Category Archives: garden visit

meeting plants in person for the first time

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

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got flowers?

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

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contain your enthusiasm

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 , , | 16 Comments

garden chairs

“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

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Portland Pots It Up

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

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impressions of Portland gardens (in the zone of filtered sunshine)

Since returning from touring gardens and nurseries in Portland last week, I’ve been haphazardly researching what makes the Pacific Northwest so full of great gardens and nurseries. Not expecting any definitive answer, just scrounging around for clues. Portland’s enviably soft … Continue reading

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notes from the CSSA plant sale at the Huntington June 28-29, 2014

Aloe cameronii from the Cactus & Succulent Society of America show and sale at the Huntington this weekend. An aloe famous for the deep coloring of is leaves, which requires harsh treatment to maintain, full sun and minimal water. I … Continue reading

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, clippings, garden visit, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

summer in Judy Horton’s garden

A couple weekends ago, the Southern California Horticultural Society hosted another “Coffee in the Garden,” and included was a garden that I had been advised not to miss should it come up for tour. (Thank you, Shirley Watts!) For her … Continue reading

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a long weekend (and a local plant sale)

Name me three other words in the English language that can be strung together to produce as exciting an effect as A…Long…Weekend. The pergola table will have to be cleared for weekend breakfasts and dinners. (I never seem to eat … Continue reading

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dishy tillandsias

From a garden on the Los Angeles Garden Conservancy Open Days tour last weekend.

Posted in garden travel, garden visit, Occasional Daily Photo, pots and containers | Tagged , , | 1 Comment