Paul's garden just outside Eugene, Oregon

Yesterday, for my Wednesday Vignette post, I shared a couple images from the grounds surrounding the Celeste Campbell Senior Center in Eugene, Oregon - and over on the plant lust blog I posted images from my visit to Gossler Farms Nursery. There's still one more series of photos I want to share with you from my visit to Eugene in September and that's pictures from Paul's garden.

I met Paul at the speaker's dinner before my talk (I was treated to a lovely dinner with a few of the board members, they could not have been more kind and welcoming). Paul dropped a few interesting plant names, then once we were at the Willamette Valley Hardy Plant Group meeting everyone was treated to a show of member plant cuttings/specimens which Roger Gossler described waxed poetic about. Paul brought a couple of fairly rare specimens that further intrigued me, one was Agave stricta 'Nana' and the other Agave 'Joe Hoak' (if I am remembering correctly!), later he invited me to visit his garden. Since I was short on time I'd already (regretfully) turned down Roger Gossler's invite to tour other Eugene gardens, so I didn't think it was going to happen. However (thankfully) I came up with an extra hour and managed to squeeze in a visit.

Paul had mentioned he was in the middle of cleaning out his greenhouse and potting up the plants which would go back in for the winter. That's what is going on here.

So many interesting things everywhere I looked.

Leuchtenbergia principis

This small Agave lophantha 'Quadricolor' came home with me. Paul asked if I had one and handed it to me. My brain was on succulent overload and couldn't recall having one...but obviously I do - a couple even. Duh.

I wish I could give you the exactly run down on all the miles these plants have seen. They've followed Paul and his wife back and forth across the country. Although I think they've finally found a home here in Oregon (more on that a bit further down the page, when I share a photo of the home they're building).

Agave parryi? Love those black spikes.

Stressed Aloes showing off their best colors.

Aeonium and Euphorbia obesa.

Agave 'Kissho Kan' (guessing).

That's 'Joe' there on the lower right.

Inside the greenhouse I got a look at a few pampered plants.

And back outside another beautiful Aloe.

I asked Paul if he'd ever had an Agave bloom in a container. He pointed at this.

And then handed me a pup of that plant, Agave gypsophila.

Striking Aloe variegation...

And not to be outdone...Agave angustifolia 'Woodrowii' (an Agave angustifolia 'Marginata' sport)

But Paul's garden is not just about the greenhouse spikes, there are plants in the ground...

Eupatorium capillifolium

Yucca 'I wish I could remember'

Bouteloua gracilis 'Blonde Ambition' (I think?)

Proving Datura like it hot and dry....

Acanthus sennii

Quercus dentata 'Pinnatifida'

Another Oak (between the ones I saw at Gossler earlier in the day and now these...I've contracted a major case of Oak-lust)...

The promised house photo (building it themselves!!!) wraps up my visit to Paul's. Thank you so much for welcoming me into your garden Paul.

But wait! I already shared a couple of Agave pups which Paul gave me, but there's more. Ya...check these out!

I couldn't believe it when Paul grabbed this nicely trunked Aloe plicatilis (now known as Kumara plicatilis) and handed it to me, seriously? Ya - how lucky am I?

And then a positively stunning Agave 'Cream Spike'...

Thank you Paul, thank you Roger and Marj Gossler, thank you Willamette Valley Hardy Plant Group - you all treated me to two days I will not soon forget.

All material © 2009-2015 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.