Author Archives: Denise

Bloom Day August 2014

Posted on August 15, 2014 by Denise

August? Come in, August. Ground control to August? August: Um, we’re in a bit of a holding pattern here. Over. Repetition seems to be a hallmark of my summer Bloom Day posts. It’s been the usual suspects all summer. Still, … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, Bloom Day, pots and containers | Tagged Agapanthus 'Gold Srike', Agapanthus 'Storm Cloud', Agave geminiflora, Anigozanthos, Crithmum maritimum, Euphorbia marginata, Gaura lindheimeri, Gomphrena 'Fireworks', Lemon Grass Cymbopogon citratus, Rudbeckia triloba, Seseli gummiferum, Tagetes 'Cinnabar' | 12 Comments

A Visual Compendium of Succulents

Posted on August 12, 2014 by Denise

This chart has been making the rounds on Pinterest. I’m not too sure of it’s infallibility as a reference since Sedum morganianum, the Burrito/Donkey Tail is listed as Sedum burrito. Sedum morganianum famously deployed as jellyfish at Lotusland. But it … Continue reading →

Posted in succulents | Tagged Lotusland, Sedum morganianum | 6 Comments

meeting plants in person for the first time

Posted on August 11, 2014 by Denise

By now you’re probably wondering will this blog ever stop dining out on the Portland garden bloggers meetup. Just one more for now on the plants that really had my number. Which is undeniably an odd number, but the heart … Continue reading →

Posted in garden travel, garden visit, plant nurseries, Plant Portraits | Tagged Acacia covenyi, Acanthus sennii, Achnatherum calamagrostis 'Silver Spike'', Aechmea recurvata, Aeonium 'Zwartkop', Asphodeline lutea, Berkheya purpurea, Bupleurum spinosum, Cirsium occidentale, Cistus Nursery, Crambe maritima, Dancing Oaks Nursery, Eryngium maritimum, Garden Bloggers Fling 2014 Portland, hardy scheffleras, McMenamins Kennedy School, Potentilla calabra, Potentilla gelida, Potentilla hippiana | 23 Comments

got flowers?

Posted on August 6, 2014 by Denise

Some photos of Portland, Oregon gardens visited mid July that welcome flowers to varying degrees. Procreation is messy (to paraphrase a former secretary of defense), and zero emphasis on flowers and their disheveled aftermath is the answer for some gardens. … Continue reading →

Posted in design, garden travel, garden visit | Tagged 2014 Portland Garden Bloggers Fling, Blue Grama Grass, Bouteloua gracilis, flower gardens, July garden, Pomarius Nursery, Rhone Street Gardens | 9 Comments

It happened one night; August rain

Posted on August 4, 2014 by Denise

I bought my first water plant Saturday, and it rained all that night. Not a downpour, but a steady drizzle. I’m not saying there’s any causal link between the two, just that they’re both rare events that happened to coincide … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, Occasional Daily Weather Report, plant nurseries, Plant Portraits, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged Agave 'Mr. Ripple', Aloe 'Hercules', August garden, dark-leaved plants, east side of garden, Echeveria multicaulis 'Copper Roses', Garden Bloggers Fling 2014 Portland, International Garden Center & Floral Design, Mina lobata, Olea europaea 'Little Ollie', Pennisetum purpureum 'Princess Caroline', Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Silver Sheen', Potted For Outdoor Living, Pseuderanthemum atropurpureum 'Black Varnish', rhipsalis, Sagittaria lancifolia 'Ruminoides', Salvia guaranitica, Sticks on Fired/Euphorbia tirucalli, water gardens | 15 Comments

back on the home front

Posted on July 30, 2014 by Denise

It’s finally happening. Miraculously, after a couple close calls resulting in an almost fatal wilt, Musschia wollastonii has survived and begun to hoist up that much-anticipated chartreuse candelabra of blooms. The Madeira Giant Bellflower must be an unforgettable sight in … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, clippings, garden travel, journal, plant nurseries, Plant Portraits, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged Aeonium 'Zwartkop', Agapanthus 'Gold Strike', Agave 'Tradewinds', Agave attenuata 'Boutin's Blue', Aristolochia fimbriata, Australian Native Plants, Calamintha nepeta 'Gottlieb Friedkund., Carex trifida 'Rekohu Sunrise, Cistus Nursery, Corokia virgata 'Sunsplash', Crambe maritima, Crassula pruinosa, Cupressus macrocarpa 'Citriodora', Cussonia gamtoosensis, Dan Hinkley, Digging Dog Nursery, Emilia javanica 'Irish Poet', Eryngium padanifolium, Eucalyptus 'Moon Lagoon', Euphorbia ammak, Far Reaches Farm, Gaillardia 'Oranges & Lemons', Garden Bloggers Fling 2014 Portland, Hayefield Seeds, Hibiscus trionum, Jo O'Connell, Leucadendron 'Ebony', Lotus jacobaeus, Mirabilis jalapa 'Limelight', Musschia wollastonii, Nan Onda, Olearia virgata v. lineata 'Dartonii, Pennisetum 'Sky Rocket', Prostranthera ovalifolia 'Variegata, Pseudobombax ellipticum, San Marcos Growers, Tagetes 'Cinnabar', Variegated Tataki Grass, Windcliff | 14 Comments

contain your enthusiasm

Posted on July 28, 2014 by Denise

Creating a small, plant-rich garden in zone 8 can be a brutal business. Faced with so many tempting choices in such an agreeable climate, a small garden runs the danger of sinking into visual chaos. Wielding the power of refusal, … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, design, garden ornament, garden travel, garden visit, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged Danger Garden, JJ Sousa Digs Inside and Out, Loree Bohl | 16 Comments

Saturday clippings 7/26/14

Posted on July 26, 2014 by Denise

Melocactus matanzanus The Orange County Cactus & Succulent Society sale is this weekend, where the buzz and gossip amongst the sales tables might very likely entice you into bringing home your first melocactus. It’s possible that the recent visit to … Continue reading →

Posted in clippings, plant nurseries, Plant Portraits, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged bromeliads, Danger Garden Favorite Plants, Dyckia 'Naked Lady', Eulophia petersii, Huntington Botanical Gardens, Huntington Desert Garden Conservatory, Melocactus matanzanus, Orange County Cactus and Succulent Society, Pachypodium namanquanum, Rainforest Flora, Solana Succulents Nursery, William Hertrich, Yucca aloifolia 'Purpurea' | 6 Comments

garden chairs

Posted on July 23, 2014 by Denise

“A chair is a very difficult object. A skyscraper is almost easier. That is why Chippendale is famous.” – Ludwig Mies van der Rohe Continuing my monomaniacal, object-specific tour of Portland gardens, which brings us around to chairs. Because I’ve … Continue reading →

Posted in design, garden ornament, garden travel, garden visit | Tagged 2014 Portland Garden Bloggers Fling, Bella Madrona, garden chairs, JJ Sousa Digs Inside and Out, Oregon, Pomarius Nursery, Portland, sarracenia, Stipa gigantea, Westwind Farm Studio | 12 Comments

Portland Pots It Up

Posted on July 21, 2014 by Denise

There’s so many reasons for plants to spend some or even all of their lives in containers. Aside from the practical reasons — fine-tuning sunlight, better drainage, more moisture, less moisture, special soil mixes, protection from chewing and digging creatures, … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, design, garden ornament, garden travel, garden visit, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged Aloe plicatilis, Begonia boliviensis, Bella Madrona gardens, Cistus Nursery, Ernst/Fuller Gardens, Euphorbia ammak, garden designer Laura Crockett, garden designer Sean Hogan, Gomphrena 'Pink Zazzle', JJ Sousa Digs Inside and Out, John Kuzma's garden, Joy Creek Nursery, Oregon, Pomarius Nursery, Portland, Potted For Outdoor Living, Westwind Farm Studio | 12 Comments