love?


These fine specimens of purple yucca drew a lot of attention from the group!







I'm not usually a fan of  flowers that are simply beautiful being made into double monsters but this Cosmos 'Double Cranberry' was really quite nice.

This is a truly wonderful nursery!  We  could have spent a whole day here discovering lust-worth plants!  This visit will be remembered fondly each time I unpack a box from Annie's! 

 
 
Charming greeters  hope you enjoyed your visit!  BTW, did you miss this celosia?
 
 


The Gig Harbor Garden of Millie and Craig Russell

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It's a cool and quiet Saturday  morning in Gig Harbor and as the voice of Alison's GPS tells us that we've arrived at our destination, the slight clean fragrance of salt water wafts through the woods and delights  our noses.  The morning sun streaming through  giant douglas firs illuminating the mossy forest floor.  There are times when I can't imagine living anywhere besides the Pacific Northwest!    This morning, we have the pleasure of visiting the garden of Millie and Craig Russell.   One of the first scenes to greet us was this white garden.  In my mind, the white cat piece coupled with the white plants suggested a garden in honor of a beloved white cat.  In chatting with Millie, it seems that there was no such special pet, just a desire to grow white plants here.     
 
Dig that crazy cool Acer palmatum with ghostly white leaves. 


The entry to the home is beautiful and if one stands at the door, (s)he can see through the house to the windows with water views on the other side.  Sweet!

Millie found these faces on a trip to England.  Having moved from Colorado, she finds the way moss covers things here quite special.



A view from a side garden.  The table top is a former well cover from the property. 


It's not obvious in this picture but there are paths leading down to the beach.  Can you imagine waking up to such a lovely bay view every day?



Millie has a cool collection of unusual containers.  This copper one is my favorite.

A scene like this which shows that someone loves plants and has been shopping is what makes a garden truly special for me.  That potting table is very nice.

Some of the bonsai collection.  I wonder if they enjoy the view as much as we did?


Alison photographing a couple of sweet birds.


This guy was happily visiting the bird feeders.  It's very special to see a native squirrel.  Here in town,  we only see  introduced gray squirrels.

A fantastic idea for hose storage.  If I weren't too lazy to put my hose away, I'd be tempted to copy this!



There is a great collection of rusty metal items displayed in a shady part of the garden.





And on the other side of the house are sunny borders.  The foliage combination here is especially nice.

 
As we were passing back through the trees toward the car, we spied these Indian pipes, or ghost flower, Monotropa uniflora.  This from mushroomexpert.com:  Until recently, botanists believed that Indian Pipes were saprophytes, subsisting on dead or decaying organic material. Recent investigations, however, have revealed that Monotropa uniflora is actually parasitic on a fungus that is in a "mycorrhizal" relationship with a tree. The fungus and the tree are exchanging nutrients in a mutually beneficial relationship; the Indian Pipes have duped the fungus into "believing" it is in a second mycorrhizal relationship--but in reality the fungus gets nothing out of the deal, and is being parasitized by Monotropa uniflora. Chlorophyll is not involved in the process, which accounts for the plant's ghostly colors. 
  
It is impossible to buy this or get it to grow in one's garden but Millie reports that it just shows up and in slightly different places each year.   I'd only seen this in pictures before and was delighted to encounter it in person.
 
Here's the amazing Millie, the gardener who makes this place what it is!
 

Garden Bloggers' Fling - The Wave Gardem

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The Wave Garden is a one-third acre private garden on Richmond Point overlooking San Pablo Bay. The owners purchased the property to preclude development. They hired plantswoman Kelle Adams and concrete artist Victor Amador  to create a garden for the whole neighborhood to enjoy and gave them both creative freedom.   You can see great pictures of this garden here,here,here,  and here.  There are probably a lot of other great blog posts about it as well!

This was the fourth garden visit on day one of the fling, it was quite hot and we were tired but excited to see this special place.  Because parking a couple of buses in this residential area is a little tricky, we got to walk a block down to the garden.  Even before we got to the Wave,  cameras were clicking away at all of the far out plants!

I grow this aloe in a pot and bring it in for the winter.  Here it is growing in the ground.


Aloes in bloom.

One of the Restios (Rhodocoma capensis?)  Even though  I've studied the book Restios of theFynbbos, I still have a horrible time differentiating between a few of these wonderful plants.


Aeoniums growing in the ground.  O.K. I'm going to try to stop saying , "growing in the ground" so much but it was incredible to see so many plants that we grow in pots and drag in for the winter happily growing in the ground here.  (How about just ITG?)

Grevillea loking a lot like G. Ned Kelley.  I'd left mine at home with buds and found them in glorious bloom here.  How beautiful. 



Here we are heading down the hill toward towards our destination.

Yes, that's the Golden Gate Bridge over there shrouded in fog. 

And a nice view of the city.
 





Beschorneria.  Notice the Aeonium 'Swarzkopf'  and white - flowered grevillea in the background.

Protea flowers.




Cantua buxifolia AKA "Sacred flower of the Andes"
 
Furcraea (ITG!)

Cussonia paniculata  (ITG!) Sigh.

Leucadendron 'Jester'  Beautiful!





 
The orange of the Protea picks up the orange edges of the succulents.
 
 
Echiveria elegans.  So blue and wonderful.


Beschorneria flower stalk with seed pods forming.

Kellee Adams, who designed the garden talked with us about its creation.

 
The concrete work is wonderful and unusual.

As is the iron work.








 
Another leucadendron


Beautiful seed heads on a restio.


Aeonium 'Sunburst'  Love this one! 

Grevillea x gaudichaudii.  Why aren't so many of these beauties hardy for me?




Eucalyptus flowers looking like fancy tassels for pillows, curtain tie backs or exotic dancers.

Still swooning over the huge and fragrant Eucalyptus trees everywhere.  This one offered welcome shade on this uncharacteristically hot day. 
 
Who should I find lurking in the shadows but my shady friend, Loree  with a final wave from the Wave garden. 
 


A Day in Portland Part One

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Or, How to visit four nurseries and three gardens in Six hours.

I love going on day trips because we don't have to worry about finding care for our pets. One fine Saturday, Alison, Nigel, Tom and I set of on a Portland adventure.  Portland is a three hour drive so I set of early enough to hit Cistus Nursery before we were to meet Scott at Joy Creek Nursery.  Together we visited Means Nursery  and Scott and I went on to Xera while Alison and Nigel went directly to the next garden where we would meet.  Each of the gardens we visited were spectacular so I'll post about them separately.  Realizing that I had limited time at each nursery, I decided to spend more time shopping  than taking pictures.  With the exception of Xera, which opened since my last visit, I've posted  about these before.  You will want to see more of what Portland has to offer so I suggest that you start making plans now for next year's Garden Bloggers' Fling which will take place there early in July next year. 


It's so cool to see these huge cannas at the back of the parking lot of Cistus.  When last I was there in April, there were only tiny leaves poking out of the soil.  What a difference a few weeks makes!

 Wonder what the pink flags mean? 


Yucca rostrata anyone?

Agave Americana 'Yellow Ribbons'  Look at those pups emerging from the drain holes in the pot.  Is that adorable or what?
 
 Shade area of "The Big Top"  one of my favorite spots.


 
 Here's a section of the driveway leading to the parking area.

Taking a few plants with us, we drove up the road a piece to meet Scott, Alison and Nigel.  The gardens at Joy creek are looking so much fuller than they did in April.

Two specialties of Joy Creek are hydrangeas and hardy fuchsias.  Didn't get any hydrangeas this time.

This time of year, I always fall for a few more hardy fuchsias.
 
 Not the best picture but this miniature garden was way cool.

It still tickles me that we can grow alstroemeria in the ground here.  I remember seeing them in flower arrangements as a child in Alaska and thinking that they were the most exotic looking thing ever.


A green roof for environmentally concerned  birds.

And we're off to Means, home of the least expensive Acer palmatums anywhere.


Scott assuring Alison that she really should get one of these good sized brugmansias.  (only 19.95!)

Nice to see that Means carries seeds from Botanical interests, a sponsor of the Garden Bloggers' Fling!


Finally, off to Xera, fairly close to one of the gardens that we had the pleasure of visiting.  Xera Plants shares space with a business newly named Repotted which sells containers by themselves or beautifully planted up. 

I seem to be drawn to this orange color.  Could it be because this fuchsia is called 'Thomisina?'


Portland has enough summer heat (most years) for crepe myrtles to bloom happily. 


This little cutie was calling my name.  There's always room for one more cute little agave, right?

Simply beautiful planting by Repotted.
 Sorry I didn't get more shots of the great plants but this is a nursery worth visiting and will certainly be added to my must visit places when visiting Portland!
 
I know you'll find it hard to believe but somehow, the car got filled with plants.  Well, not totally full but I came home with a few treasures!  Next week, We'll visit the gardens.  Portland is a town where a lot of folks garden and simply driving down the street in residential areas is a treat!


Garden Bloggers' Fling: The Conservatory of Flowers

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In the evening of the first day of the fling, we gathered at The Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park, for a delicious catered dinner, raffles, and to pick up gift bags full of treasures given to us by sponsors of the fling. 
 
 
The Conservatory of Flowers, the oldest existing glass and wood Victorian greenhouse in the western hemisphere, is one of the most photographed buildings in the state of California. 

It was prefabricated for local entrepreneur James Lick for his Santa Clara estate but was still in its crates when he died in 1876. A group of San Franciscans bought it and offered it to the city, and it was erected in Golden Gate Park and opened to the public in 1879. (Wikipedia)
The history of the Conservatory and the park  is fascinating so do click on the links above to learn more.


The conservatory was closed to the public for eight years during an extensive restoration and reopened in 2003.

I'll bet that some of those taller palms are from the original planting.

Here we are gathering on the steps for a group picture which can be seen here.

I'd not seen stained glass utilized in a greenhouse before.  The finial atop the dome is 13 feet tall and weighs about 800 pounds.

Looking back from the steps.  Cool bridge, eh?


This is the very top of a massive hundred-year-old philodendron.



 The interior of the building is as fabulous as the exterior. The Conservatory is 12,000 square feet. The central dome is 56 feet in diameter and 55 feet tall. Each arch-shaped wing is 93 feet long.






Even the floor grates are beautiful!


Trevesia palmata.  Love those snowflake-shaped leaves!


Etched glass signage.  Zowie!

Schefflera delavayi with  incised leaves. Major plant lust. 

Alison admiring an amorphophallus and who wouldn't?
 
 
Love this!

And this. 

There was also a butterfly exhibit going on in part of the conservatory.  

You put your proboscis in, you take your proboscis out, you put your proboscis in and you shake it all about.  You do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself around.  That's what it's all about.





I wonder if this turtle's name is Narcissus?   Seems to be staring at his/her own reflection. 
 
 
 

 Hank, The Plant Provocateur and author of Container Gardening chatting with Stefani Bittner and Leslie Bennet, co-founders of Star Apple Edible and Fine Gardening, and whose book, The Beautiful Edible Garden, was given to each of  us by Ten Speed Press.


Get the pitcher? 



 







Barbara Wise, whose book, Container Gardening for All Seasons I was lucky enough to win in one of the raffles,   chatting with a couple of other bloggers near the life sized Victoria amazonica structure.





The dinner was great fun and as we emerged from the event space, we were greeted by this gorgeous evening view of the Conservatory.


One last look back.  Yes, that's a working floral clock in the foreground. 

What an incredible ending to an equally terrific day! 
 

A Day in Portland Part Two: Name That Garden!

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Do you remember the game show "Name That Tune" from the 1950's?  How about the 1970's and 1980's versions?  If you're too young to remember or have started to loose the ability to remember,  the gist of the game is that contestants would try to name popular songs played by an orchestra in as short a time (as few notes) as possible. 

Today,  let's play a slightly different version of the game and see how few clues it takes you to Name That Garden!

   
The first clue is in the title of this post - it's a garden in the Portland, Oregon area.

Here's  clue number two. 

 
Clue number three may have been in a previous post about Portland.  No fair checking back!
 
 
 Clue number four:  This gardener is not originally from Portland.

 
Clue Number five:  Pennisetum 'Vertigo'  and grasses in general.
 
Clue number six:  This gardener writes a blog.
 
Clue number seven:  That's  Impatiens balfourii blooming beautifully behind the table.  This generous gardener even shared several plants of it with me.




Did I mention Grass? 

Clue number eight: It's not Piet Oudolf but you can definitely see the influence.

Clue number nine:  This gardener is an excellent photographer and gets gorgeous early morning and evening light on his garden.  Unfortunately, it was sunny mid day and I lack his photographic skill. 

Clue number ten:  This gardener attended the recent Garden Bloggers' Fling in San Francisco, had driven to the fling, and brought plants back for several of us so that we didn't have to squeeze them into our luggage.

Clue number eleven: 
(Has nothing to do with the yellow sign showing a larger alien holding a gun to the back of the smaller alien in front of him.  I don't know what that's about.  Maybe he wants her book or something.)

Anyone?

If you Guessed that this is the garden of Scott Weber of Rhone Street Gardens,  you'd be correct! 

If you were able to name this garden in only one clue, you're the lucky winner of  the only 1968 Ford Pinto that hasn't yet exploded.   OOPS, um, well, (Stop, drop and roll! Somebody grab a fire extinguisher!  You, call 911) I guess there's no prize other than the satisfaction of knowing that you won! 

Thank you, Scott, for bringing our plants back, for being our tour guide in Portland, and mostly for letting us experience your gorgeous garden in person! 



 
 


Garden Bloggers' Fling: Visiting The San Francisco botanical Garden at Strybing Arboretum

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One of the optional activities at the San Francisco Garden Bloggers' Fling was a morning photo shoot with Saxon Holt at the San Francisco Botanical Garden at Strybing Arboretum.  Mr. Holt was friendly, approachable, and full of great tips for taking better pictures.  After the formal presentation, Mr. Holt generously stuck around answering all kinds of questions.  This being our only chance to see the Arboretum, many of us left the group to explore.  Realizing that it would be impossible to see all 55 acres in the 40 minutes we had left, I walked briskly. 



Here's Saxon Holt telling the group that we should always use a tripod. 

Fun California poppy sculpture by the entrance gate.

 
Do you remember the Joni Mitchell song, "They Paved Paradise?"  Something about the next image with the fence around the trees reminded me of part of the lyrics:
 
They took all the trees
And put 'em in a tree museum
And they charged the people
A dollar and a half to seem 'em

Admission is free for all San Francisco City and county residents.  Pretty cool huh!





Here we are in the Fountain plaza. 
 
 
Arriving in Africa, where the sprinkler system is on. 
 
This is what Toto was singing about in their song "The Rains Down in Africa."



Dodging the sprinkler heads I got to see some beautiful restios and other South African gems growing happily in  San Francisco's mild climate.  I was not a particularly artful dodger which is how the map above got a little wrinkled.  On the positive side, the water felt pretty good on such a warm morning.
 Aloes

 Pelargoniums (Geraniums)

Now we're out of Africa.  Musa Basjoo.


 
 On the way to the succulent garden.







Who should I run into in the succulent garden but Ms. Danger.  How large is that agave?  Bigger than a Bohl!



Spent Echium flower spikes still create sculptural interest.




So much to see!










All too soon it was time to head back to the bus for another day of garden viewing adventure.  This is a wonderful botanical garden which is also part of Golden Gate Park.  I look forward to revisiting in the future!

A Day in Portland Part Three: A Garden Party at Longview Ranch

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One of our main reasons for going to Portland was that Jane, aka Mulchmaid was planning an open garden for the Portland area bloggers.  While Alison and I live in a different state, we're sometimes granted special dispensation to participate in the activities of the Portland group.  Jane's garden is glorious and it was wonderful to see it in person. 

Unfortunately, I didn't include anything here for perspective but this eucomis  (Pineapple Lily) is huge! It's taller than waist high and is the largest I'd ever seen. 

Every plant that Jane grows is given ample space, treated well and responds to her masterful treatment. 
 
 
Jane's use of evergreens lets one know that this is a garden interesting even in the winter when the beautiful splashes of color are gone.

You may recall this calla lily from a Mulchmaid post.  It's really beautiful.  Notice how the silver spots on the leaves are echoed by the eryngium and melianthus in the background.

Beautiful bamboo and a huge tetrapanax ease us into the "Northwest Territory," the Mulchman's garden.  While Mulchmaid is fond of exotics, Mulchman, her gardening husband, has built a garden of Northwest natives.  The shady seating area is situated in the Northwest Territory and when I saw all the Portland bloggers, I put down my camera to say hi and forgot to pick it up again.  Fortunately, you can see some great pictures of the NWT here and here.


Love this Dyckia/Pot combination!
 
 
Beautiful variegated  Echium candicans 'Star of Madeira.'  When it's covered with deep blue and purple flowers, it's even more stellar!

Yucca rostrata
 
I understand that this sweet rose by the chimney was left by the former owners of the house. 
 
Here's the Mulchmaid herself being a fabulous host.   
 Thanks, Jane for a delightful afternoon in your gorgeous garden!  

A Day in Portland Part Four: What's Black and Blue and Orange all over?

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Alternate title:  Let's visit a cool garden located at the intersection of Plant Lust Lane and Style Street!
 

You may remember this garden from Danger Garden's posts here and here.  Loree's posts made a big impression on me and she was kind enough to let me know that the garden was going to be open for the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon garden tour on the same day as Jane's open garden, I jumped at the chance to see the garden in person.

J.J. the gardener here is also the owner of a great shop called Digs Inside and Out. a store as wonderful as this garden!


The strength of choosing a few colors and repeating them is beautifully illustrated in this ever changing space.  I almost called this post, "Theme and Variations" because of J.J's masterful use of vibrant color.


If you checked out Loree's posts, you'll know that these pieces were originally blue.  Nothing that a couple of cans of spray paint couldn't fix.


Love this rusty screen!

This fairly restrained path planting,  leads to the back garden.

Where the color theme continues.


Much of the foliage is also orange or blue.


It's clear from the numerous seating areas that this is a garden designed with outdoor living and entertaining in mind.

 
 





J.J. has an extensive collection of succulents and cacti about which she knows a great deal.

 


In every corner, something interesting lurks.




Notice the beautiful leaf pattern created by the sun shining through the umbrella above the chairs.




The two pots in the background are huge!  The soil only goes down as deep as the rim; the rest of the pot is hollow and lights up at night.  In fact, the entire space is well lit for night enjoyment.
 
I wonder what happens with this great conversation pit during the winter?


Every water feature should have flying shrimp!

While salivating over Agave alba mediopicta, you may notice part of the Gnome Be Gone emerging from the foliage behind.








This set of faux bois chairs is gorgeous!


Black, blue, orange, a little white and of course, green.  Who could ask for anything more?

J.J. is as fun-loving, colorful, and cool as her garden would have you believe! 
 
I'm glad to have had the chance to see this faboo garden in person and meet the equally groovy gardener who made it!

Wells Medina Nursery Annual Visit

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In the Pacific Northwest, gardeners are spoiled by having so many outstanding nurseries nearby.  A fine example of a long established plant purveyor is Wells Medina Nursery "for plant lovers & those just beginning to flirt with the garden life."  That tag line is brilliant!  The garden life.  Isn't it the truth?  Unfortunately I don't visit this nursery as often as I'd like to.  Stephanie Feeney's words from The Northwest Gardeners'  Resource Directory describe the place well. 

"Wells Medina began life in 1971 as the inspiration of Ned Wells.  It has grown over the years as a family business keen to have its patrons enthuse about the marvelous plant choices found there for every gardener, from quality, well-grown common plants to the great rarities.  Ned has now handed over the reins to his two daughters, Wendy and Lisa, who now energetically own and operate Wells Medina."

Part of the border originally designed by Whitney and Price.


"There is a Northwest orientation here, with conifers, Japanese maples, Rhododendrons, other flowering trees and shrubs, shade trees, an excellent selection of vines, ground covers, unusual and old favorite annuals and perennials, ornamental grasses, and herbs."  I've also noticed an increase in the amount of edible plants offered in the last few years. like this beautiful tomato.


I thought that I'd posted last year about Wells Medina but can't find the post.  Oh well.
 
Schefflera taiwaniana sure looks good in that pot!

 A gorgeous variegated bouganvilla brings happy thoughts of these being hardy and growing to huge proportions in California!



Kniphofia is one of those plants that I greatly admire in other people's gardens but can't seem to make  work in my own. 

Gorgeous buds waiting to erupt!



 
At the front of the nursery on a couple of long tables was a display of  rose flowers with their names.  This is just a small sample of all the varieties in the display.  Interesting but I'd want to see how the rose looks in bud, how it fades, etc. as well.

 
Fortunately, Wells Medina has a huge space devoted to potted  roses so one can see more!
 
"Ink Spots."


I'm kind of in love with "Eyeconic Melon Lemonade" that opens this cool apricot color and fades to a light pink all the while keeping the red splotches on the inside of the petals.  The effect is that of having several colors on a single bush.  I may have to go back and get one of these.  No fragrance but one can't have everything.
 
 
 This beauty, "The Charlatan" is pretty spectacular!  You can always squeeze in another shrub rose, right?
 
This is a huge nursery which requires at least a couple of hours to really see everything. 




Neon pink, chartreuse and electric blue.  Who could ask for anything more?

Not my favorite -  Echinacea 'Piccolino.'  Porr thing doesn't look much like an Echinacea anymore.

Cool smallish hosta with a maple leaf pattern on the leaves.  Alison and I both picked one of these up.


Do you want to drift on over to the shade plant area?


Gratuitous grass shot for Scott.
 
Throughout the nursery are these patio groupings floating on the gravel.  Didn't see anyone sitting on any of them.
 


Alison and I peeked back in the employees only area and saw this interesting idea.  Something to do with all those free wood pallets one sees on craigslist or by the side of the road. 


Each July, Wells Medina holds a container competition.  Every employee is required to put together a combination pot.  The size of the pots is identical and when finished, they are put on display & customers vote for their favorites.  At the time we visited, the pots were works in progress.  I love the use of glass mulch!

The other side of the same pot.


Agonis flexuosa 'After Dark' is an attractive background for orange begonias. 

Explosion of color!

Clever use of a strawberry pot which here suggests the shape of a pineapple & has eucomis (Pineapple lilly) growing out of the top.  Sweet!


Alison threw this together in a few minutes while I was looking at the roses but she was disqualified from the competition because she's not an employee and she didn't pay  attention to the pot size requirement. 


Acer rubrum 'Vainity'  Dig the color of the new growth.
 
 
We both loved Acer conspicuum 'Esk Flamingo' or 'Esk Flamingo' Stripebark Maple.
 
 Wells Medina also has a comfy reference library.  Is that great or what?


 O.K. Alison, it's time to go visit some gardens.  Alison, where'd you go?    So you didn't get to be in the competition, hiding won't help!  Or is this Alison telling us that she's behind the new pot legislation in Washington State?
 
 
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