Author Archives: Denise

the pond and creek at Dairy Creek Meadows

Posted on June 23, 2026 by Denise

Dairy Creek Meadows was one of two gardens I visited last weekend under the HPSO Open Gardens program. Both were familiar to me, one because I had visited it a few years back (the Courtneys’ garden), the other because I … Continue reading →

Posted in garden visit, Oregon garden | 5 Comments

scenes from the garden June 19, 2026

Posted on June 19, 2026 by Denise

These photos were taken over the past few days. More things are coming into bloom like thalictrum, sanguisorba and dierama, but I’ll catch up with them later. The ground is pretty well covered, and shifting plants around will be minimal … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, Bloom Day, Oregon garden | 8 Comments

revisiting Old Germantown Gardens Portland OR

Posted on June 11, 2026 by Denise

I visited this garden in 2014 with a group of garden bloggers and didn’t really absorb much of the back story of its creation. Visiting again this May, my knees aching after lengthy explorations along its sloping paths, I researched … Continue reading →

Posted in garden visit, Oregon garden | 8 Comments

on the dark side with Dianthus barbatus ‘Sooty’

Posted on June 7, 2026 by Denise

Small seedlings of the biennial Dianthus barbatus ‘Sooty’ were planted out last fall, and I’m happy to report it really lives up to its name. When the garden was new I used a lot of Dianthus barbatus ‘Oeschberg,’ a bright … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 8 Comments

Euphorbia ‘Copton Ash’ in early June

Posted on June 4, 2026 by Denise

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

Posted on June 2, 2026 by Denise

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

Posted on May 26, 2026 by Denise

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

Posted on May 22, 2026 by Denise

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

Posted on May 15, 2026 by Denise

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)

Posted on May 11, 2026 by Denise

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