Tuesday, September 4, 2012

For the love of plants, or how to make your neighbors go away…


The same night that I visited this garden, and this one, I stopped by another which I’d heard was outstanding, and it was, a small semi-urban lot simply PACKED full of plants.

So many plants it’s like the neighborhood around it doesn’t even exist!

What amazed me the most were the layers, it looks like a display with risers underneath containers filled with plants, but instead they were all in the ground…

Like many Portland gardeners they don’t use the garage (or in this case carport), at least not for cars…that's a pathway leading back to the carport, it looked to be filled with gardening equipment.

So many gorgeous plants and these are just in the driveway!

The umbrella and Phormium drew me to the far corner of the front garden…

Turning around to look at where I’d come from…

This is the perfect trellis on which to grow my next Clematis tibetana var. vernayi!

But by the time I saw the homeowner in the back garden I’d forgotten all about it and didn’t ask where he’d gotten it. Damn!

Looking down the path to the back…

Wish my Impatiens omeiana looked this good!

Passing under the second arbor…

And turning around to look back where we’d been.

The homeowner built this structure over a hot tub, but considering the quantity of plants sitting on the hot tub I don’t think it gets much use!

The patio off the back of the house…

Again with the layers, up, up, up!

Another look at the structure over the hot tub (on the right), pretty impressive!

And more scenes from the garden.

Back around at the front of the house…

And back at the driveway.

I didn’t notice on my way in (I was blinded by the plants), did you?

The cobblestones of the drive are painted!

Nice touch, and a very plant-centric garden! (which we all know is a good thing)

48 comments:

  1. Talk about using plants to gain privacy and seclusion. But much more than that, it is a house and garden of a plants man :) I love this garden, and it's immaculate as well!

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    1. A plants man indeed! There was a fellow touring through the same time as me whose been there several years in a row, he said it just keeps getting better and better!

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  2. Wow! It looks like there is a slight rise in the front which helps to emphasize the verticality, but still, this is masterful garden planning. As Mark said, this is definitely the home of a plant lover.

    I wish my garden looked this fantastic at the end of summer...

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  3. Stunning! I love all the layers like you talked about. That is amazing! And they have some really great plants scattered around. I love the yucca bright star. It jumps out in the plantings. I also notice quite a few choice potted agaves. And I LOVE the Cordyline australis 'Torbay Dazzler' on the patio.

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    1. Naturally I took the close-up of one of the Y. bright stars just for you....

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  4. Amazing! I really want to see this garden during winter -- please go back then!

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    1. No HPSO open gardens in the winter, but if I find myself in the area I'll be happy to do a little street stalking.

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    2. I was curious about this garden in the winter also, it's so beautiful full, I can't imagine it empty and leafless, I'm trying to make mine more 'evergreen' so it it's not so dull in the winter....

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    1. Too bad you couldn't visit in person Heather!

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  6. Wonderful garden and plants. Such a treat to see so many plants beautifully arranged. Proof that I don't have too many plants yet!

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    1. Oh no...you've got plenty of room for more plants!

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  7. Another gorgeous garden! This inspires me to do some major editing on my hell strips to try and acheive that wonderful layered effect. I just bought that very viburnum over the weekend! Thanks for the fabulous tour!

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    1. No, please don't edit your hell-strip, at least the one on the side of your property (yikes, I don't remember the one on the front very well), it's gorgeous just the way it is!

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  8. Gardeners who make the neighbors go away (in the nicest way, of course) are dear to my heart and goals. I wonder how long these gardeners have been working on this plan. It's a great garden!

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    1. According to the HPSO booklet they've been there since 1996.

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  9. I missed another goodie, I see! Master of layers. This comes at a perfect time for me as I need inspiration for my Fall rearranging of the furniture. Trying to create a more layered and harmonious effect rather than the willy nilly situation I have now.

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    1. There is always next year, and willy-nilly has it's charms too!

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  10. Holy WOW and bestill my heart! that is one fabulous garden. So beautifully cared for and every plant displayed to perfection... I seriously need to think about losing more of my front lawn...

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    1. Oh yes...why have lawn when you can have PLANTS!

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    2. So true! I've been negotiating with my DH for years over taking over his lawn. I just added another fifteen feet across the front this summer. I'm hoping for another fifteen to twenty feet next summer....

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  11. What a wonderful garden!

    I really liked that one, thanks for sharing the photos.

    Everything looks pristine and in excellent health. Obviously designed and maintained by someone who has a great eye and knows their garden intimately and has planted plants where they will thrive and not be stressed.

    As noted above, I would also be interested in seeing this garden in winter (and spring and autumn as well).

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    1. Glad you enjoyed it Adam, I'll try to remember to do a drive by every couple of months and take a shot so we can all see it transition.

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    2. I have looked at these photos again twice today - once at work (I was on my lunch break, honest!) and this evening and I reckon this could have been a p-rated Friday night set IMO.

      The mixture and continuity of planting really appealed to me and also it was something I could aspire to as I couldn't see anything in there which looked like it needed loads of sunshine, heat and drainage.

      Excellent photos Loree and excellent design plus thinking by the owner of the garden.

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  12. I think, of the gardens you've shown so far, this is by far my favorite...love it! It makes me really wish I had room for a Viburnum...oh, those lovely drupes :-)

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    1. Yay! Glad you liked it Scott. When are you opening your garden for the HPSO?

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  13. Can you tip us off as to which HPSO garden this is? It wants to go on my must see list...though you did a swell job of capturing its essence.

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    1. Last name is Vetter and I visited on August 13th. I believe this garden is open pretty much every summer so next year you should be able to see it!

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    2. Ah, yes...I have recommended that one. Guess it's time for another visit, as I didn't even recognize it.

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  14. This is gorgeous! Your photos are amazing and I'm sitting here in amazement at how healthy all of the plants look. Is this a HPSO garden? I went to a few when I was living in PDX and they were always amazing and I would come home wanting to change everything in my own garden!

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    1. Yep, HPSO open garden. I know what you mean about wanting to change your own garden after touring others. It's so tempting!

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  15. I love Thomas' gardens, I go all the time he truly has an awesome flair for plant material. A few years ago early in the season he a group of lilies that were about 15 foot tall, they were amazing........

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    1. I'll definitely go again next year, if given the opportunity that is.

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  16. Thanks for yet another episode of "Danger Walking". The fact people in Portlandia store garden tools in garages is great! As is a culture turned onto horticulture.

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    1. I wonder what my neighbors who aren't gardeners, in fact have a service come mow-and-blow their lot, keep in their garage? Cause they aren't parking in them either...

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  17. What a gorgeous space...I've been rendered speechless (and that doesn't happen often)!

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  18. Swoon! That garden has been worked on for years, but it looks so fresh. Nothing seems overgrown - in fact everything looks exactly the right size. That guy knows what he's doing!

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    1. Pretty amazing huh? You're right of course, everything does look exactly the right size!

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  19. What a fabulous garden, you're right about the layers. That is the look I want for the bed between me and my neighbor, where I took out those two trees. Now let's see if I can pull it off. It will take a few years to get it right. I love that it looks so lush. Even though I water every week I still have plants that are looking so bedraggled and droughty.

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    1. Ya I've got a couple Hostas that just won't even pretend to be in the game any longer, no matter how much water I put on them!

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  20. This is truly fabulous..goes on the must see list..exposure has to be key in layering this garden so plants aren't shaded out ? I love it !

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    1. Yes I think you've got a point about the exposure. If I've got it right the front of the house faces east...but heck I get turned around pretty easy in parts of Portland so who knows!

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  21. Was there a house back there? :) I wonder how s/he keeps it all looking so wonderful. Maybe there is more than one gardener. Whatever the case, I love it.

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    1. Ha! Yes...there really was a house. And I believe he does it all by himself!

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  22. That guy knows what he is doing!

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  23. This is insanely amazing. I just kept thinking about the homeowner having to water all those containers THIS year. Ugh. And I thought I was a cramscaper!!! I would love to see this one in person. Very, very nice.

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