Bella Madrona, again (I couldn't say no)

Last May, 2024, I had the opportunity to visit Bella Madrona—an extraordinary private garden south of Portland—post here. For me Bella Madrona will always be the location where magic happened during the final event of the 2014 Garden Bloggers Fling. Honestly, the Portland Fling planning committee (of which I was a member) could not have picked a better place to wrap up the long weekend.

Since that particular evening figures so large in my memories you might think I'd be hesitant to return, wanting things to stay as they were then. But no. I will always jump at the chance to visit, to see the garden and catch up with it's remaining owner/creator/tender Geoff Beasley in his element.

And that's why I was there again on the afternoon of June 1st.

This visit was planned by my friend Ann Amato (aka the Amateur Bot-Ann-ist) as she's been scheming to expose her fellow horticulture students to a wider expanse of gardens and nurseries, and she invited me to come along. Her group will be touring my garden in July, and I joined them on a previous visit to Cistus Nursery and Rancho Cistus in April. There's Geoff on the left (pug Olive in the background) and Ann on the right, as Geoff was starting the tour.

We have to give proper appreciation to Ann's Metallicat T-shirt.

And more pug-love to Caper and Olive.

I briefly considered abandoning the garden tour to enjoy the pug snuggles.

However the garden won (mainly because I knew there would be more pug snuggles at the end).

We walked, we talked, and I snapped photos...

Aruncus dioicus

This grassy spot has been the location for many a gathering, it was fun to see it unmown this visit.

Some of our group...

I think Geoff said this is Grevillea x ‘Neil Bell’.

Agaves that don't mind our wet winters.

My pug friends. I cannot even begin to describe how much I enjoyed these two. They were just pups during the 2014 Fling, now they're senior citizens.

Well, when I said the event lawn was unmown I was wrong, it was mown with style.

A large garden with chairs scattered throughout is a special place, one where you're invited to stop and enjoy. Soak it up. 

Grevillea 'Poorinda Royal Mantle' (I believe).

This was my 5th visit to Bella Madrona. The garden is widely celebrated for the parties that took place there before I ever stepped foot on the premises—many with Pink Martini performing—but I know it as a quieter place. That doesn't mean I don't feel the energy that came before. It's everywhere, honestly this garden buzzes. That may be a little more "woo woo" than you expect from me, but it's my truth. I feel honored to have been invited back again.

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

Visiting UW Biology Greenhouse (in February)

While in Seattle for the Northwest Flower & Garden Festival last February I finally managed to visit the University of Washington Biology Greenhouse, it did not disappoint.

"For nearly 70 years, the Biology Greenhouse at the University of Washington has played a vital role in research and teaching. Whether focusing on plant-pollinator interactions, paleoclimatology, or other biological questions, our teaching collection has enhanced and inspired UW biological research" (source)

Once inside you face a long hallway, since only a couple of other visitors were there that day it mostly felt like I had the place to myself. 

There were four collection rooms open to tour and a few others that were closed to visitors, naturally I peered thru the windows of those rooms and tried to take photos. The reflections made them mostly worthless. Thankfully the Desert Collection was open...

While research and teaching at the college level is the main use of the space, lots of signage and props were in place to make it fun for young visitors.

There was a nice sized Deuterocohnia brevifolia...

Do you think these flowers might be bat-pollinated?

Astrolepis sinuata, a dry-land fern native from the SW USA to South America.

Hemionitis michelii (Eastern Asia), when I saw this I thought Cheilanthes argentea. They are certainly very similar, I have no idea what the difference might be.

I've seen a couple of these wire shelves in my travels, I want one. It seems like something we (aka Andrew) could make.

Ceropegia ampliata from Madagascar. Common names include bushman's pipe, condom plant, and horny wonder. Good lord.

Their display of Welwitschia mirabilis (SW Africa) was fantastic.

Here's one of those photos I took through the glass looking into forbidden territory.

Yes as a matter of fact I did want to go investigate this area, it was open after all. But I did not. I didn't want to be asked to leave.

Next up, the Cool Tropics...

Encyclia chimborazoensis (South America)

Pyrrosia (P. hastata or polydactyla... specifics for the experts to hash out).

Aglaomorpha coronans (SE Asia).

So many carnivorous plants!

Brocchinia hechtioides from Venezuela.

Nepenthes

I did say carnivorous...

Heliamphora

Pinguicula, aka butterworts

And now, the Tree of Life room, no, I don't know why they call it that but it might have something to do with this concept: "The tree of life, also called a phylogenetic tree, is a graphic tool that biologists use to portray evolutionary relationships among plants, animals and all other forms of life. The tree reveals evolutionary histories: Each "fork in the road," or branching point, indicates a common ancestor splitting into two descendants. And the fewer branching points there are between any two species, the more closely they are related" (source)

Davallia sp. 

This was a surprising photo to come across, Niphidium crassifolium...

Between the time I took these photos and now, I bought one—when I visited the Oregon Orchid Society’s Show and Sale. Yay!

Oh yikes, that's not good (I saw a few mealybugs on the plants in the collections).

I also now have a piece of this plant, a crested form of Pyrrosia longifolia from Java. 

When I visited Stephen and his greenhouse of treasures (here) he sent me home with a cutting which has rooted (!!!). Maybe in five years I'll have three leaves (I have two now).

I loved how they'd mounted these bromeliads on the piece of wood.

And it's not everyday you see moss growing in a bromeliad.

Okay, my last room to visit, the Warm Tropics...

Lecanopteris deparioides, an ant fern native to Malesia and New Guinea.

And my last photo of the day, Bulbophyllum stenobulbon (Sikkim to China)...

This was a super fantastic place visit and I hope to return someday!

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