Friday, November 23, 2012

Another visit to the garden of Mr. Sean Hogan


Yes, I've taken you here before, but as we all know gardens are always changing. Thus we visit again…

The morning of the most recent "horticultural field-trip" my friends and I were to meet up at Mr Hogan's house (Mr. Cistus Hogan). My friend Ann and I were the first ones there so naturally we took advantage of the extra time and did a little garden exploring...











All of this amazing plant goodness is just in the parking strip!

Now we're up in the front garden, next to the house.



Tetrapanax, Yucca, Agaves...oh my!






His plants are trying to bloom too...

Heading around the side of the house now...

I forgot to ask if the Cycad will stay outside all winter.


Looking backwards (towards the front and the street).

Heading towards the side gate...

And into the back garden.

Beautiful Bamboo...(with a Mahonia and Aspidistra).



Real? I'll never tell...

Manihot. Next year I will track down one of these...

Even better! Manihot and Schefflera!

Now that's a nice clump of Mahonia 'Soft Caress'...



Schefflera, perhaps S. delavayi?

A peek towards the jungle...



That's the path we took into the back garden...

On the back deck...

And admiring more Bamboo...before we leave.

Thank you Sean for so willingly sharing your garden with others!

29 comments:

  1. Great garden, the silvery plants look fantastic against the green plants and fallen leaves.

    Nice and natural with collected items set in, just the kind of garden I love.



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  2. Gosh!

    What a lovely garden and such great photos as well Loree :)

    Shot number 134 is my favourite, it would be cool to hang out there with a few beers and friends I reckon.

    I see that "soft caress" again, hmmm, maybe I won't buy it now as it seems like every Tom, Dick and Harry has one! Ha ha!

    Have a great weekend.

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    1. Thank you Adam the light was really nice that morning, allowing for good photos. And yes having done just that (but with wine not beer) I can say that spot is most conducive to hanging out. It is a very welcoming space.

      Re: the 'Soft Caress' yep...it's practically the "petunia" of Mahonias...haha, not.

      (you too!)

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  3. I'm inspired! For some reason, this is appealing to me even more than your last post on this garden. Maybe it's the leafy debris making me realize it really is here in Portland. Is it the standard 50x100 Portland lot? It sure feels bigger with all the layered plantings: I love all those palms!

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    1. It was very appealing to me too, the garden was really looking good that morning, I hadn't planned to take photos but I had to! Yes I do believe it's the standard 50x100...it's all that bamboo depth!

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  4. What a magical place! It's the PNW version of Mark and Gaz' garden in the U.K. (AlternativeEden.com).

    I finally have a small manihot seedling. I may be able to get one for you if you're interested.

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    1. Thanks for the comparison Gerhard. We love this garden! Given me a few ideas for the future too!

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    2. Funny you should say that Gerhard as I'm working on a future post and I make that same comparison!

      I am interested! Let me check with Sean first though, I remember seeing them at the nursery once upon a time so maybe I can get it locally. Thank you for asking and I'll let you know!

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  5. Always a treat to see this inspirational garden. Thanks for sharing it with us.

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  6. Loree, what an amazing garden, so many great design touches. I love the pathway, and the overall style is simple fantastic. You must feature this one more often in your travels! :)

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    1. So glad you enjoyed it. It's a pretty wonderful space and easy forget you're in Portland when your there (just like your garden). Sean is responsible for some of the cooler garden design around town so it's only right that his garden be pretty amazing too...

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  7. word of the day: argyrophilic

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  8. Gorgeous! I love that the leaves added their own touch of color. And that bamboo!!!! Just fabulous! I've never seen manihot before, but what a beautifully shaped leaf.

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    1. The manihot leaf shape has always reminded me of the snow flakes I made as a kid, you know where you folded up pieces of paper and cut away at them?

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  9. Wow! Must have been an awesome visit. And the best use for a dead palm is as a planter, yes!

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  10. what a lovely lovely garden this is !!!!

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  11. Such a great garden for plant combinations with foliage and texture contrasts. I see the northern California influences from Sean's time here at UC Berkeley Botanic Garden, but also nods to Japan, Texas and Mexico. Truly a cross-pollination of plant communities and styles that is a blend only seen in the lusher/wetter/colder PNW. Thanks for the tour, but it leaves me wondering how certain vignettes look in the dead of winter?
    David in Berkeley

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    1. Great summary of the garden influences David, and to my memory it doesn't miss a beat in the winter time. Perhaps I'll have to do a follow-up in January (the ugliest month here in Portland, in my opinion).

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  12. What a gorgeous garden and such great photos! the picture 35 is really my favourite, it would be my dream garden. I buy a little "soft caress" last week. It's the first year we can find it in europe. I hope mine will quickly become like this one.

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    1. Good luck with your 'Soft Caress'...mines been pretty slow to bulk up so be patient!

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  13. Thanks for the inside look! I agree with David, it would be great if you could get a tour of this garden in the dead of winter to show us what sort of things are evergreen and tough! and how all those drought loving plants fair in the wet PNW winters! :)

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    1. Thanks for the awesome info! I'm a college student from the Detroit area majoring in horticulture (nursery and landscape management) and Im looking into moving to the PNW. I love the type of plants you grow and show here on your blog, but i haven't decided weather or not i want to move to the Portland area or maybe northern Cali/Brookings area of Oregon. hmm... -Branden in Michigan.

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    2. Sean says...

      "I think what some people, especially in the Bay Area don't realize, is that we get much hotter than the Bat Area, and our rainfall is about the same as the Berkeley Hills or Sonoma... and our period of moisture is the same or just a bit longer. We're kind of at the bottom of the PNW if compared to Seattle, Vancouver etc. Funny, most of the drought tolerant plants in the front I have to water in the heat, or they won't grow! (Agaves, Yuccas, Puyas are summer Monsoonal) The only exceptions are the front area with the Manzanitas, etc. We of course get more frost than along the coast or in the Bay Area, but luckily aren't above the arctic circle! (34F was my lowest temp last winter in the protected back garden, with 27F last year... and ouch 21F the prior) The plants are meant to be at least 80% permanent, with summer, autumn and winter bulbs, perennials etc rising and disappearing from behind or through the evergreen "furniture." The beauty of a Mediterranean climate, is that we can water in the summer where needed then take advantage of all the winter growing goodies available... why would we have any down season?? Cyclamen kick ass! Just sayin..."

      And all I have to add is I wish I lived closer to him! Even though we're both in NE Portland my garden is just close enough to the Gorge, and a bit higher and more exposed, that I run about 5-9 degrees colder. If I only new then what I know now (back when we were house shopping).

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  14. Junglissimo! One time I bought a Chinese Rice Paper plant at Cistus that wouldn't fit in my car and they were so kind to transport it to town so I could pick it up at the house. It was fun to snoop around the front yard then and sooo exciting to see the rest in your photos now.

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