Author Archives: Denise
Euphorbia ‘Copton Ash’ in early June
I really like this bit of planting, and a lot of that has to do with the contributions of Euphorbia ‘Copton Ash,’ the dark eucomis, and the tawny leaves of the Arctostaphylos pajaroensis hybrid. The flowers of Euphorbia ‘Miner’s Merlot,’ … Continue reading
Posted in journal, Oregon garden, plant nurseries, Plant Portraits
9 Comments
soaking up the farm life at The Apple Farm
When Sally Schmitt sold her ground-breaking, farm-to-table restaurant The French Laundry to Thomas Keller in 1994, she and her husband Don left Yountville and Napa County for an apple farm in Mendocino County. Sally passed away in 2022, one of … Continue reading
Posted in edibles, garden travel, MB Maher, photography
4 Comments
Euphorbia ceratocarpa at Cistus Nursery
An HPSO open garden visit on Sunday took me about 20 minutes from Cistus Nursery on Sauvie Island, so I popped in to check on some plants I’ve been eyeing in their catalogue. After parking I wandered into the private … Continue reading
Posted in garden visit, Oregon garden, plant nurseries, Plant Portraits
5 Comments
scenes from May
A few images from local nurseries and garden tours, courtesy of that incredible team, gardeners and the month of May. Every May this perfectly proportionate, quietly elegant iroid lures me in for close inspection. The Tasmanian Flag Iris, Diplarrena latifolia, … Continue reading
Posted in driveby gardens, garden visit, Plant Portraits
6 Comments
Bloom Day May 2026
It’s not ideal using the phone camera, but it handles the light much better than I can manage on overcast rainy days like today, the 15th of May, aka Bloom Day. This lively orange number is Geum ‘Queen of Orange.’ … Continue reading
Posted in Bloom Day, Oregon garden
11 Comments
Dirty Diggers plant sale (describing a beschorneria in bloom)
The beschorneria in bloom is a bit of an attention hog. Stepping outside, it’s the first thing that grabs my attention; the wonder of it, the unlikely circumstance of it forming a bloom over winter. I check over and over … Continue reading
Posted in agaves, woody lilies, Oregon garden, plant sales, succulents
8 Comments
Wonder Garden, Manzanita OR May 2026
The Wonder Garden is a volunteer-driven, horticultural branch of the Hoffman Center for the Arts in Manzanita, Oregon. Since I’ve been volunteering the past several years, the Wonder Garden seems to evolve effortlessly from strength to strength. But having participated … Continue reading
Posted in garden visit, Oregon garden
6 Comments
the old cedar
Even as a part-time local, it took me a couple passes to find the tight entrance off 101 to the Cedar Wetlands Nature Preserve just outside Rockaway Beach. (I think there’s a small sign if you’re heading south on 101; … Continue reading
Posted in garden travel, plant crushes
5 Comments
Presidio Tunnel Tops
I first heard of what has come to be known as the Presidio Tunnel Tops in 2015, when visiting landscape architect Rania Reyes mentioned her involvement in a new Presidio Parklands Project in San Francisco. Rania was being given a … Continue reading
Posted in design, garden travel, garden visit, MB Maher, succulents
9 Comments
some April PDX gardens
(“Oregon Route 6, known as the Wilson River Highway, is a scenic but treacherous 52-mile route connecting Tillamook (U.S. 101) to the Portland metro area (U.S. 26) through the Tillamook State Forest. Completed in 1941, this critical coastal artery is notorious … Continue reading
Posted in garden visit
8 Comments