Thursday, February 4, 2016

Time for our annual look at the Kuzma garden...

Where the heck does time go? Last August I visited a very special garden. One I've been visiting, and writing about, since 2011. It was a hot day, but somehow that seems like just the weather one needs to tour this paradise...

You're probably familiar with this garden not just from my photos, but from the posts other bloggers did when we visited as part of the Portland Garden Blogger's Fling in 2014.

Here's some exciting news...it's also a featured garden in Pam Penick's new book "The Water-Saving Garden: How to Grow a Gorgeous Garden with a Lot Less Water" due out in late February. Finally someone is going to break the myth that it rains "all the time" in Portland!

No, this is the same photo again, it's taken a bit further back. I just love the way the blue of the Yucca Rostrata blends into the green foliage all around and yet looks like blue shock-waves reverberating out to the blue blue sky.

Rhododendron pachysanthum (L) and Fatsia japonica 'Spider's Web' (R)

Love that tomentum!

Every gardener needs a Nolina 'La Siberica', or three.

And lots and lots of Eryngium!

There are many exotic Passionflower growing in this garden.

Maybe I should plant a Datura this year...

Now we enter the private back garden...

Another crazy Passionflower.

And an enormous Phlebodium pseudoaureum.

Agave ovatifolia

Leucadendron argenteum

I wonder if my Setcreasea purpurea 'Purple Heart' will come back from the roots this spring?

Things are really happy in this garden, the heat of last summer did it good.

I wonder if he got blooms on the Acanthus sennii?

So beautiful...

I wonder if my Caesalpinia gilliesii will bloom this year?

The Agaves have gotten so amazingly large...

Be still my beating heart.

This might be my favorite stage of a Datura bloom.

Acacia dealbata (I think).

All roads lead to the orange container...

Look...

Bananas!

Variegated Daphniphyllum.

And just like that our tour is over. I can't wait to see what summer 2016 brings! (For a look back at previous year's visits: 2014,  201320122011).

All material © 2009-2016 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

32 comments:

  1. And an enormous Phlebodium pseudoaureum.

    As if they come in sizes other than enormous.

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  2. It was great to see John's garden a year after the Garden Bloggers Fling. Plants that had been damaged during the winter of 2013/14 seem to have recovered beautifully. Everything is bigger and lusher than I remember. Still one of the my favorites of the gardens we saw.

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    1. You're right Gerhard, it's like winter 2013/14 never happened. And with our reasonably mild winter this year (even with the snow and ice episode it's still not been below 24F) it's gonna be a jungle this summer (in a good way, of course).

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  3. One of my favorite gardens ever. Of course I scroll down to the crevice garden first and it looks great. All the agaves are doing beautifully. They could be in a Texas garden except it would be rare to have Abutilon and Passionflower blooming at the same time.

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    1. Really? (bloom timing) When would those bloom for you?

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  4. Great tour of a great garden. I've never seen a Datura unfurling. That's certainly a gorgeous moment. And I love those Rhodies with the fuzzy indumentum. Looking forward to Pam's new book. Not to be too braggy, but there are a number of photos of our garden and the botanic garden in Madison taken by my husband in Pam's first book. We were stunned when we saw the cover to realize the top two photo's were his. Very cool.

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    1. No worries about being braggy! I'm happy to know this and will take another look at Lawn Gone! Now my turn to brag...my garden is in that book too! I don't think any of my photos are, since Pam's been here she took her own, but it's fun to see my garden there, as you say...very cool!

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  5. It's a remarkable, awe-inspiring garden. And now I'm wondering why in heck don't I have a Leucadendron argenteum.

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    1. Yes indeed...why not? They're beautiful!

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  6. I always look forward to your posts about this garden and remember when the agaves in the crevice garden were just put in. They've grown so much! Such a great plant-focused space full of treasures. It was a delight to see it in person during the Portland fling. Thanks for the update!

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    1. It's amazing how much those Agaves have grown. I stood in front of them in awe...

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  7. Such a contrast to the Fling visit with everyone in garbage bag raincoats. A fabulous garden in any conditions.

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    1. True Ricki, while I prefer it under a cloudless blue sky the rainy version wasn't half bad.

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  8. I really enjoyed this garden and it looks wonderful in the bright sun. The pond is one of my favorites and I loved the huge pots that were used a sculptures! Thank you for the tour.

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    1. You're welcome Laurin, glad you were able to see it in person.

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  9. I never tire of photo tours of this spectacular garden, despite the fact that you drive me mad with envy at the Nolina, agaves and Yucca rostrata. Those blue explosions of fireworks masquerading as leaves are pure art.

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    1. Glad to hear the repeated visits aren't boring, you know I'll be back this year! Hmm, maybe I should beg a early spring visit so I can show the explosive growth that occurs over the summer months...

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  10. Gotta love the Eryngiums! The ponds and Agaves are amazing, too. I do sorta remember you and others posting about this place before. Obviously, I missed out on some amazing destinations for the Portland Fling. Thanks for giving us a bit of a peek through your blog!

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    1. Wish you could have made it for that Fling Beth, we had a great time. Are you going to Minneapolis?

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  11. man, what an incredible place...

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    1. Are you a HPSO member yet? Might be an open garden tour this summer...

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  12. Thanks for the book shout-out, Danger! Yes, I love how John's garden shows how to grow dry-loving plants in a summer-dry, winter-wet climate. Berms, baby, berms. As Shirley points out, in some ways his garden is reminiscent of a Texas garden (all those silvery plants and agaves). But in other ways it's very different, much lusher, with plants blooming at different times than we'd have. So interesting, the differences between our 8b climates!

    And a sidenote to Ms. Wis., I am so grateful to have been able to include Mr. Wis's beautiful photos in my first book! And thanks to you for sharing your garden and others in Madison with me. xoxo

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    1. You're welcome Pam. I am so excited about how many of our Portland gardens are in the book...yay us!

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  13. So much more lush than some previous images, from the front entrance all the way through. I knew the crevice garden would be fuller-looking, but whoa.

    Hard pressed to choose a favorite section, but am really taken by the silvery grouping near the Leucadendron argenteum. Used to go gaze and gaze at them in Strybing Arboretum (SF); I wonder how big it will get in your climate?

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    1. Assuming they sailed through our cold this year (mid 20's) they (the L. argenteum) are certainly on their way to a beautiful summer. Looking back though I think past plantings perished before they could get much bigger. The winter of 2013/14 was especially bad.

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  14. Everything has grown and looks so healthy and happy. Great to see it again!

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    1. This is going to be an incredible year...

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  15. Beautiful! Another great example of berms. I like how its lush even if it is also water wise.

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    1. Well certainly parts of it are given all the water it needs (behind the fountain for example) but for the most part I think it is pretty water-wise.

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  16. Reminds me of the visit to this wonderful garden during the Portland Fling. Love the Passionflower.

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    1. Ah yes, were you part of the group wearing trash-bag rain gear?

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