The Ray Garden, during Study Weekend

The next Study Weekend open garden I visited belongs to Erin and Brian Ray, they call it The Green Room. The pavers in the hellstrip aren't new, they were here when I visited in 2019, but the plantings are. Not that you needed me to point that out, they definitely have that “just planted” size and tidiness, don’t they? I like the random, yet geometric, placement.

From the garden description: “Our garden has been evolving for almost 30 years. Initially our efforts involved addressing years of deferred maintenance. Eventually the changes became focused on creating beautiful spaces to enjoy ourselves and to entertain friends...

Our 50 x 100 foot lot has large elevation changes in front and back. Over the years we’ve added a boulder wall in the front, with many Mediterranean and drought-tolerant plants…”

A wider view, the lady on the left is starting up the staircase to the house level…

The driveway is bordered on both sides by a rock wall planted up with sempervivum. Here you can see the staircase. I meant to ask Erin if they have access to their home from inside the garage. I hope so, carrying groceries up those stairs in the rain would not be fun.

At the top of the stairs.

The patio in front of the house. What a great place to watch the world go by.

The patio-side plantings…

And containers on the patio.

The gate to the back garden on the west side of the house. I wanted to take a shot further back on this pathway but there were so many people! If you’re curious you should click over to my 2019 visit for more photos.

Walking in, beyond the gate. The wall of green on the right really helps to break up would could have just been a bare wooden fence (that’s behind the green).

The wider view. I love how the garden hugs the patio.

Looking up to the pergola in the corner.

A reminder, the Study Weekend event took place in June, as our summer heat was just getting started. I’m sure that banana was much larger before the summer was over.

Looking down on the patio.

I love this panel, a perfect mix with the Passiflora.

The corner pergola, I can’t believe I managed a shot with out people!

Back down on the patio level (the table is behind me).

Now I’m standing on the neighbor’s property looking back towards the Ray’s (you can see their staircase). To get here I walked out along the east side of the house. On my previous visit I wasn't able to do so, there was a sort of workspace on the east side and the gate was closed. I suspect Erin (who is a garden designer) was responsible for redoing the neighbor’s front yard and thus it was a twofer with her own garden for the tour.

Beefy planters at the front of the house…

Camille Paulsen got the pulled back shot I wasn't patient enough to wait for, thanks for letting me use this one Camille...

It’s all so civilized! 

The neighbor’s hellstrip.

And looking up at a newly planted area from the public sidewalk.

This is the end of the Friday open gardens. Thankfully I still have a full weekend of gardens and a bonus Monday garden to share!

The Bit at the End

I am using this Bit at the End to honor Renee Nicole Good, the woman murdered by ICE in Minneapolis on January 7th. Quoting from Literary Hub: The bio from a now-private Instagram account belonging to Good describes her as a “Poet and writer and wife and mom and shitty guitar strummer from Colorado; experiencing Minneapolis, MN.” In 2020, when she went by Renée Nicole Macklin, she won the prestigious Academy of American Poets Prize for a poem called “On Learning to Dissect Fetal Pigs.” Read the complete Lit Hub piece here, read the complete poem here. I will not link to any the many videos of the shooting that are circulating, but if you haven't seen it you owe it to Ms. Good to watch so you can see for yourself exactly what happened, with your own eyes. 

As I write, there is news of another shooting, this time involving two people, by Federal Agents here in Portland on the afternoon of the 8th, the details are still being fleshed out. Please be safe out there.

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Another Study Weekend garden, Davis McCoy

After visiting the North Portland gardens of Eastman/Griffin, Ferrante, and Wynton/Pajunas, I was off to the open gardens in SE Portland, all part of the first day of the 2025 HPSO Study Weekend. First up was the Davis/McCoy garden.

This planting, which sort of riffs on the grass meandering up the side of the driveway (photo above), was in the hellstrip.

From the garden description: "This small urban garden has a big personality. Started in 2015, change is its spirit and companion. The garden is designed with perennial plants based on the colors of their blooms and leaves, as well as plant textures..."

Up closer to the house, steel-sided vegetable planters.

And homemade vertical planting towers.

This work area was at the end of the driveway, hidden from the front yard by a short wood dividing wall.

More from the event booklet: "Access to the backyard is via a driveway lined with potted trees leading to an arbor covered with hardy kiwi. The entrance to the backyard is a small bluestone patio with a pebble mosaic, overshadowed by a tall trellis filled with clematis that obscures a larger bluestone patio. A curved stone stairway leads to the larger patio and features a sculpture by Ivan McLean at the top. A huge blue spruce dominates the backyard and treats itself to most of the soil moisture, so many plants live in multi-colored ceramic pots arranged around the patio. A large Yucca rostrata joins a few other plants and small trees that are happy in the dry soil. Around a corner is a custom-designed “wiggly” path with mountain laurel and Tetrapanax with ceramic pots along the side."

Perhaps that is the Ivan McLean sculpture? Not being one for garden art, the name didn't mean anything to me. 

I do know that's the Yucca rostrata.

There was also a large fountain squeezed into the mix. There was a lot going on in a very small space, it felt a little chaotic.

The wiggly path, with my feet for scale.

Again, a lot happening in a small space. I love every single one of these hardscape materials, but really would have liked to see them each given their own moment to shine, rather than butted up against each other. 

Then again, I was at Portland's Japanese garden the other day and noticed a mash-up of a similar quantity and type of materials, so maybe I'm one who just craves calm. 

Coniogramme emeiensis 'Golden Zebra'? Or Coniogramme japonica 'Variegata'?

I'm not smart enough to know how to tell the difference, but I do know these specimens were grown well, whichever they are.

Nope. Don't even think about it! (a kinda sorta pathway that was a little bit tempting)

And back down streetside to admire more of the hellstrip plantings.

The Bit at the End

While I wasn't familiar with the name of the artist referenced by the Davis/McCoy's (Ivan McLean), the name Ruth Asawa is one I immediately know and appreciate. I can't remember what led me to this April 2025 story from the NYT, but it's a good one. Here it is as a gift article if you're curious; Ruth Asawa’s Astonishing Universe Began at Her Door.

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All material © 2009-2026 by Loree L Bohl. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.