Be the one who says no (and my trip to Hortlandia)

I intended today's post to be about the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon's spring plant sale, Hortlandia, which took place last weekend. I'll give a recap of that event below, but first I want to write about something else. 

It's been all plants all the time here since last November 6th, when I "paused" to share my pre-election anxiety and then ask, WTF? The continued plant focus hasn't been because I'm unaware of the horrible acts this President and his cadre of loyal followers are committing, but because I know those of us who care deeply also need to tend to our mental health. Plants, gardens, and nature are key in that for me, and if you're reading probably for you too. However there's something I want to share. 

When I flew out of Portland recently (headed to Sacramento and the Bay Area Garden Extravaganza) I noticed the now ubiquitous sign at the airport's TSA security checkpoint notifying fliers of their right to opt out of the facial recognition software. While the software is promoted as a quick and easy way to verify identity prior to boarding an airplane (don't get me wrong, airport security is very important), there are those who've raised concerns, chief among them that facial recognition software creates the potential for mass surveillance, which could restrict individual freedom (there is also a strong potential for racial bias). While I was mulling over whether or not to comply—would it really matter? I've participated the last few times I've flown, I didn't want to cause any delays and inconvenience the people behind me in line—the person two in front of me stated she wanted to opt out, and then so did her companion. Emboldened by their choice, and the fact the TSA agent wasn't slowed down, I too opted out, as did the person behind me, and the next, and the next, and the next. I eventually stopped paying attention and hurried on to the line for luggage scanning, but I can't stop thinking about how that one person saying no made it so much easier for the rest of us to say no. 

Be the one who says no.

Will Cory Booker's record setting 25-hour speech on the senate floor change anything? Not by itself. But what he did makes it easier for the next legislator to stand up and say "no, what is happening is wrong," and then the one after that, and the one after that. Another wildly successful moment was last weekend's huge Hands Off! protest. The people are unhappy, we are not okay with what's happening to our country, and the people said NO!.

Be the one who says no. Maybe it will be just a small thing, maybe it will be a small thing that turns into a big thing and protects someone in a vulnerable situation. Taking care of each other makes all the difference right now. On my flight home I opted out as well. I didn't stick around to hear what happened behind me, but the person who had gone before me turned around and asked what opting out entailed. We had a good conversation.

—   —   —

On to Hortlandia! I signed up to volunteer for load-in and set-up on Friday afternoon, that meant I got to check in nurseries when they arrived, and point them to their space on the floor (below, Secret Garden Growers).

Watching them all hustle I couldn't help but think (again) about how hard nursery people work. They loaded up the plants to bring them to the show, drove for miles, unloaded the plants, set up their booths and then were all smiles at 5pm when the shoppers were allowed in. That's 3 hours of answering questions and processing payments after already working a full day of physical labor (on cement floors!). Then, they were back the next morning before 9am to work another day and then break it down and load out (below, Out in the Garden Nursery) 

Little Prince plants, color!

Molly and her Rancho Cacto put together a great display...

I hope lots of people bought a bean fern! I really wanted to grab another, but I'm on a budget and didn't "need" another one.

Pyrrosia lingua 'Cristata'

Dan Hinkley (Windcliff) drove all the way down from Indianola, WA, for the event.

Speaking of things I wanted to buy, he brought some fine looking Pleopeltis lepidopteris 'Morro dos Conventos' ($45, too rich for me).

The Sebright Gardens booth is a treasure hunt. 

Rather than grouping like items together, they mix it all up and you have to look at every single plant to make sure you're not missing anything. I found a sweet fern in the mix... (more info below).

The deal of the show was at Rita Lee's booth.

This large Aloe erinacea was going for just $23! I tried to sell it to a couple of friends (yes I wanted it, but I already have one about this same size [which I paid more for!] and didn't "need" another) but I have no idea who ended up with it, it was gone quickly.

Love the blooms on their Rebutia albiflora.

I'm trying to be better about remembering to take people photos. On the left and sporting a fabulous dandelion shirt (does that make him a dandy?) is none other than Jerry Weiland, on the right, Theo Margelony not wearing a fuchsia shirt but looking happy to be there.

Jerry even shared his coordinated socks!

Ann Amato and Jason Chen were also smiles...

I was happy to see a choice Rhododendron stenopetalum 'Linearifolium' on offer, such a good plant.

I scanned the small plant offerings at the Illahe booth twice and still managed to miss their Pellaea atropurpurea, but Ann went home with a pair (at least a friend got them).

So here's my small but spectacular haul, just 4 plants!

The fern came from Sebright, the colorful fronds were poking through the surrounding plants and so I had to dig to see what they belonged to...

Parablechnum wattsii, aka Blechnum wattsii, aka hard water fern.

From the Cistus booth I grabbed a small Lupinus albifrons, aka silver lupine. This plant is tricky, but I'm hoping it will live for at least a season, maybe even two.

The Windsciff booth is where I found this Paris thibetica, "One of the most garden worthy of all Paris species, this with elegant whorls of narrow foliage atop 15" stems above which rise richly understated flowers of green sepals and golden thread-like petals. Quick to establish and multiply in woodland conditions. From Yunnan, 1996."

Here's one a little further along opening up, and click here to see a great photo on the Far Reaches Farm website.

Last summer when the Fling visited Windcliff I bought a couple Pseudopanax crassifolius, but not a P. ferox. Since there were so many to chose from here (and only $7!) I went ahead and got one (photo credit to Mary DeNoyer who let me use her photo since I neglected to snap one).

This small pot had three seedlings in it, how could I say no?

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All material © 2009-2025 by Loree L Bohl. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

Jim Bishop's glorious San Diego garden

The one private garden I managed to visit during our January trip to San Diego was that of Jim Bishop and his partner Scott Borden. I was briefly on the Pacific Horticulture board of directors with Scott, but hadn't met Jim until he attended the Puget Sound Fling last summer. Jim blogs at My Life With Plants.

I pulled up in front of their home as the sun was hitting the plants and setting everything a glow.

Jim did his best to pull me along (aware the light was going to fade further into the garden), but I managed to snap a few photos as we went. Honestly I would have been thrilled if this was all I saw, but there was oh so much more to see...

What a striking dyckia!

Mangave some-somebody

Agave victoriae-reginae, grown from seed!

We're on the other side of the front wall now (the wall shown in the top photo), in a sweet courtyard space. Jim and Scott's home dates to the 1930's and sits atop hillside in the Mission Hills neighborhood of San Diego.

So many tillandsia!

Here we've walked thru the home and are looking down on the fist part of the garden, a terrace off the back of the house.

Standing on that terrace now...

And admiring a fabulous selection of potted agaves and other succulents.

Jim is the plant person behind the garden, and his plant passions are wide and varied. That said, he has a handsome collection of bromeliads and agaves that had me swooning!

So nice of this epiphyllum to bloom during my visit.

Ditto for this leucadendron, perhaps L. gandogeri?

If you've not toured or read about Jim's garden (Gerhard did a fabulous write-up) the most important things for you to know are:

1. It is on a very steep hillside, according to Gerhard's post the garden drops 100 feet (the equivalent of 10 stories) from the home level to the bottom of the garden. 
2. None of what you'll see in this post was here when Jim and Scott bought the property in the late 1990's. No desirable plants, no irrigation. There was however plenty of overgrown vegetation and junk to haul away.
3. All the steps and creative hardscaping was done by Jim with help from Scott and a few friends, it's all very impressive!

Let's go! (I'm going to keep the comments to a minimum so you can just soak up the beauty)

Agave attenuata 'Ray of Light'

Since I was there in January most of the aloes were in bloom. Jim knew the names of the plants (not just the aloes) and shared them with me as we toured. Since we cannot grow aloes in Portland (with just a couple exceptions) I know very little about them, and the names did not stick. Of course that didn't keep me from appreciating them.

THIS! Wowsa. Grevillea ‘Austraflora Fanfare’ looking fantastic (even though my photo is blurry).

Bottles and pebbles and terracotta tiles, everything is fair game in Jim's hardscaping artistry.

Hakea laurina

Colorful garden art from repurposed and painted chain-link fence parts.

We've made it down to the bottom of the garden now. As you'll see in the next few images the plants at the bottom of the garden are magic when backlit by the sun, but the show is over quickly, especially in January. Banksia...

Protea

This is the best I did at getting a shot of the entire hillside, it doesn't really convey the drop from top to bottom.

The plants, the hardscape... it was hard to know what to focus on!

Agave bracteosa 'Monterrey Frost'

Aloidendron 'Hercules', given pride of place.

Climbing back up the hillside...

And we're almost back up at house level.

Solandra maxima - Cup of Gold vine

And another tile fountain...

After saying goodbye to Jim and Scott I went to pick up Andrew at a nearby bookstore, the poor guy didn't know what hit him. I was high on garden beauty endorphins! Thanks for spending your afternoon touring me around your garden Jim, what a paradise!

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All material © 2009-2025 by Loree L Bohl. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.