Monthly Archives: August 2026

last weekend of August garden touring

Posted on August 31, 2026 by Denise

I attended a couple HPSO Open Garden tours last weekend, one close to home in Manzanita on Sunday, and the other on Saturday about 60 miles east. From the first garden visit on Saturday I took home only plants, no … Continue reading →

Posted in garden visit, journal, Oregon garden, pots and containers | 5 Comments

clippings 8/23/26

Posted on August 23, 2026 by Denise

I checked out the local dahlia grower’s fields yesterday, but it’s still very early for much of a show. In local gardens around town, dahlias left in the ground have been up and blooming for a couple months. The grower … Continue reading →

Posted in clippings, cut flowers, journal, Oregon garden | 5 Comments

the view mid-August

Posted on August 18, 2026 by Denise

Here’s the view of the Oregon Coast back garden through the sliding doors, a view I look at a lot. Like both my gardens, it’s small and densely planted. It’s still exciting to throw back the curtains every morning and … Continue reading →

Posted in journal, Oregon garden | 6 Comments

more San Francisco Botanical Garden in July

Posted on August 7, 2026 by Denise

It’s Friday. We’ve been up to our eyeballs in weird all week. How about a walk through the San Francisco Botanical Garden? At the southern entrance was a searing melange of annuals that was repeated beyond the gates throughout the … Continue reading →

Posted in garden travel, garden visit | 5 Comments

crocosmias and smoky skies

Posted on August 4, 2026 by Denise

Crocosmias bring a freshness to August, particularly in the early bud stages when the whole plant embodies something plump and juicy. Looking at them gives me a craving for nectarines. But we’ve all seen them at their worst, in overgrown, … Continue reading →

Posted in climate, Oregon garden, Plant Portraits | 5 Comments

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