They do at McMenimans! There is a little danger garden out back at the Kennedy School where the spiky, prickly plants rule. On the street front there are two fine specimens of the Monkey Puzzle tree. Usually these trees are either super tall, or in a private yard where you can’t walk right up to them and enjoy an up-close look. Here you can, but be careful - the leaves are razor sharp scales! One of the stories I've read about their common name is it came from the fact that a monkey couldn't possibly puzzle out how to climb up to get at the edible seeds. You see a lot of these trees around town because seedlings and small plants were handed out at the Chilean exhibit at the Lewis and Clark Expo in Portland in 1905.
Since we live close to the Kennedy School walking over for dinner, and sometimes a movie, an easy night out. The grounds are so fabulously landscaped that, for me, a visit is almost as much about the plants as it is dinner and a beverage (Black Rabbit Red for me –Terminator Stout for the husband). The McMenimans are long time clients of Ankrom Moisan, the firm I work for, so visiting their properties is kind of like a work-related field trip (a very fun one). This time of year it’s amazing to watch the transformation as the plants emerge and the grounds become lush once again.
That's really cool about the Chilean Expo in 1905! I heart Portland history!
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