Yes, I have no Nolina

Once there were three, three Nolina hibernica 'La Siberica' that is. For the last couple of years I've been down to just this one. 

Sometime this spring the lower leaves started turning brown, I finally got in there and cleaned them up, not taking a photo first because I didn't think doing so would be all that remarkable.

But things took a turn when I found this. It was gooey inside. *post publishing note to add that there was a mushy spot and I worked it until it looked like this, the round hole (holes) were my doing*

There was another smaller hole a little further up... well damn. 

What to do? Treat it with something (a fungicide?) and pray? The decision to remove it was made pretty quickly. It seemed doomed, wasn't all that attractive, and I had just returned from Seattle with a couple of good sized ferns that were only (hopefully) going to get bigger and they needed a home. Andrew took pity on my efforts to dig, and had the Nolina out in no time (it had been growing in that spot since 2014). I wish I'd have taken a photo, but I did not.

In with the ferns! I also added a little metal to help visually ground the new plantings in their place and to give them a little better drainage, since they're built up a bit from the surrounding soil.

Hmmm, maybe I should add a smaller fern too? Pyrrosia lingua 'Undulata', there are never enough pyrrosia in this garden.

All planted (and mossed and rocked) up.

In the front (with the blue rocks and pyrrosia) is Dryopteris wallichiana, in the rusty circle at the back, the mystery fern from Eric's garden—which is a mystery no longer. I'd narrowed it down to Dryopteris affinis 'Stableri’ or Dryopteris x complexa 'Stableri’ but long time blog reader Chava had her look-alike identified at a recent Heronswood Garden fern class, the verdict; Dryopteris filix-mas ‘Crispum stableri (the other names are synonyms). Thanks Chava!

Here's a close up of the rusty circle, it has teeth! I think it's a long band saw blade that's coiled into a circle. Danger! (perfect)

Pulled back shot...

The funnel-shaped planter on the left came from the same trip up to Seattle (purchased at Earthwise Salvage). I worked it onto a metal tube I had on hand (from BBC Steel) and planted it up with Lepisorus cf. sect. pseudovittaria MD 15-45 from Far Reaches Farm.

I also reworked the dish planter with the Blechnum brasiliense and Pyrrosia sp. SEH#15113, cramming in the Rhododendron nakaharai ‘Mariko’ I purchased at the Rhododendron Species BG on the mentioned (and linked) Seattle trip. Cramscaping in a dish planter!

I haven't missed the Nolina at all. If I do then I'll just take a quick walk over to McMenamins Kennedy School and admire their mature specimens.

In case you're wondering where in the garden this little make-over took place, right there. At the north end of the patio...

The Bit at the End

Some of you may have heard the reference to the song "Yes! We Have No Bananas" in the title of this post. I knew it as a song from Louis Prima, but evidently it's originally from Frank Silver, published in 1923. Frank Silver explained the origin of the song to Time Magazine: ".....About a year ago my little orchestra was playing at a Long Island hotel. To and from the hotel I would stop at a fruit stand owned by a Greek, who began every sentence with 'Yes'. The jingle of his idiom haunted me and my friend Cohn. Finally I wrote this verse and Cohn fitted it with a tune." (source)

For some reason I kept hearing "Yes! I have no Nolina" while I was working on this project. The mind works in strange ways...

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

Gene Rozenboom and Randy Patton's garden; De Tuin Bij Montmore

I've been out to visit a few HPSO member Open Gardens this summer and this garden, De Tuin Bij Montmore, was one of my first stops. To be honest the description of the garden wasn't one that would normally draw my attention, including as it did phrases like: "The “Dutch Wave” Garden inspired by garden designer Piet Oudolf’s Singer Museum is now complete" and "In addition to the abundant conifer and Japanese maples, a large number of grass species growing in the garden make comparison easy." Not that there's anything wrong with those items, they're just not my thing. So, the reason I chose this garden is that Gene is bringing a group to visit my garden in August and I wanted to meet him and ask him a couple questions. The tour is organized through Horticulture/Garden Gate Magazine and it's being billed as Explore Portland's Most Inspiring Gardens. Ha, no pressure there!

So here's the first photo I took in Gene's garden. While I'm not a fan of red bark mulch in general I appreciated the new vs. old delineating the pathways, otherwise I wouldn't have been sure I was meant to walk up there. The next thing I noticed... the shaggy lollipop conifers!

Aren't they freakishly adorable? 

There are more (different) across the pathway...

I loved the large steel planters and could go crazy out here cutting lilies...

Looking back down at the pathway...

And inspecting the lilies a little closer...

There's part of the dwarf conifer collection...

Walking further along the upper pathway and the well-appointed deck comes into view. Notice the curving cement pathway as it passes by the base of the stairs.

There is a narrow planting of Equisetum hyemale (horsetail) backed by Muehlenbeckia axillaris (wire vine) all along the rock wall there. Wow. I love the combination but I'm afraid to let those plants loose in my garden. Gene said he's not worried since the horsetail is constrained by the wall and cement.

Looking further down the pathway...

At the end, where it turns to join another path to the front door of the home.

Now I've retraced my steps and I'm on the ground level beside the elevated deck. Gene has joined me and is giving a quick overview of the garden. Here he's planted a trio of Taxodium distichum 'Peve Minaret'  (bald cypress). He prunes the one in the middle drastically to get this tall column of bright green foliage. I love the look!

Walking around to the front of the home.

Gene pointed out this Japanese maple, I did appreciate the colorful foliage against the green background. In fact Gene's enthusiasm as he toured me around, pointing out plants I wouldn't have given a second glance (as well as ones he knew I loved), was inspiring. I need to do better with visitors to my garden.

This little conifer had a great mix of blue and green needles.

The "Dutch Wave" garden referenced in the garden's description was planted on newly acquired property next door. It seems these days everyone's expanding their garden on to neighboring property! (I'm looking at you Tracy)

Everyone's planting a Wollemi Pine too! (okay, not really—just the ones in the right place, at the right time, with the right bank balance).

Gene was sure to point out this "danger garden" plant, Rosa sericea ssp. omeiensis f. pteracantha (the wingthorn rose). Oh how I love it! Sadly I had to give it up, as it wanted to be too large for my small garden and it was getting tired of my constantly cutting it back.

These were a surprise, Pycnosorus globosus/Craspedia globosa, aka billy balls. Not reliably hardy in Portland, Gene said they managed just fine through our recent mild winter.

Another favorite, Berkheya purpurea. 

I planted two in my garden a few years ago, both of which the damn bunnies ate almost immediately. One of them eventually grew back, but it's in so much shade now that I only get one flower stalk a season.

I think the tall green stems are rattlesnake master, Eryngium yuccifolium. There were several nice swathes of different eryngium in the garden.

Leonotis ocymifolia or Leonotis leonurus? I'm not sure.

Who cares when you've got those orange blooms?

The house and garden as seen from the former "property next door".

A nice sit-spot...

I covet that chair!

The big planter as well.

A better look up at the deck...

And it's time to go...

The Bit at the End

The garden's name, De Tuin Bij Montmore, translates to The Garden at Montmore. According to the website lastnames.myheritage.com; "Montmore" is a French surname and toponym. It broadly translates to an elevated geographical area or a "mountain." Thanks to a website called Portland's Creative Realtors I learned that "in the Portland, OR area, Montmore is often used to refer to The Sanctuary of Montmore, a famous 1989 mid-century/modern architectural property located in Southwest Portland's tree-lined hills near the Bridlemile neighborhood" if you're curious, here's a listing for that property. Gene and Randy's garden is definitely in SW Portland's tree-lined hills.

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

This roadway improved by sedum and conifers...

Driving around Portland you may encounter a few sections of unimproved roadway. No pavement, no sidewalks, no rhyme or reason as to why the pavement stops, just gravel. There is usually a sign that reads "this roadway unimproved." This garden is on one of those blocks.

I visited the garden at Jeffrey Bale's suggestion. He described it as having an assortment of conifers and at least one of every sedum, that it did! As I walked up I thought the light-colored gravel was a pathway...

But the fact it ended with tall rocks, and appeared to have lights sunk into the gravel at regular intervals, I decided it was a visual break, or maybe a maintenance pathway, rather than a sidewalk substitute. 

Let's look at the modified hellstrip along the paved road first...

Interesting how the plants are inside a wooden frame, giving them a sunken look. It should keep people from trampling over them, plus maybe it will decrease pets using the area as a toilet (both issues I've delt with in my hellstrip).

Cool cones.

I wonder if the rocks are purely decorative, or helping to keep the boards from flopping?

Cornus kousa fruit.

Curious. Multifamily? Why is there a key there?

Okay let's look at the garden proper.

While there are a few other plants this garden really is primarily conifers and sedum. I don't know if I've ever visited a garden with such an on point planting.

Inside the fence...

More cool cones...

So fluffy!

This is one of the nicest unimproved roadways I've encountered. Frequently they include car-swallowing potholes.   

So many sedum!

I really am curious about the tight planting palette, it's almost like a display garden for a nursery that specializes in sedum and conifers.

Oh! This was unexpected, an Agave geminiflora I believe (only hardy to 25-30F... an odd agave choice for our climate).

So densely planted too...

It sort of has the feel of being newly planted, yet patches of things like the delosperma (ice plant) have obviously been bulking up for awhile.

The elephant in the room that I haven't mentioned, the rocks! There's a small fortune here in rocks.

I was tempted to pull on the chain to see what happened. I did not.

What an interesting drive by!

The Bit at the End

A must watch garden video, it's only a little over 6 minutes, and it's so good! The Story of a Garden.

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