Author Archives: Denise

revisiting the Courtney garden June 2026

Posted on August 2, 2026 by Denise

I first visited Mary and Harlan Courtney’s garden in late July 2022 and wrote about it here. It is a strikingly unique, materials-driven, artfully idiosyncratic approach to managing a slope, where the retaining infrastructure designed by Harlan is as prominent … Continue reading →

Posted in garden visit, Oregon garden | 8 Comments

mid-summer miscellany

Posted on July 29, 2026 by Denise

By the end of July the garden is definitely over the top. A surging, buzzing, no-holds-barred spectacle I’ve been looking forward to since spring. Even Alstroemeria ‘Third Harmonic’ can barely keep up. The Silver Spike grass, Achnatherum calamagrostis, seems to … Continue reading →

Posted in journal, Oregon garden | 10 Comments

a garden in the ruins

Posted on July 22, 2026 by Denise

I was in the Bay Area last week catching up with familiar places, and discovering some new ones too. Immediately upon arriving at the southern entrance to the San Francisco Botanical Garden (free admission before 9 a.m.!), I was struck … Continue reading →

Posted in garden visit | 7 Comments

leaving town mid-July for a week

Posted on July 16, 2026 by Denise

That annoying dream. Shop, prep, cook, plate. And just as you’re sitting down to savor the meal, you realize you’ve forgotten about a very important engagement and must leave the feast and dash out the door. Annoying dream or mid-summer … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 6 Comments

seductive Orange Hawkweed

Posted on July 12, 2026 by Denise

Ecological degradation starts innocently enough. On a walk into town, an unexpected jolt of clear orange spotted peripherally doubled me back to the rack of plants always on offer outside the local senior’s center. For sale for $6, and I … Continue reading →

Posted in Department of Instruction, Oregon garden, science | 6 Comments

a city garden’s rare trees

Posted on July 8, 2026 by Denise

On May 30 I visited another fascinating Portland garden through the Open Gardens program of the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon. Sometimes the open gardens are closer to me in the farmland surrounding the city, where they of course tend … Continue reading →

Posted in garden visit, Oregon garden | 6 Comments

when color becomes controversial

Posted on July 6, 2026 by Denise

My compact form of Senecio/Brachyglottis greyi is now shining forth in bloom. And this is after getting frequently trimmed for size to keep it off the manzanita. I love it in the nubby pearly bud stage, which lasts a while, … Continue reading →

Posted in journal, Oregon garden, Plant Portraits | 7 Comments

LA garden July 2026

Posted on July 4, 2026 by Denise

I got an unexpected peek at my Long Beach, Calif. garden courtesy of the watering crew. It does my heart good to see it in fair shape for July, even if a little on the wild side. So many kangaroo … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, Los Angeles garden post 2024, pots and containers, succulents | 10 Comments

more from June

Posted on June 28, 2026 by Denise

Isn’t June great? I’ve decided to hang out with June for as long as possible, so bear with me for yet another post on what’s possibly my favorite month. Looking at other June gardens is a great way to find … Continue reading →

Posted in Bulbs, climate, journal, Oregon garden, plant nurseries, pots and containers, succulents | 7 Comments

scenes from the garden June 25, 2026

Posted on June 25, 2026 by Denise

The only way to keep up with June is weekly reports. Last week the biennial Verbascum phlomoides was in bud, and the four or so planted last fall have started to open this week. I’d forgotten but obviously I got … Continue reading →

Posted in journal, Oregon garden | 7 Comments