Visiting Old German Town Gardens (finally)...

This is a garden I've heard many stories about, but had never actually visited. Seems every time they open for Hardy Plant Society of Oregon members I'm out of town. When the GB Fling planning committee visited last summer to qualify the garden as one we wanted to include I was off celebrating my parents 50th Wedding Anniversary. So finally the Friday of the Fling I was here!...

I'd anticipated this vista, and knew the garden was huge, but reality far exceeded my expectations.

Also, I need to mention this garden isn't tended by a huge staff, it's all the work of the owners; Bruce and Jerry. Two very talented and hard working gardeners (rumor has it Jerry makes a mean batch of cookies too, I've still yet to experience that part of the visit...).

They've obviously perfected the art of the well placed container...

My memory is a little hazy (I did have to hurry through the garden) but I believe there is a series of small, shady ponds.

And then you're back out in the bright sunlight...

And just like that right back into the deep shade.

There were tall sentinels, both natural...

And man-made...

A lovely crimson blush.

And HUGE schefflera leaves.

In too dark of shade to get a great shot of the entire plant.

Oh, back out into the light...

Thirsty? I love the rock tucked in just so to keep the water flowing.

Now we're approaching my favorite part of the garden, the steep hillside climbing back up to the house level...

Annette up on the patio with a sea of agaves below.

The conifer next to the Yucca rostrata has an exotic protea family-like look about it, don't you think?

Up on the patio a tall, tall, tall, tetrapanax tops out next to a low wall.

Once upon a time blooming phormium were everywhere in Portland. Not so much these days (cold winters) so seeing these twisty seed pods was extra special.

Then I turned just a bit to my right and POW!

Looking back down to where I had been...

There was a green house too!

And finally before leaving I tucked into the house (cookies were just going into the oven) and back out on the deck to look down on another monster tetrapanax...

What a new way of seeing a beloved plant!

A better sense of the area below the patio and even the greenhouse (on the far right)...

This garden is truly breathtaking. There is something for everyone here and it's all magical. I am thrilled to finally have seen it!

All material © 2009-2014 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

Nice green roof!

Portland is known as a green city. Both for our environmental practices as well as our rain-fueled, mossy-green, garden culture. Turns out we've also got some pretty fabulous green roofs...

What you don't see it? Look a little closer...

Nice...

All material © 2009-2014 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

From Pomarius to Bella Madrona, my photos from the Garden Bloggers Fling…

The fact I had already visited (and posted about) the gardens and nurseries on the 2014 Garden Bloggers Fling (as well as being one of the organizers), kept my camera from getting a real workout that weekend. An exception to this however was our first night at Pomarius Nursery. I arrived early to help Heather get things ready (not that she needed it) and as I walked into the nursery such a wave of happiness and excitement washed over me…

Here we were, with a gorgeous blue sky and a most beautiful nursery opening its doors to us…a magical evening was ahead! In just minutes I was going to be reunited with old friends I hadn’t seen for a year or more, and meet new ones for the first time, the first time face to face at least.

If you’re near Portland and haven’t been to Pomarius Nursery what are you waiting for!? This place is simply magical. I couldn’t help but run around snapping photos of the gorgeous surroundings…

Going into the weekend the one blogging goal I had was to photograph as many of the people as I could. Usually on a garden tour your aim is to not get people in the photo, those pesky humans who detract from the beauty of the garden. But the people are the reason for this event! Here are fellow Portlander’s Kate and Ann.

Sadly that is the only people photo I took at Pomarius. I just got all wrapped in chatting and meeting and didn’t pick up my camera the rest of the night. If you want to see a couple fun time-lapse videos of the bloggers night at Pomarius visit their Facebook page.

Fortunately I was in slightly better form the next day, here we are at Portland’s Lan Su Chinese Garden, that's Peter (The Outlaw Gardener, on the left) and Alan (It's Not Work It's Gardening!, on the right). The couple with their backs to me were not part of our group.

And now at Cistus Nursery, that’s Mark (left) and Gaz (right) of Alternative Eden fame.

They’re listening to Gerhard (Succulents and More) and Denise (A Growing Obsession) talk about her plant discoveries.

Here we have the sassy (that’s a compliment) Mary Ann (Gardens of the Wild Wild West) checking her phone and the always charming Heather (Just a Girl with a Hammer).

Inside the nursery there's Cistus owner Sean Hogan chatting with Lisa (Descubriendo hojas/Discovering leaves) who came all the way from Spain!

What do you suppose Darcy (Bloomtown Gardens, on the left) and Cindy (From My Corner of Katy) are doing? Photographing plants of course!

Jane (Mulchmaid), Scott (Rhone Street Gardens) and Vanessa (Garden Chirps)...

Left to right...Vicki (Playin' Outside), Victoria (with her back to me, Tales from Awkward Hill), Amy (Get Busy Gardening), and Helen (Toronto Gardens).

From L.A. where she's the genius behind Potted, Annette.

Okay Toto we're not at Cistus anymore, we've jumped ahead to Old Germantown Gardens (the one garden I will be posting about, eventually) and here's Mary Ann again. See what I mean about sassy, those glasses say sass.

At the Ernst/Fuller Gardens here's Kylee (Our Little Acre)...

And the owners/gardeners at Rhone Street Gardens...Norm, Scott and Boots.

And here we are, the final stop on the Fling, Bella Madrona. Surely everyone recognizes the god-mother of the Fling, Pam (Digging)...

Too many to name, all enjoying tasty treats...

And this one! Caper, one of the adorable pair of pugs who call the garden of Sampson and Beasley home. Together with Olive (the black pug) they entertained us all. Here, after rooting around in my bag for a good long time, he finally found the cookie I'd stashed from my sack lunch earlier in the day (thanks to Heather for the photo). I thought about hiding both pugs in my bag when it was time to leave, you don't know how tempted I was...

Okay just two more shots. After the Fling wrapped up I got to spend a bonus day with Gerhard, Mark and Gaz. Of course we returned to Cistus for plant shopping! Silly me should have waited to take a photo after the wagon was full (because you know it was)...

Thanks for making the trip to Portland everyone, I hope to see all of you (and many others) in Toronto, Canada next year!

If you’re curious I posted more on Pomarius Nursery here (a visit from 2011) and Bella Madrona (The Garden of Sampson and Beasley) here. There are many many posts about my visits to Cistus, here's the most recent. All material © 2009-2014 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.