danger garden

Friday, September 6, 2024

Christine Weaver's open garden

Christine Weaver's East Portland garden was open in May, on the same day I visited other HPSO open gardens (here). I ran out of time that day, thankfully she opened again in late August and I was sure to be there...

I'd be tempted to grow a vine on that interesting metalwork.

Arctostaphylos at the base.

Spikes on the front porch...

You never really know what you're gonna see when you attend an open garden, but I was getting the feeling there was a kindred spirit at work here.

The garden description from the HPSO website: "Only 12 years old, this garden is maturing into a stay at home oasis. Enter over a bridge that creates the fernery. In August, hardy hibiscus and dahlias dazzle. A shed turned into a summerhouse overlooks the fruits and vegetables. Cacti sentinels guard the roses. Carnivorous plants dot the flowerbeds. The lawn gets mowed once a month to allow lawn daisies and clover to bloom, but not get too messy or need very much water. Pause to swing and take in the whole view. Of course you 'shudda' been here last week, or next week, as it is always changing!"

I really loved the way the pavers around this tree in the front garden create a planting pocket.

There were interesting vignettes everywhere you looked.

And so many opuntia!

The side yard with the bridge over the fernery...

This is always a moment filled with trepidation. What will be around the corner?

It's a good sign though when there are interesting plants and planters at the corner, marking the entrance to the back garden. That's a great looking roscoea.

Up on the fence at eye level was this creative composition...

It took me a few minutes to see it, maybe you did right away? The rusty pliers are baby birds in a barbed wire nest. Page back up and you'll see one of the parents coming in to feed them.

Into the back garden we go...

Nicely pruned edgeworthia (the well-pruned corokia I wrote about on Wednesday is just to it's right)...

There were several tall cholla in containers in this garden, they stay in place year-round.

Lots of sarracenia too.

I love a gardener who can't resist hanging plants from sturdy branches...

Sturdy pipe frame to support floppy plants.

The back fence and edibles in raised planters.

The shed turned summerhouse referenced in the garden description.

I forgot to ask how they keep the racoons out of their water bowls.

Wowsa!

Opuntia wrightii

I love that elevated mossy, sedumy, goodness...

I think I'd need to add more plants though.

Even the storage is decorative in this garden!

Another pipe frame, this one strung for growing vines, or sweet peas? Or?

Super narrow shade structure...

That's just perfect for a wooden swing.

I'll close out with a few wide shots. This looking to the back of the garden with the shed and raised veggie and flower planters.

That's an exuberant planting, no empty space...

Did you notice the nice metal details on the corners?

Crumpled seems like the perfect state in which to photograph these dirty grey hibiscus. I love them!

A final shot of the dining table area. What a garden, thank you for opening Christine Weaver!

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Wednesday, September 4, 2024

Scenes from front garden puttering

Early in May I shared photos of a planting I did in a large container next to the front steps, a container that used to hold a Feijoa sellowiana (pineapple guava, it was a winter fatality). The centerpiece of the new planting is a Yucca rostrata that I hope will start to trunk soon—it has grown nicely over the last four months—but what I'm really happy about it how everything else is doing.

The Draba hispanica has bulked up nicely.

I love the small hairs along the leaf margins.

The Armeria maritima 'Rubra' (sea-thrift) has grown a lot too. I hope it colors up again when the weather cools. I'm not as fond of the green blades.

The cactus cuttings I popped in have rooted and the sempervivum have put out a lot of babies.

Speaking of babies, the tetrapanax at the far corner of the front garden near the street continue to send out runners. I've let this one (lower right hand corner) grow, but probably should be pulling it before it gets much larger.

More babies (it's turning into a theme), Mid-June I bought a gallon-pot full of small Agave 'Blue-Glow' and separated them out, tucking them in pots in the front garden.

They've grown a lot!

One even went in the ground. Since 'Blue Glow' isn't reliably winter hardy here who knows what the future holds for them. They've provided a lot of summertime enjoyment whatever happens.

No, this isn't my garden (I do love that trash can planter though)...

These next few photos are from an open garden I recently went to. I'll share more photos of this garden on Friday, but today I want to focus on the Corokia cotoneaster, that sort of dead-looking cloud/shrub.

The owner of this garden, Christine Weaver, has done such a great job of pruning it!

I forget exactly how old she said it was, but it's not young, with those substantial branches.

I came home inspired to get out and clean up some of the lower growth on my corokia. I'd let it become a mass of branching with no structure. Of course dappled sunlight isn't the best for photographing a see-thru shrub but here it is...

Plus there are agave pups under there, pups that would love a little more light and air movement.

After...

Another before...

And after...

What was I thinking hiding those agaves? I may do more pruning in a couple weeks, but I wanted to live with it a bit before I make anymore cuts.

One more entry, a late breaking addition that's not from the front garden, but rather the back. My Epiphyllum oxypetalum bloomed over the weekend! If you've never heard of this jungle cactus it also goes by the name queen of the night, and its blooms only last for a single night. Luckily there's another bud forming on my plant, so I'll hopefully get a second flower sometime soon.