I had a contoneaster like this in my garden in Spokane. It was inherited, I never knew exactly which one it was, in fact for the longest time I called it the fish-bone plant, until I finally learned it had a name.
Oh! This looks promising.
I love the tawny hakonechloa in place, I bet it looks pretty fabulous when it's green as well.
There's got to be something interesting behind that gate, I'm sure of it. I think I'll be stalking this one.
Any gardener who plants things that close together, they're a plant nut.
A different house, a very cool gate/door.
Oh ya...
Rhododendron sinogrande flanking the front steps, fun!
Now I'm walking down an alley. There are still quite a few of these in NE Portland. Some overgrown weed patches, some a muddy mess just calling for a Land Cruiser owner to try and get stuck in (yes, I speak from experience) and some like this, paved and tidy. It's that lookout/fort that's caught my attention.
I want one.
Nice fence, I wonder if they like the laurel growing through?
Painting project! Which color would you choose?
This reminds me of the old fence we replaced behind the shade pavilion. I loved that green growth on the weathered brown, and miss it!
Manzanita and yucca, caught in a hug.
Every bloom on this euphorbia is deformed like this, to some degree. I need to come back a few weeks from now and see what they look like further developed.
This is the official gathering place for gulls in the neighborhood.
Being on top of the tallest house for blocks around I bet they've got a pretty great view.
You can dress it up and make it fancy but at the end of the day, it's still a tire.
I've shared these before. I like to go by every now and then to make sure they're still there, and doing okay.
Ready for mardi-gras!
There's some funny business going on here.
Yes indeedy.
Whoa!
Uhm, wow.
Do ya think?
And here we end. This assortment made me smile...
All material © 2009-2015 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.
Are those beehives in all those containers? I need to find some mardi gras beads for my zombie flamingo.
ReplyDeleteYes, they're bees. I assume not empty, wow huh? Yes your zombie flamingo definitely needs beads!
DeleteAh, what a nice walk. Everything in my neighborhood is buried in snow. I can't help but imagine that Rhododendron sinogrande as it grows. Classic foundation plant mistake. I can't fault their taste, though.
ReplyDeleteI understand what you're saying about the classic foundation plant mistake but I've never seen a Rhododendron sinogrande that is that robust. I'll be watching.
DeleteIt will probably grow much slower in that situation, so at least it won't be a problem for a long time. I just can't help but picture it as a 20-30 foot mass devouring the front of the house. It will be interesting to see how it grows in the years to come, as it gets more established and how it takes extreme weather patterns.
DeleteThose yuccas are gorgeous! And what's happenning there with those trees, hmmm...
ReplyDeleteI know right!? (on both accounts)
DeleteVery eclectic post, whole thing made me smile. What is that pretty red-leaved plant behind the cotoneaster in the first image? Mahonia? The red-twigged tree? That maple again? You had to tell me that was a tire, I would have never guessed. And rebar must be holding those pots and pipes togetehr. What fun!
ReplyDeleteYes it's a mahonia, I want to say M. nervosa but that would only be a guess. And the red twigged tree, maybe? I'm really tree stupid. Hopefully someone else will chime in.
DeleteYour neighborhood gardens are much more interesting than those in my hood! Always enjoy your walks! Those trees??? Keep us posted.
ReplyDeleteNah, I don't believe it - you've got a great neighborhood for garden spying.
DeleteThose poor trees! Not only do they look bizarre, I can't help but think it doesn't bode at all well for the long term. And those fasciated euphorbia blooms - I think I need to do some research into what causes that.
ReplyDeleteOn one of my Euphorbia characias 'Tasmanian Tiger' had several of these deformed blooms (years ago, that plant is gone now). Andrew said he thought they were caused by herbicide, I hadn't sprayed anything though.
DeleteLooks to me like they are girdling the trees to kill them off. We've been fending off red-breasted sapsuckers trying to do the same to our birches.
ReplyDeleteMy prediction: you will eventually be invited to enter those gates, where new gardening friendships will be born.
Hmmm, I hope you are right rickii (about the gates, not the trees - although it sounds like you're right about those too).
DeleteI love the idea for this post, and you certainly have lots of interesting garden stuff going on in your area. I'm thinking when it warms up I want to do something like this, there's a couple of neighbor spots I'd like to check out.
ReplyDeleteDo it! I look forward to discovering more about your neighborhood.
DeleteIn theory, bark girdling slows down tree growth. Just enough bark is removed so that the tree spends a whole season's energy recovering the lost bark. Otherwise, well, you know.
ReplyDeleteNormally the girdling is done lower down on the trunk, but maybe they just wanted the weird look.
It is a look, that's for sure. The trio is so consistent, and doesn't it look like they've been doing it for years?
DeleteCould be. Looks like the cambium is intact so water and nutrients can get to the leaves (needles), which makes me wonder if the girdling was incomplete, or it's in the process of healing, or some serious weirdness is going on here.
DeleteJust removing the bark wouldn't do much of anything, as far as slowing growth is concerned.
That's a lot of bees - I hope they're happy and friendly bees. Still, I'd rather live next to a zillion bees than have seagulls roosting on my roof. After seeing a mass grouping (murder) of crows roosting in a tree in a neighborhood less than 1/2 mile away, I live in fear that they'll one day relocate to my backyard.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how one goes about keeping them away? (the crows) That house with the gulls recently either had their roof washed or replaced because there used to be much more "evidence"...
DeleteThere's a house here with three strangely pruned trees in the parkway--nearly identical to your "funny business" example in spirit though not in species or location. Bad ideas get around, don't they?
ReplyDeleteYes unfortunately they do.
DeleteI had to laugh at your comment about the bright green moss on the fence. It's all over our courtyard fence and although it's charming, it's a reminder that it's time for a replacement. Great post!
ReplyDeleteThat fence we replaced was falling down and such a mess, but that green! It was perfect.
DeleteI love it when you walk and spy Loree, you run across some interesting (and mystifying) things I must say ! I'm voting for the medium brown or the darkest blue on the paint front. Dark colors make plants pop (see the Danger Garden house as proof !)
ReplyDeleteOf course I agree, but I am biased.
DeleteI love your walkabout posts. I'm always so impressed with the things you find to entertain us with :) Cheers, Jenni
ReplyDeleteGlad to provide some entertainment Jenni, sounds like you might need it being sick and all.
DeleteIsn´t it dangerous to have so many bee hives together in a garden and next to so many gardens?...in my little village in Spain they are in the countryside and there is usually a sign that says "danger, bees".
ReplyDeleteThat's a lot of bees! "You can dress it up and make it fancy but at the end of the day, it's still a tire." HAHAHAHA
ReplyDelete