Monday, March 28, 2011

Plants at the Chapel Pub

Driving home the other afternoon I passed McMenamins Chapel Pub, and this caught my eye… …from almost a block away. Seriously! The sun had come out and was illuminating it in such a way that I had to stop; of course you all know this is my beloved Schefflera taiwaniana. Erich (McMenamins garden guy extraordinaire) had mentioned there was a Schefflera at the Chapel Pub, and that it had put on a flush of growth right before the November freeze, which then got zapped. Looks like it’s recovering just fine. Could this beauty really and truly be hardy here in Portland? I’m almost afraid to believe it! The Chapel Pub is a sister restaurant to the much visited Kennedy School and this location has the unique distinction of once being a mortuary, the Little Chapel of the Chimes (ca. 1932). When I was done admiring the Schefflera I glanced up and realized I was looking at a Poncirus trifoliata… And another, and another! There were seven of them (none easy to get a photograph of. The Chapel Pub is the first place I ever saw the glowing red thorns of the Wingthorn Rose. This is what it looked like then (in June)… And now. Not nearly as gorgeous…but it will be. There are several different Callistemon planted throughout the grounds. And Manzanita… This is a nice combination of colors and textures. Just imagine it when the Ceanothus (on the left) is in bloom! I’m sure this beautiful planting is Grevillea…but which one? A monster pair of Edgeworthia.
And a tall pair of Mahonia…one with color and one without. Love this tree/shrub, anyone know what it is? It's got great leaves… And cool bark too! A true Portland spring picture…moss and a fern. I’m hoping someone knows what this is too, the flowers and berries look like a Mahonia but the leaves and growth habit do not. Cool blue berries… Thin leaves… And yellow flowers, I like it! Hope you enjoyed your visit to the Chapel Pub…I needed to run home and make lunch. The delicious smells coming from the kitchen while I was photographing had me very hungry.

15 comments:

  1. Hmm... I think your final mystery shrub is some sort of barberry (Berberis sp.) There are tons of incredibly cool evergreen species that aren't hardy for me, but which you should totally be growing.

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  2. When I saw the fruit I thought Lonicera caerulea (Honeyberry), but the leaves and flowers look more like Joseph's guess.

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  3. The tree looks like Lyonothamnus floribundus asplenifolius. I had one at my old place, but left it behind. Love that bark. Foliage can get a bit toasted under 15 or so, but seems to recover OK.

    I agree that the lil shrub is some sort of barberry, they are closely related to mahonia.

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  4. Love the shredded bark on the one shrub...fabulous! And seriously, is there a season in which Manzanita is drop-dead gorgeous...A-MAZ-ING!

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  5. Greensparrow...drats! Say it isn't so! I (irrationally I admit) kind of avoid the Barberrys...I might just have to go there.

    Ryan, oh ya...I can see the similarities (I googled Lonicera caerulea)...but eeldip (mysterious knowledgeable Portland plant person) agrees with Joseph too.

    eeldip, Lyonothamnus floribundus asplenifolius...looks like you are right (again), thank you! This one seems to have been planted with the foliage in mind. And like your second on the Barberry has me reconsidering my ban.

    scott, agreed (on both accounts). I'm now at 3 Mahonia...and it looks like I might be getting a Barberry too.

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  6. I believe the Barberry is Berberis julianae. It was used at my university to keep students from cutting corners and staying on the sidewalk, and it worked.

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  7. This post makes me realize how little I know about plant IDs. Sheesh. Beautiful though!

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  8. Recently went to a talk by Nicholas Staddon from Monrovia. They will be introducing Schefflera taiwaniana very soon, hardy to zone 7 apparently. Looks like a nice plant.

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  9. What a fun tour - thanks! Now I want an Edgeworthia even more.

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  10. Les, it looks right to me, thank you! And it's good to know if it's herding properties...as I've got little soccer stars using my parking strip as a landing pad. They could use a little "direction."

    Grace, I know what you mean! I look at your alphabet posts and I couldn't id most of your plants...ain't gardening grand? So much to learn.

    Hoover Boo, I've heard that too (soon). I think they are loving the hype, it will help them justify the $69 price. As for its hardiness I hope so. I saw pictures of one that was toast in Seattle last winter.

    Aerie-el, are they hard to find in your area? Or expensive?

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  11. Eeldip is correct on the tree. We have one in our SE Portland yard and I'm hoping it's not toasted. It can put on a great spurt of growth in the summer but is a bit tender. We got ours from Cistus and they mentioned that there was one at Chapel Pub.

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  12. That Schefflera taiwaniana is an absolute winner. I also love seeing all those manzanitas in bloom. What a great inducement for everyone to plant them! I'm unfailingly impressed with the plantings at almost every McMenamins I've been to. Food, good beer, plants...what more could you ask for?

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  13. How much cold will the Schefflera taiwaniana be able to withstand? Looks like something for our southeastern location.

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  14. Grevillea is G. australis; actually, that's the biggest one I've ever seen. I have this barberry as well and I've been wondering what species it is. Nice pics/plants!

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  15. Like you, I avoided barberries until a trip to Dancing Oaks opened my eyes and I came home with three different ones. Your mystery plant looks a lot like my Berberis replicata, but the one that stole my heart is B. jamesiana.

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