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Lucy and Ethel Play With Concrete Part Twenty-Something

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Over twenty years ago, for the Fourth of July, my friend Chris and I decided it would be fun to make something for our gardens.  She'd read a magazine article about making hypertufa pots and we thought it would be fun to try. We had a great time but the results were less than stellar as we really didn't have the right supplies or forms to do such a thing but we tried anyway and decided to also make stepping stones.   This was before the internet and before taking then teaching classes on making stepping stones.  We both still have the sad products of that experiment in our gardens which make us smile when we see them.  We'd unintentionally started a Fourth of July tradition of creating yard art.

Another Fourth, after seeing the fabulous Little and Lewis Dinosaur Eggs, we thought we should be able to make them as neither of us could afford to buy one.  Having little experience with cement and apparently a limited understanding of the law of gravity, we purchased  concrete mix, which includes gravel and simply tried throwing a wet mix of this on an exercise ball.  Thinking that the aggregate in the mix was what was causing the problem, we thought of making a trip to Home Depot to pick up some sand mix but we were both pretty filthy by then so decided instead to sift the stones out using a colander which took forever. It was hot as hell and the dust was sticking to us and everything around. Anyway, mean old Mr. Gravity seemed to still want to pull the sides of the sphere to the ground. Chris named the bowls we were able to make dung domes.  Since that attempt and after reading a book about making concrete objects, I did make a couple of semi-respectable spheres.  You know, do it first, read the directions after making a total mess of everything, the Lucy and Ethel school of yard art.

Projects over the years have included leaf castings, glass flowers, and mosaic bowling balls.  This winter, Chris found a concrete hand project online and we decided it would be a great craft for the Fourth.  There are several  tutorials online about how to make these.  If you're interested in making them, look here or here.  Again the concrete and fun flowed.  When we were finished...

Yellow concrete-filled gloves were everywhere.



A bird in the hand is worth three hands in the bush?  Wait, I never get those proverbs quite right. 

Because it's a handrail. 

Chris wisely is waiting an extra day to come and un glove her hands but I couldn't wait to see how mine turned out.  Laid down, they could hold a small succulent.

This one was meant to hold a pot. 

This pot to be exact. Now, what should I plant in there? 

Where will these end up?  

Another enjoyable Fourth of July playing in the mud with an old friend. Aren't traditions fun? 

McMenamins - Gardens at the Anderson School

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Two words:  Blown Away!  Anna (Flutter and Hum) said of Riz Reyes, Garden Manager of the gardens at McMenamin's Anderson School, " Everything that man touches turns beautiful!" I couldn't agree more.  From his fabulous floral designs to his stellar display garden at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show, everything he creates is stylish, beautiful, and chock full of enough unusual plants to make a plant nerd giddy.  The gardens at The Anderson School are no exception.  The gardens have only been in place since 2015 but look well established!



Colletia hystrix is also known as Crucifixion Thorn and is one sharp character!

Several passersby were transfixed by the Eryngium, they'd never seen anything like it.  Notice the opuntia in the bakground.

Callistemon AKA Bottle Brush.

Fatsia polycarpa 'Needham's Lace' 
The grounds are those of a former school and contain a hotel, three restaurants, an indoor saltwater pool, a couple of pubs, a stadium and vegetable gardens to supply the restaurants.  Between all of these are the gardens.







A caged Agave ovatifolia AKA Whale's Tongue Agave.  Free Willy!

 This xeric garden makes one wonder what part of California he's visiting.



In front  of the Tiki Bar and pool building, the mood swings to some larger leaved tropicalismo.


Moving on past the Tavern on the Square and toward the hotel are paths lined with fabulousness and a meadow garden. Clover is used as one unifying theme of the meadows.  It took me a moment to adjust my thinking from an if it's in the lawn mow it or if it's in the beds, pull it mentality and simply enjoy the beauty of clover which fixes nitrogen in the soil and really is a lovely plant.



Oops, back to California. 

In the jungle, the mighty jungle the metapanax sleeps tonight. 







How lucky the future inhabitants of this building going up next door will be to have the pleasure of looking out on such gardens and being able to stroll them as often as they wish. That's really low maintenance gardening eh? Hey, I'm seeing a retirement plan:)



These huge allium seed heads are everywhere.  Is this 'Globemaster'?  I've seen it in other gardens recently and I want to grow it next year!



We parked near California so I got to pass these gardens a couple of times. 

Riz has worked his magic again.  These pictures don't do justice to the scale and beauty of these expertly designed and planted gardens.  I stopped inside some of the buildings and they are, in the inimitable style of McMenamins, over the top amazing. Superlatives fail  when describing the experience of the entire complex.  This place is worth the trip for the gardens alone but the interiors are equally top notch.  Just go!

Speaking of just going, Justin Galicic is hosting the sixth annual Normandy Park Garden Festival on Saturday.  This is a fun and free event for the whole family in a truly amazing  garden.  This year's guest speaker is Sean Hogan of Cistus Nursery in Sauve Island, Oregon.  Of course there'll also be a plant sale... For more details, look here.  To see posts of some previous festivals look here.  Hope to see you there! 

In a Vase on Monday - Cheating Again

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A busy weekend of garden touring and trying to keep potted plants hydrated left little time to bring flowers inside.  Since I'm spending more time outside these days, I decided to do an arrangement to enjoy in the garden.  Several Christmases ago, my dear friend Florence gave me this delightful  Italian cherub holding a basket.  It sat in our entryway where I very much enjoyed it.  My plan was to pump water through the base and have it tumble over the sides but that never got done. While strolling through Molbak's on Sunday after touring several fantastic gardens in Snohomish, my eye caughtFestuca glauca 'Beyond Blue.' Hey, that looks a bit like a fountain.  Throw in some Sedum forsterianum 'Antique Grill' and Sedum spathulifolium 'Silver Moon' and there you have it a dry water feature.  If one can have a dry creek bed, why not this?

The exposed soil was covered with some glass bits I had around and a bit of Spanish Moss was gathered from the greenhouse to cascade even lower.  This is by far the easiest water feature I've ever done.  Yes, I'll sweep up the spilled soil and ever present bamboo litter on the ground beneath.
In A Vase On Monday is hosted by the talented  Cathy at Rambling in the garden.  Click here to join in the fun!

Rare Plant Research Annual Spring Open

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So, way back in May, after shopping at Marbott's I met my pal Loree at her Danger Garden to have a plant shopping play date.  Our first stop together was the Rare Plant Research annual public open.  A wholesale grower of unusual plants, RPR is only open to the public once a year and visiting the sale has become a bit of a tradition.  Previous posts with more information here. Both Loree and I were in the market for a few bromeliads and as we parked we joked that this guy had bought all of the ones we wanted.  Why didn't we get there sooner?  Let me just say that I know how to get to Loree's from Marbott's but let the lady in the phone tell me where to go.  It seemed like I was going the wrong way but sometimes the GPS knows a better route.  It became apparent that something was amiss as I crossed the bridge back into Washington State.  Did you know that there's an address identical to Loree's  in Vancouver, WA.  Oops.

 Fortunately there were still plenty of plants for us!



Euphorbia  mammillaris






Aechmea odorata

 Cryptanthus 'Elaine'

Agave americana variegata


Aeonium 'Sunburst' 

Gasteraloe 'Ox Tongue' 

More Echeveria than you can shake a stick at.




You want to be pretty careful walking through a field of opuntia!

Scadoxus puniceus just beginning to bloom.  Glorious flower for a while. The meh foliage of mine is now about five feet tall, has produced offsets and is once again setting seed. It's hardy to zone 7 but needs excellent drainage.

More agave.

Loved the color of this stressed specimen.  

Canna 'Tropicanna' 



This sphere came home with me.  Still haven't found a really good place for it. 


"Once, ownership of this banana was restricted to Hawaiian royalty, but today anyone can own one. Despite its widespread release, Musa 'Ae Ae' is still one of the most highly sought-after bananas for ornamental purposes." -Description from Plant Delights Nursery.



Part of Burl's personal collection of caudiciforms, what Alison (Bonney Lassie) calls "Fat bottomed girls."

 Furcraea

An even bigger specimen. These are so gorgeous. I've kept mine alive for a couple of years but it doesn't look as good as either of these. 

Inside the solarium. 

Folks enjoying themselves.  The grounds are also home to a winery, Villa Catalana Cellars, and wine is available by the bottle or glass.  No wonder everyone was in such a good mood.








Recent studies have shown that a moat and a dragon are a greater deterrent to potential burglars than posted home security signs.





Loree and I got a few things and there were still more nurseries to visit!
Plant shopping is so much more fun with an enabler like-minded plant enthusiast, don't you think?

Wednesday Vignette - Botany?

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Wednesday Vignette is hosted by the fabulous Anna at Flutter and Hum.  Click here to join in the fun.

Image may contain: tree, sky and outdoor


My friend and work wife, Julie, sent me this picture.  Words of wisdom from Urban Earth!  



The Sandy Eacker Garden

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"The modest Kirkland yard we inherited 27 years ago was more or less undeveloped, with large rock work creating some basic structure, virtually no flowerbeds, and a lovely, wild greenbelt out back.What a wonderful and challenging blank canvas!"

That once-blank canvas is now painted with beautiful flowers.  I always admire gardeners who can grow such beautiful disease-free hybrid tea roses.  My attempts have always been a bit spotty (black spot, that is and let's not even speak of powdery mildew.) Mrs. Eacker certainly has the magic touch!

 "Over the years, both the garden and my passion for it have evolved into an ongoing garden of delights for me. Shaping the space, creating expanding beds and finding interesting plants to fill them has become an increasing focus of my attention and expression.  Finding ways of incorporating the forested green space behind the property has been both challenging and inspiring."


Barefoot and lost in a book in the garden.  Ain't summer grand?

These dark blue spiral supports are a perfect compliment to the delphiniums.  

"One of the aspects of gardening that has become most exciting to me is the discovery of interesting perennial varieties. Penstemons, unusual asters, campanula, ornamental oreganos have found their way into the garden to take their places among the roses - my first loves!




"This is truly a garden in progress, always with new demands and rewards."


Thank you, Sandy, for opening your garden for us all to enjoy!  Now, take a well-deserved rest!

Playing With Fire

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Many years ago, I thought that having fire in the garden would be delightful.  A clay chiminea was used a few times but usually just to dispose of branches from pruning.  I also worried as the instructions said that the thing had to be dry or it could break apart.  After a while, I used the two parts as plant stands.  Enter the cast iron chiminea which could be used regardless of moisture.  Don't know if that got used very often but there was always the worry of where it could be placed so that sparks wouldn't hit foliage above.  You guessed it - the base now holds a large water bowl and the top is a plant stand.  One would think that a person would realize that this fire in the garden idea might not be such a good one but no.

Suddenly fire bowls and tables with gas flames and the like were all the rage in gardens so I jumped on the band wagon about ten years ago when I found one on sale.  It was used all of three times and then moved into the garage.  When the garage turned into a greenhouse, everything had to be moved out of the garage and I tossed and donated a lot of stuff but couldn't bring myself to get rid of the fire pit thinking that someday we might have guests stop by on a summer evening and enjoy watching dancing flames while sharing stimulating conversation...maybe a guitar would come out of the attic and we'd sing camp songs by the fire, toast marshmallows,  and laugh into the wee hours.  Oh well, a goal without a plan is just a dream and since I'm too lazy to actually invite folks over, that probably won't happen.  The fire bowl was languishing beneath a table in the greenhouse so the other day, I dragged it out and looked at it for a while.  I remember seeing a "fire" made of wood and Japanese Blood Grass at Watson's Nursery a year or so ago.  Maybe I'd give that a try.  The grass available locally was a bit tall but I bought some firewood and a few little pointy Crotons anyway and thought some more.  In the greenhouse, there was a Canna 'Tropicanna' that wasn't going into the ground this year.  Maybe that would work?


Not too bad.

Marshmallows, needs marshmallows.  Hastily cut styrofoam from the basement to the rescue.

Still needed a bit more.  Everything's better with a touch of glass, right? 


I'm hearing the strains of "Michael Row the Boat Ashore,""Five Hundred Miles," and "Tom Dooley" already.
Hope you're enjoying playing in your garden! 

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - July 2017

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Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day is hosted on the fifteenth of every month by the inimitable award-winning blogger, published author, and accomplished gardener, Carol from May Dreams Gardens. Click here to join the florapalooza and see what's blooming in gardens all over the world.  Many thanks, Carol, for continuing to host the party!

In my zone 8 pacific northwest garden, July is so full of blooms that this photo-heavy post missed quite a few like Tropaeolum speciosum which, knock wood, seems to be here to stay - finally.

Brugmansias are in full flush right now but will most likely be bloom free in a week for my garden open.



 Datura

Begonias






Hanging around the pot ghetto.
Impatiens


Inherited Daylilies, daisies, and Salvia 'Amistad'

"Wild" Sweet Pea.

Cotinus and Feverfew.
 Agastache and Dasies.

Romneya coulteri


 Buddleia

Some Campanula or other.

Crocosmia 'Lucifer'

More Daylilies


Oriental Lilies


Being choked here by a Passion Flower vine.  Got to get these out of the pot and into the ground one of these years.




 Asiatic Lilies.

Abutilon megapotamicum made it through this winter in a pot elevated off of the ground. Took it a bit longer to come back and start blooming though.

A. 'Victor Reiter' wintered in the greenhouse.


Daphne

Geranium 'Ann Folkard' gets around. 

Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens'

Forgot the name of this one.  Saw it blooming at Windcliff today and another visitor asked me it's name.  Duh, I dunno.  Got home and saw it blooming in my own garden.  Still don't remember. Class? Anyone?  Anyone? Bueller?

Clematis 'Nelly Moser'

Clematis, Fuchsia, tangle of vines. 

Fuchsia

 Fuchsia 'Delta's Groom'

Dichroa febrifuga

Hosta

Alstroemeria 'Indian Summer' If this is hardy, many of the others will be ripped out.

Fremontodendron and orange Alstoemeria.
 Another Alstroemeria.   

Hypericum

Some dahlia or other that made it through the winter outside in a pot.

Kalmia latifolia is just about finished blooming for this year. 

Some of the many Pelargonum (Geraniums.)



Most of the roses are taking a bit of a break.  This one, mislabled 'Playboy' is a sweetly fragrant beauty.  

Forgot the name of this one too and it's too late to go tag hunting. 

Tillandsia

Hydrangea season is just starting. 




The peachy- orange flowered one is Stachys hidalgo whose leaves smell like 7-Up when brushed. 

Ligularia somethingorother.

Arisaema

Origanum 'Kent Beauty'

Clerodendrum trichotomum

 Genista aetnensis AKA Mount Etna broom

Amaryllis in the greenhouse are now on their own schedule and pop out blooms when they feel like it.

Calycanthus chinensis
 Slavia  clevelandii 'Alpine'

I'm very excited that this Gasteria that I've had for many years and is now quite sizable has thrown up several huge wands of these boom spikes (scapes.) The plant name (gaster means stomach) comes from the stomach-shaped blooms.

Allium schubertii 'Spraypainteum' 
How I wish that July could last forever! 

In A Vase On Monday

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The idea for today's vases was stolen borrowed from Sylvia at DIG Floral and Nursery on Vashon Island.  There were a couple of tall cylindrical glass containers kicking around the greenhouse in which I'd forced paperwhites during the winter.  The contents are some water lettuce and in the small vase is a water hyacinth. We don't often get to admire the grace and beauty of roots and these will last for months.  They remind me a little bit of those specimens of animals and body parts floating in formaldehyde-filled jars that used to line the shelves of of science classrooms.  Since Tom calls the greenhouse my laboratory (5 syllables; flipped R's) these really needed to go out there.


Speaking of forcing bulbs, I planted these several weeks ago and still haven't seen a thing. Am I doing something wrong?  The instructions on the interwebs were very simple and the nice lady at the store directed me to the bulb aisle where I found these. Having never grown 25 Watts before, I figured I'd experiment.  Certainly these will brighten up a dull corner if they ever decide to glow grow.

 Here they are, specimens and experiment together in the laboratory.

In a Vase on Monday is hosted by Cathy at Rambling In the Garden.  Click here to join in the fun!

The Garden of Peggy Walton

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I truly love the Northwest Perennial Alliance Garden Open Days.  Each weekend from May through September, there is an array of gardens held open for members.  The Open Gardens Directory organizes the opens so that all of the gardens in a given date are in proximity to each other so that one can easily take in all of the gardens at a leisurely pace and enjoy chatting with their gardeners.  Back on the garden open road, let's take a peek at Peggy Walton's Garden in Kirkland.  


"When we built our house 20 years ago we retained many lovely older plants from the garden of the 1930's home that was originally on the property."



"Over the years we have creatively combined perennials, herbs, fruits and vegetables


(and a fairy garden for the grandchildren) that provide interesting views from every window."

 

"Although not a large property, we have many inviting places to sit and enjoy color and scent and an abundance of edibles in all seasons!"

Very inviting indeed!


A delightful view of  Lake Washington to boot.  







Peonies in bloom in July?  No, this garden was open during the first weekend of June.

Such a lovely rose. 

This interesting group of tiles was hanging on the fence.  
Thanks, Peggy, for opening your garden for us all to enjoy!  As an added bonus, just as we were leaving this garden, Linda and Tom (Linda Letters) drove up.  It's always a pleasure to run into blogging friends!  

Wednesday Vignette - Silent Noon

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Wednesday Vignette is hosted by Anna at Flutter and Hum.  Click on over there to check it out!


Silent Noon
      -Dante Gabriel Rossetti


Your hands lie open in the long fresh grass, -
   The finger-points look through like rosy blooms:
    Your eyes smile peace.  The pasture gleams and glooms
'Neath billowing skies that scatter and amass.
All round our nest, far as the eye can pass,
    Are golden kingcup fields with silver edge
    Where the cow-parsley skirts the hawthorn-hedge.
'Tis visible silence, still as the hour-glass.

Deep in the sun-search growths the dragon-fly
Hangs like a blue thread loosened from the sky:-
    so this wing'd hour is dropt to us from above.
Oh! clasp we to our hearts, for deathless dower,
This close-companioned inarticulate hour
    When twofold silence was the song of love.



Isn't summer grand? 

Sorticulture 2017

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Last year, after hearing so much about Everett's garden arts festival called Sorticulture,  I finally attended and swore that I'd never miss it again.  What an amazing feast for the senses with all sorts of fabulous garden art, plant and food vendors, plant talks, and live entertainment.  You know how sometimes when you attend an event the first time it seems over-the-top amazing but when you see it again, it doesn't seem so grand because you know what to expect?  That certainly was not the feeling I got going back to Sorticulture.  It seemed just as fabulous as my first visit.  The park in which the event is held is large and one can easily loose track of where everything is.  The sheer volume of eye candy can be overwhelming so it's best to plan on spending an entire day.  This year, I spent less time taking pictures and more time just taking it all in and enjoying the experience. See previous posts here.   Here are just a few images of the fun:

There are some garden vignettes put together by local landscape companies.  


Fun art was everywhere!

Carnivorous Plants From Mars.  Really, check it out here


Lots of glorious glass.




This adorable dog by Justin Bergevin (The Rusty Bolt)  garnered much attention and praise. 




There were smaller pups available as well.


Sorry, I don't remember which glass fuser came up with these. 

Beth Wright's wire and bead baskets are perfect for succulents. 


Portland-based Katy LaReau's glass flowers and bugs are cheerful and popular. 

Cacti but no metal agaves this year. 

Merrilee More's glass drops look grand in large groups like these. 


Bedrock Industries makes everything out of recycled materials. Their motto is "Specializing in trash beautification since 1992."

While I love the pieces they create, I equally enjoy visiting their shop to find materials for all sorts of projects.

Shannon Buckner's Bent Productions with their graceful organic lines have always caught my eye but I never fully appreciated their beauty until seeing them in garden settings.  How on earth can a blacksmith create such delicate-looking pieces from metal?


All decked out for the occasion.  A few of these fish swam home with me. 

So did a metal flower or two.





Growing 
 or cut, flowers abounded.

Plant vendors, oh yes!  Is that a Wollemia nobilis by any chance?  

Albuca spiralis 'Frizzle Sizzle.'  
 Many of the plant vendors were independent growers who brought specialty plants.  River Rock Nursery of Carver, Oregon once brought a lot of swell plants including Quercus alnifolia, an evergreen oak whose common name, Golden Oak, comes from the golden color of the undersides of the leaves and is the national tree of Cyprus. RRN brought them to the Rhododendron Species Garden sale this spring,  there were specimens at Hortlandia.  this time, they had tiny ones and one of them came home with me.  Yes it's already in a bigger pot and no, I don't know where I'll plant it eventually.

Just when hope seemed slim -   Yes Virginia, there is always an agave thanks to Marcus Harper Glass Works.



Taking a break from all the excitement, this fellow relaxes 'neath a Podophyllum parasol. 
This was an iota of the artwork and plants at Sorticulture.  I certainly plan to attend again next June and hope you do too!

Laura Sevonty's Garden

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Another weekend, another great group of Northwest Perennial Alliance open gardens.  Today, stroll with me through Laura Sevonty's Garden.  A beautiful sunny afternoon in June is a perfect time to visit a garden, but not the best time to take pictures.  I'm afraid that these images don't do Laura's garden justice.

"I am very fond of container gardening and have many pots that are planted for both summer and winter.  My brother, a professional landscaper, and I have been the primary designers, managers, and caretakers of the garden."

What an attractive and welcoming entrance!


This area had a desert southwest theme.  

"I consider my garden to be a free style, naturalistic garden. My house is on one third of an acre and is totally landscaped."

"The first major landscape was about 25 years ago.  The front and back lawns were completely removed and replaced with trees, shrubs, paths, raised beds, sitting areas, and garden art."

"Subsequently I've redone courtyard areas in the front and back yards."


"It is an ever evolving garden, designed for year round interest, and I believe provides a peaceful, relaxing atmosphere in which to relax, entertain, and work."





It certainly looks relaxing but keeping this space looking this great wouldn't leave a whole lot of time for relaxation.

Did you notice the variegated English Laurel? (Prunus laurocerasus variegata 'Marbled White?' It's really beautiful in person.



Laura and her brother aren't the only ones who've been busy in their garden.

 Oh my goodness, look at that perfect potting bench!  I can only dream of such tidiness and organization.  The magic of Laura's garden is that it's magazine immaculate and yet  full of great plants, garden art, and other objects.  

Laura was full of energy but someone else seemed a bit tired.  Perhaps this is the real gardener.  
Thank you, Laura for opening your garden for us all to enjoy. Happy weekend and happy gardening all.  I'll be holding my own garden open for the NPA tomorrow.  Yikes!  

In Sandy's Vase On Monday

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My neighbor and friend, Sandy, recently gave me this fun vase by local artist Christopher Hoppin.  I'd long admired the piece and during one of her periodic purges, this was among the things she'd set out on a table to give away.  Lucky me!

The piece wasn't meant to hold water but luckily, I had slender glass vase which was the perfect size to fit inside.  Usually the flowers dictate the container but this Monday, it was the other way around. What could one put in such a vessel that won't compete with it?

There was a jug of palm fronds and Hydrangea quercifolia,  pruned to make paths more passable, sitting in the butler's pantry.  Too pretty to simply go directly into the yard waste bin, they'd come inside a few days ago.  Even one entire palm frond was a bit overpowering so I gently tore it apart.  Next came a fig leaf which, once picked, would not stand up and a couple of wood skewers which were brought out in a failed attempt to prop the leaf.

Sorry about the lighting and wrinkled background.  Thanks, Sandy, for the cool vase and the challenge to fill it. Perhaps next I'll try some dried Allium schubertii seed heads spray painted red.

The addictive meme, In a Vase on Monday, is hosted by Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.  Click here to join in the fun!

Hughes Water Garden Center

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Meanwhile, back on that May visit to Portland Nurseries with Danger, our next stop after lunch was Hughes Water Gardens.  


This was my first visit to Hughes and I'm so glad we stopped. It was a joy to wander through the large garden which incorporated formal and naturalist water features.

Turn a corner and it seems like you've come upon a stream in the forest. 

Unusual garden art was everywhere. 




Of course, water churned, gurgled, cascaded or simply reflected in a dizzying array of situations. 

This guy's been in the water a little too long or maybe it was just Portland's winter. 


An indoor pond.  Perhaps these are tropical waterlilies?  I remember one of Loree's posts showing Victoria amazonica (Giant Amazon Water Lily) growing in a tropical area.  However the non-water plants look hardy.  Maybe the tropical house wasn't yet open/


So beautiful.  In my next garden I'll have a pond large enough to grow waterlilies!








Hughes also carries non aquatic plants like Hosta 'Vulcan' which was too pretty not to bring home. 

Thanks again, Loree, for suggesting this place; what fun it was!

Wednesday Vignette

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The Northwest Perennial Alliance supplies 8.5" x 11" tasteful but visible open and closed signs  for host gardeners to post outside their gardens.  I was a bit worried that such a sign might get a bit lost in the foliage outside my garden so I came up with something a little more eye catching to lean against the fire hydrant on our corner.  Once again the basement hoard contained a solution.  I don't think anyone had trouble locating the sign.

He's now leaning against the house guarding the hose spigot and scares me every time I come around the corner.

Wednesday Vignette is hosted by my friend, Anna, at Flutter and Hum.  Click here to join in the fun.

The Garden of Bob McNulty and Sheila Walter

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What a privilege it is to visit so many glorious private gardens.  The McNulty/Walter garden is large with winding paths that open to expanses of open lawn bordered by serpentine mixed beds.  The space has a wonderful feeling of enclosure and allows for a sense of discovery.  While it could be intimidating, this garden is as warm and welcoming as the gardeners themselves.

"Our garden gains drama from three towering Douglas firs and a majestic maple that dominate the space. The garden is large and the budget is not, so we've learned to embrace the ordinary by filling up space with old stalwarts like Sedum 'Autumn Joy' and many cultivars of hosta, but keep your eyes peeled for less pedestrian plants such as Cardiocrinum giganteum." (In glorious bloom during my visit.)


Around just about every corner is an area to sit and enjoy the beauty of the garden.






 "our acre" (seems like a lot more than an acre to me!) "contains a little bit of everything; you'll find grassy expanses for games as well as secret paths for exploration.  Over our 30 years here, we've carved out several comfortable entertaining spots, built by Bob with largely salvaged materials."






Say it with me, you know you want to.  There's always an agave if you just look hard enough. (Of course it might also help if you click your heels together and say, "There's no place like the southwest.")

I love seeing the work spaces of other gardeners.

Wow!  Just wow!  My tools are sort of thrown together on a bit of a stand but this is magnificent.

"We all know a garden is never 'done.' since we opened our garden last year, wet snow brought down a large cryptomeria japonica elegans, and a Magnolia grandiflora brew too big fro it's britches and had to go.  More sun - more opportunities.











Admiring this artwork on the wall, I was asked by Bob if I could figure out what it was.  Can you?
 If you guessed that it was a melted hose caddy found on the site of a house fire, you'd be correct.  


Another new space being carved out.

Perhaps I shall revisit this delightful space again in September to check on the progress!  Thank you so much Bob and Sheila for opening your garden for us all to enjoy and for being such gracious hosts!

Freaky Friday - You Don't See That Everyday.

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A couple of months ago, on that little nursery hopping trip to Portland, there was time after the nurseries closed to do a little exploration.  It's always fun to loose oneself in a new area of town, especially because the lady in the phone can always find a way out.  Sometimes, interesting discoveries await like this shiny thing that caught my eye.  Had to pull over and investigate.

Looks like a dragon in the making and catch the cool spheres.   The occupants of the house might be getting a little nervous, especially if this fellow is to be a fire-breathing sort. 

Unfortunately, it was behind the fence of a business that was closed but here's a bit more of what I could see behind the fence. 



This certainly looks like a place worth visiting during open hours!

Turns out, it's the exterior of Delia Furniture.  Do they also sell the cool exterior stuff or is that simply their own garden?   What of the magnificent dragon being built outside; is that a work to be displayed somewhere in the Rose City or simply a pet project/calling card for the business?

May your weekend be filled with unexpected delights!

In A Vase On Monday

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It's been another fun week in the garden, interrupted by attending a two-day class for work that was an hour commute away.  On the bright side, the class was held in proximity to Washington Pottery, a wholesaler of all sorts of outdoor and some indoor pots.  The large warehouse has floor to ceiling shelves of pots which are only available through retailers.  However, pots that aren't perfect or those that are being discontinued are offered to the public at discounts from seventy to ninety percent below retail prices.  It's interesting how a car handles differently when it's weighted down with cargo...

Since my garden open for the Northwest Perennial Alliance last weekend, a few groups have called and set up appointments to visit. See my pal Alison's post here.  It's a good thing as it causes me to sweep up bamboo litter, pick up tools, roll hoses, and get the nearly always present plastic buckets cleared from the paths.  Also, flowers that are flopping into walkways need to be tied back or cut.  Today's vase is a group of blooms that got the latter treatment as a bit of tidying was done on Sunday to prepare for a Monday morning visit.

This fragrant mystery rose mislabeled 'Playboy' glows and is quickly becoming a favorite. 

Last year, I got a few dahlia tubers, started them in pots in the greenhouse, and never planted them in the ground.  The pots sat out all winter and one survived.  Above that is a Regal or Martha Washington Pelargonium.

Begonia  boliviensis dangles over the side while a bit of Polygonatum odoratum and Bracken fern that pops up everywhere in my garden bring in a bit of green.

Not the most thought-out vase I've ever thrown together and the color combination may be a bit jarring to some but the fragrance of the roses and the color clashes will make me smile this week.


What's more, they won't trip today's visitors. 

In A Vase On Monday is hosted by Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.  Click here to see what others have tossed in containers to enjoy this week.

Pot Addiction and A Look Around the Greenhouse

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It's August first.  Heavy sigh.  While summer is still in full swing and autumn won't arrive until late September, the passing of July is a bit of a turning point for me.  August is the month when I plan the entire choral year for my Sunday job and the month when meetings and preparation for the school year begin.  Soon working six days a week and some evenings will resume and garden tasks, which were leisurely done between frequent breaks, will once again be hurriedly sandwiched in between work hours. Comparing three months to a weekend,  June is like Friday night,  a couple of weeks off and what seems like an endless amount of time stretching out before you; July is like Saturday, leisurely with no hurry to do a whole lot;  August is like Sunday - Still a few hours (a couple of weeks) before work starts but Monday is definitely near.  While the natural world sings of high summer, I mentally begin the metamorphosis from silly singing Grasshopper to industrious, work-minded ant.

Yesterday, I mentioned my visit to Washington Pottery, and previously shared that my friend and neighbor Sandy had given me her pots.  In addition, Alison recently passed on a couple of pots that didn't work in her garden.  Some of you wanted to see the haul and where they could possibly fit so here we go...

First, the pots from Alison were two large brown dragon-themed pots.

One is on top of a rotting stump and holds a rotating variety of plants awaiting permanent homes.

The larger of the two is the new home of the big brugmansia in the greenhouse. Much nicer than the old plastic pot.  Re potting this was a two-person operation.

Pots from Sandy:


I had the large and small purple pots already.  Sandy's middle-sized pot made this a nice trio.

There are actually more pots than can be seen in this picture but they're hiding behind plants right now.

Not currently used  to best appreciate the shape of the pot.

Tall blue hexagon is now home to Sinopanax formosanus.

From Washington Pottery:

Two gold pots flank the back gate which finally got painted.

Got a couple of these.

For some reason, two seemed to be the number of the day and two of these popped into my cart as well.

 Mostly, I got terra cotta pots as they're always useful. Three which had no price tag on them were thrown in free!


At  50 cents, I would have bought more of these if they had them!  Alas, only two. 

Another lovely pot, complete with Aeonium 'Kiwi' and a cool bead ornament appeared in the greenhouse on the day of my garden open.  A special gift from my pal Chavliness.  Love it!

Since we're in the greenhouse, let's take a look around.  I was never really fond of cacti six years ago. A few soft succulents, maybe but certainly nothing with spines, but their beauty and variety has me hooked. The fact that they like to be ignored during the winter is a bonus. 

The arid side is looking a bit crowded but will be even more so this winter.  Some of these may come inside the house.


Oh, there's another new pot from Washington Pottery up there in the rafters holding what I think is Selenicereus anthonyanus (assorted succulents.)

The view to the left that you've seen in previous greenhouse posts. 

It seems like there are still a lot of plants in here.  They're just more spread out than they will be during the winter.



The wall of green to the left is the tomato plants which will be gone by the time the fall migration happens.





Few people see this  Colocasia that's sort of stuffed back in a corner.  The idea a couple of years ago, was to start it here and relocate it outside for the summer.  Poor thing never got moved outside but seems perfectly happy growing here.



Back out to the pot ghetto.  My blogging pal Linda just posted  some photos of my garden here.  It's always interesting to see our gardens through someone else's lens. 
Happy August everyone! 
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