Friday, January 21, 2011

This is what an all season garden looks like…

I’ve taken you to this garden several times, and it always looks fantastic. Always. I was curious how it was holding up to our wet, cold winter. In a word...gorgeous.

Here are contrasting pictures from November 5th (we hadn’t yet had a night even close to 32 degrees, our gardens were still charging right along), and January 14th (many freezes, several nights in the teens and a lot of rain). Things don’t look much different do they? First up the pictures from Nov 5…
Can anyone identify this shrub with the white berries? Here is a "berry-less" section. And now Jan 14… Pretty amazing, yes?

After back to back visits to the Cistus gardens, and this garden I’ve decided I need to go a second round with my front garden remake. I’m at peace with the back garden not having a lot of winter interest but the front garden is another story. It needs to be something that makes me proud when visitors arrive, not causes me to apologize. I need to add more interesting shrubby things, more evergreens, more yuccas and of course more spiky plants in general. And... maybe a few larger rocks? Originally I was very hesitant to mix in larger rocks, I thought it looked too contrived, but I am starting to soften on the idea. After-all they will provide a little more texture and interest, as well as possibly improving the drainage and a little heat retention (I’m probably dreaming on that one right?). And I am beginning to like the way they look in others gardens, when done right. What do you think?

22 comments:

  1. Gorgeous!!
    ...an absolutely stunning garden and great example of the importance of evergreen structure in the garden! I love stone in gardens when they fit the site and are 'planted' in the landscape to relate to the elevation and architecture of the house.

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  2. nothing wrong with big rocks :) they look less contrived if you make an effort to bury them at least 1/3 of the way, and 1/2 is better. Looks like they've been there awhile.
    Why don't you talk to owner of that all-season garden and ask about their secrets?

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  3. That garden has well established plants for sure..Not much difference in the photos. I love rocks in the garden, I just need a rock decorater to show me how to use them.

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  4. Very nice groupings, not to mention winter interest. With few exceptions, that very garden could be anywhere in Albuquerque, or in many SW cities.

    The white berry plant - maybe a Condalia/ I know Javelina Bush, but never have seen that in a garden!

    Blackbrush has a leaf and branch like that, as does Littleleaf Mountain Mahogany. But no berries.

    Where in Portland did you find that place, by the way?

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  5. I think the key to using large rocks is to go with more natural or less natural. So many people buy a big rock and leave it sticking up in the middle of a flower bed. Those natural pillar things are the worst offenders, someone takes a really neat looking natural object and places it in a very unnatural way. I think stuff like that looks better as part of an unnatural feature, like a large fountain or patio. If you heap and hump large rocks and partially bury them, they look much better.

    There's a Rock Garden book by NARGS that has a lot of excellent advice.

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  6. Oh Loree, I am so glad that you are coming around to rocks! With your eye I am confidant that you will place them brilliantly. What I really love about the garden you show here is that it is not your typical "Northwest Native" collection and yet it looks right at home here.

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  7. Awesome winter garden! There's nothing wrong with using rocks. Go for it! You could always substitute them with freaky concrete statues of gnomes and deer.

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  8. You really do have to admire people who can create such a garden with year-round beauty. It also serves to remind me I MUST find room for a Manzanita this year...MUST!

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  9. I love rocks in the garden especially when they're sort of tucked behind or around a plant and they're only partially visible. This garden is beautiful but I must say part of the allure is your fine picture-taking skills, Loree. You got the lighting just right which emphasized the structure of the plants and the landscape as a whole. Really nice job. Makes me want to tear out my three giant sweet gum trees and redo my entire front yard. If it weren't for that blessed shade during the heat of summer... dang I'm torn. I look forward to seeing how you add on to your already wonderful front yard. No apologies needed.

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  10. Lauren, isn't it? Indeed. So I'm curious how you would relate stone to the architecture of my house!? It's a rather boring late 40's box...maybe that is part of what has stumped me for so long. I don't have the strong horizontal lines of a ranch, nor the character of a bungalow to play off of.

    Mary C, oh I have! I toured the garden with the owner last May...http://dangergarden.blogspot.com/2010/05/visit-to-ranchlandsarizona-esque-garden.html

    Darla, I think you've just created a new field "rock decorator"...I bet they are paid well too.

    Desert Dweller, thank you for the possible names, I will look them up. This garden is just blocks from me here in NE Portland. Their orientation is a little more friendly for the garden than my front yard though. They face south and don't have the cold wind tunnel from a park that I have.

    Ryan, thanks for the NARGS tip!

    ricki, you cracked me up with your comment earlier in the week, knowing that I had just begun to feel a change in my thinking but hadn't talked about it yet. And yes...you called it with the fact that this particular garden has so many unusual (for our area) plants yet it still manages to look uniquely PNW.

    Megan, funny you should say that as I happen to know that this garden has some very cool concrete deer in the back yard!

    scott, yes you must! Garden Fever has a really good selection right now and I am confident that Xera will have several nice ones at the spring HPSO sale.

    Grace, you are far too kind regarding my photography skills! And even though you may not tear out your trees (don't!) perhaps another yucca or two might work their way into your garden as a result of these pictures?

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  11. It's so much easier to inherit big rocks, like we have in our garden. Then you don't have to overly worry about placement, though I try to move them around a bit...so heavy. And mine don't look as nice as the ones in this garden. All those big hardy yuccas make so much impact. I wonder how many years its taken to get so mature a garden?

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  12. I love the structure and beautiful southwestern plants they are using (although I am still surprised to see this look in what I think of as a rainy, temperate climate). But were it my garden I'd want to have a bit more seasonal interest. I *like* to see a change from season to season, whether it be flowers, seedheads, berries (I did see some here), or freeze-dried foliage. Plus these kinds of plants tend to attract butterflies and birds, which I also want. Basically I want it all!

    As for your front yard, I bet some large rocks, partially buried, would look fabulous! Is there a predominant local stone you could choose to make it seem more natural? Boulders really accentuate cold-hardy yuccas, sotols, agaves and other winter-interest plants. How about bamboo muhly (Muhlenbergia dumosa)? Can you grow that there? It has wonderful winter interest.

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  13. linda, I'm not sure how large the Yucca were when they were planted but I do know that this coming summer will be this gardens 5th. Hard to believe isn't it?

    Pam, I really appreciate the points you raised in your comment. I've been thinking about this idea of a garden so evergreen that it really never changes. Of course this garden had many amazing Verbascum blooms last summer, which really changed things, but for the most part it's the same year round. I (like you) would like a little extra summer exuberance. I think for me that will mean leaving my Cannas in place, plus there is the spring color from the Rhody and I've already bought a few summer bloomers (Echinops sphaerocephalus 'Arctic Glow', Verbascum olympicum, Eryngium giganteum) which will definitely take things up a notch in the summer.

    My rock issue comes from the fact that I'll be mixing the river rock (gravel) already in place with other more "craggly" rocks...and that seems so fake!

    Thank you for the Muhlenbergia dumosa suggestion. A quick search tells me it should be hardy here and is worth more investigation.

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  14. Absolutely beautiful garden and an excellent example of how important it is evergreen structure of the garden! I love the rock garden where you agree to the site and are planted and the height of the landscape and architecture of the house.

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  15. Hey Loree...the white berry shrub is called Hymenanthera Alpina (street name = Alpine Hymen). It's kind of an unwieldy beast, but it looks great if kept in check...I think next summer I'll plant some interesting summer blooms...Let's go SHOPPING!

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  16. Hi Loree! I am a new and avid reader of your blog and would love to pull off the rock/gravel 'mulch' effect in my garden. I've dug up a ton of sod everywhere and now I'm not sure if I should put weed barrier down first or if I should just put down a fairly deep (3''?) layer of rock. I am not really a fan of weed barrier since I seem to be having to dig up frayed remnants of it everywhere, but I'm not sure if just laying down rock is enough to suppress weeds either. Any advice? Thanks so much!

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    1. Hi there! No weed barrier needed! You might have to pull (and if you've got something really nasty spray/dump vinegar/boiling water) the weeds for a season or two but really avoid the weed barrier, that stuff is nasty...I am not a fan. You have to work extra hard to dig and I think it ends up keeping some of the good stuff from working its way into the soil. Good luck to you...I think you'll be really happy with the rocks!

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  17. Oh thank you, THANK you! Yeah, somehow I didn't think a creative gardener who moved plants around and generally 'free-styled' it would be using that weed barrier material.

    OK, one last question (for now, ha :)): I have a terrible, overgrown laurel hedge that is conveniently blocking the view of a dilapidated foreclosure next door. Eventually I would like to remove it (yikes). I read elsewhere on this blog that you think Laurel hedges are a 'maintenance nightmare'. What type of evergreen 'screen' shrub/bush would you recommend I plant there? It's on the East side of the house and gets decent amounts of light. Any suggestions would be sooo appreciated! Thanks again!

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    1. I watch my neighbors spend a day trimming and hauling away debris from their Laurel every year. Or there are the ones that hire someone else to do it (these are the folks who don't have a garden but rather just lawn...so it doesn't matter when the crew trashes the place). Either way it is a lovely green wall if you budget time or $ for maintenance. That said I would much rather have it as the divider on the north side of our patio, instead of the Privet we have.

      What USDA zone are you? Or give me an idea of your highs and lows temperature wise. This would help me give you suggestions!

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    2. Oh, I live in Northeast Portland (in Cully)! Sorry, should have mentioned that. Well, if it's one day of intensive trimming, I guess that's not terrible. We bought this foreclosure last year and it's a .25 acre lot. The property had been sitting empty for 2 years before we bought it and the laurel hedge is insane, leggy, totally out of control. There are 4 plants in a row and they are probably 30 feet wide x 20 feet tall and 20 feet deep. We tore out 3 other Laurels in the backyard and are still pulling up shoots from the leftover roots. There's actually another solid wall of laurel hedge on the West side of the backyard. We got more laurels than we can shake a stick at! Anyway, thanks for your advice again.

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    3. Ah, we're practically neighbors!

      The other issue with Laurel is that if it's left to go too long without a trim (as it sounds like yours was) then when it does get trimmed you're looking at nothing but a wall of sticks, because all the leaves were trimmed off. Of course it will resprout in quick order but it's something to consider. It is such a quick growing dense plant it's perfect for a screen. I was thinking of suggesting a few Manzanita (I'm in love with my fairly fast growing Austin Griffiths) but they don't provide such a "wall" effect.

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    4. Ooh, that Manzanita Austin Griffiths is so beautiful with those reddish, contorting branches! OK, I'll add that one to my list too. Maybe I can gradually trade in Laurels for new and exciting plants like that. I guess what I'll do is wait until Spring and do a major hack job on the laurel and see what happens. Thanks again for your advice and your excellent blog!

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