Thursday, May 23, 2013

Out and about...

Yes it's that time again, time to share a random bunch of disconnected photos, the only thing these have in common is the fact that they caught my eye...

Fake succulents are all the rage, want the look but don't have the light? Can't be bothered to water once a month? Fake succulents are for you. What I don't understand is why they're making them complete with some of the very things we hate to see happen to real plants. Look, it's a "pineappled" fake agave (blurry picture, couldn't do a close-up hence the arrow)...

And here they've poorly trimmed up some unattractive lower foliage Why???

How exciting is this!? Very exciting, at least to me. You all probably knew something like this existed, but I'd never seen it before. A waterproof cover for your patio umbrella!

I've dutifully hauled my canvas umbrella in and out of the garage (or under the shade pavilion) for years whenever rain was in the forecast, I didn't want it to get all dirty and gross. Now I can just slip this baby on and leave it on the patio! Only $7.99 at IKEA and they had a larger size too.

A couple of months ago I shared photos on Facebook of an unfortunate Opuntia massacre (both planters used to be as full as the one in the back). But guess what? Turns out the hacked on cactus gets the last laugh because it's coming back!

Maybe that's what she had in mind when she left the stumps in place? Either way I'm happy.

I was working in the garden one afternoon when I went to pick up a small twig on a leaf.

But then it moved! Turns out it's a stick caterpillar...I may have let out a little scream (just little one).

Last fall I shared photos of my plant lust partner Patricia’s garden, when I called it “The garden where everything grows faster, bigger, and better than mine…” I wasn’t kidding. Parts of it are only a couple of years old but looks so mature. Last Saturday team plant lust met up here for our trip to Rare Plant Research, this was the first chance I’d had to really look around since last fall...

Everything looked so amazing! Here’s the unbelievable part…they’re seriously thinking about moving, could you leave this garden? It would be hard. Very hard.

What would you take? What could you take? What would you leave behind?

All I know is a very lucky new owner is going to inherit a lot of cool plants, if you know someone whose looking for a gorgeous older home in NE Portland here’s your chance to make them very happy, just don’t get any designs on this eryngium cause I can guarantee I’ll be sneaking it out before the paperwork is even filed.

All material © 2009-2013 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

25 comments:

  1. I think I might have let out a little shriek if a twig moved too.

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    1. Shriek is a much better word than scream, that it's more like what I did. I hate to admit I dropped the poor thing on the ground to. It didn't seem to hurt it.

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  2. I'm ready to move to Patricia's garden! You can have the eryngium as I have one in a pot that I just purchased this weekend. What a gorgeous garden! How exciting for Patricia to be moving and getting to start all over again!

    Plastic succulents - fun idea but I'm with you on the bad pruning! What a fun post!

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    1. It is a gorgeous garden and I just don't know how she will ever leave it...

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  3. Those poorly trimmed fake agave are hilarious! unfortunately that trend has migrated north of the border as well. However, if it peaks some interest in northerly agave growing I might be okay with it.

    Patricias garden looks fabulous. You're right, I can't imagine leaving that garden. But think about all the joys of plant buying and starting fresh! Sounds thrilling! although I have to admit to being one of those instant gratification kind of plant buyers. I always want the biggest and best plant I can find - more often than not the budget doesn't afford it.

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    1. The hardest part would be starting with little plants again, after you'd grown mature ones. I don't know if I could do it!

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  4. Fake plants are bad enough...but fake MUTILATED plants...WTF!

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  5. What is the name of that eryngium? The flower looks different than anything I've seen, but the foliage is similar to E. agavefolium (which I have). I have so many eryngiums now, but I think I need this one too.

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    1. Eryngium proteiflorum...after seeing three of them in the last couple of weeks I'm on the hunt too!

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  6. I love IKEA but those fake succulents make me snarl... As do pretty much all fake plants, to be honest. Your friend's garden looks fantastic - Someone will be very lucky indeed!

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    1. The succulents weren't at IKEA, I probably should have made that more clear. And I couldn't agree more about fake plants!!!

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  7. Is that grass in Patricia's garden Stipa tenuissima? I snagged a six pack on one of my nursery haunts. It's probably an annual here but I really love the look of it massed and want to give it a try.

    The thought of moving gives me agida and not because I'm attached at all to my house. Around here I would most likely have to remove most of the garden and replace it with grass in order to sell and I shudder at the thought.

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    1. Yes that's it...it's it wonderful? She's an artist with that stuff. I think I have her to blame/credit for turning my opinion about it.

      I watched a neighbor work to remove the sod in their parking strip and plant it all up with plants. It got a little overgrown but was still lovely. Then the sold the house. The new neighbors promptly had the plants town out and sod laid down. I don't understand!!!

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  8. Patricia's garden is so pretty, I'm not sure I could leave it. If I lived in the area, I'd call dibs on a few of those too.

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    1. I'd love to call dibs on her house but then that would mean leaving my garden! (which isn't as lovely as hers but full of plants I love)

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  9. Leaving such a lovely garden behind would be difficult indeed. But perhaps the excitement of the prospect of a new one are one of incentives.

    Speaking of plastic, just recently we saw a stand selling panels of fake plastic living wall and thought to ourselves, why???

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    1. Fake plastic living wall...that's just too crazy to even wrap my head around.

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  10. fifi la fontaineMay 23, 2013

    Oh man, I don't know if I could ever move if that was MY yard. Wow. I hope the next owner appreciates the incredible landscaping.

    When we were looking for houses, I saw one online with a nice yard but the listing stipulated that upon closing, the previous owner would be digging up all the plants and taking them with them. I thought it sounded crazy, but now I can almost understand!

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    1. My realtor asked me to mark everything I would be digging before leaving my house in Spokane, to the new owner could get a visual. It seemed like so much then, but really it wasn't.

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  11. I wish I knew the secret to getting feathergrass to stay upright like that. Is it a climate thing? Soil?

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    1. She does have fabulous soil, that much I know. Also it had been (a big emphasis on HAD) very dry which of course is key. I know since the soaking rains have returned mine are kind of a mess.

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  12. If those with nice gardens move, we can only hope new owners are into the great things created before. Ideally, we would buy a property, build a house, and live and garden there until death! Ideally...

    How the brutalized Opuntia came back says it all:-)

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    1. I just read your post for today...you certainly are in the middle of this very situation. Glad you're planning to take a couple of plants with you. And good memory about that opuntia!

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  13. Those fake succulents are craaaazy funny - the agave and sotol trimmed ones have to be a joke, right? Like.....if someone bought one for David at the desert edge for a housewarming? Heeee! Or you! What would you even say....heeeee!

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