Fun Fungus and other Forest Finds

It had been way to long since I ventured out into the forest, so when Andrew recently suggested a trip to to the Salmon River I was all for it...

After a rainy start to September here in Portland, the month ended up quite dry, less than an inch of rain fell, .93" (average is 1.52"). So add that to a dry summer and I was concerned things would be quite crunchy up on the mountain, thankfully that wasn't the case, it was lush and green. I'd never been to this spot, the South Fork of the Salmon River, our first stop of the day. 

The rocky river bed, the huge boulder with trees growing on it, WOW. Not to bad Oregon!

Lots of moss...

And as you probably guessed from the title of the post, lots of mushrooms too.

And I had to get up close to check out the boulder/tree situation.

No doubt there will be a lot more water running through here in a few weeks.

I photographed this little grouping from one side...

And then the other.

Another "river" view.

This is such a bad photo I probably shouldn't have included it, but there's a little salamander (with a huge head) there in the moss...

More mushrooms...

Then I found a nice a sit-spot on a rock where I watched the water go by and waited for Andrew to finish up fishing this area.

Walking back to the car...

Now we've moved to a new spot, parking by the Salmon River Trail Head, where there were even more fungi.

And salmon! It's only fitting right, since we were on the Salmon River.

I wish I would have captured the one we saw a little later, he was so graceful and so fast.

Mahonia, growing right next to the river.

Of course it's always nice to have a contrast. Out of the mossy shady area into the rocky sunny one...

And there's still moss, just moss of a different sort, with Sedum spathulifolium.

And what I believe is Micranthes rufidula, aka rustyhair saxifrage. It was a great day out in the wilds, and we had so much fun we're doing it again this week!

The Bit at the End

Another post from the Juniper Level Botanic Garden that fits with the fungus theme; Mother Nature or AI?

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

ANLD Garden Tour 2026

For several years my local Blogging peeps and I took part in a preview "press" tour of the annual ANLD (Association of NW Landscape Designers) Garden Tour, it was great fun. Sadly the tour was cancelled in the COVID era and didn't make a reappearance in the following years, that is until this year!

It was a small tour, and primarily for design students, but it was a beginning of what I hope will again become an annual tradition and grow with each year. This was the first stop, the work of Hilary Hutler Landscape Design.

This home in SE Portland lacks a back garden, so they asked Hilary to create a front garden with an outdoor living space...

Since the tour was done with design students in mind, each garden was hosted by the designer who had had planting plans and drawings available. Here's a photo of Hilary's laptop showing the plantings, flowers were important for the homeowner.

The homeowner also requested this Ligularia, which I can't help but think of as the tractor seat Ligularia...

Here's a shot of the side garden which shows the tiny bit of land behind the house. 

This lot layout is seen quite frequently here in Portland. Back when we were house hunting (in late 2004, early 2005) I was so frustrated by the fact ranch-style homes were often on a lot with no back garden. Something I just could not be happy with.

Side garden detail.

While touring this first garden I overheard a comment by a student talking about “learning to garden for other people”... what a great way of phrasing it, and what a challenge that must be.

Next up, a design by Viridian Landscaping.

These homeowners only live on-site part-time, and there's another unit within the home that's rented out. The homeowners requested the landscape "felt happy" when they arrived. Seems like a great request to me.

This was another home with awkward lot. The backyard is separated from the home by the driveway. The stone pathway you see below leads from that driveway through the small patch of lawn, to a level bit of hardscaping that might someday be home to a hot tub. There was also a hidden pathway behind the garage for the homeowners to use should they want to access that hot tub privately.

Back out in front of the home. I love the wide steps and curved planter.

Which was mirrored on the other side.

Fun lines!

The next stop showcased a back garden design by Pride + Joy Landscapes. While the space we were there to see was at the back, I thought the front deserved a little screen-time too.

Just off the back of the house, a nice covered spot to hang out.

And a small but personality-filled garden space...

The homeowners bottle collection became tiny terrariums.

And a sink left on the property became a fountain. What a fun personal touch.

Plans and before photos.

Another covered space in the corner.

The 4th stop was a combined project of Olivine Land + Apogee Landscapes. I'm not sure if either had anything to do with the nice stone wall out front...

Or the sidewalk swing.

Fill those pots!

Out back was the featured work, with this adorable storage shed.

And raised beds for veg gardening.

The outbuilding (I can't remember if it was an ADU [accessory dwelling unit] or a home office) was already in place when the designers came on board.

Heading around front...

The final stop of the day was at the home of Kyle Summers, of Ninebark Garden Design, there was a closing party in the back garden. I had to stop and photograph the hellstrip plantings...

And the front garden...

Outback now...

There were multiple small buildings on the property, it was a lot of fun to explore the space.

Shower with the bananas!

Patio

And a view of the patio, and coleus plantings, from the deck. 

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