Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Garden Bloggers party at Joy Creek Nursery


Two of our Portland garden bloggers group work at Joy Creek Nursery; Tamara who blogs at Chickadee Gardens, and Ricki from Sprig to Twig. Along with owners Maurice and Mike (two of the nicest guys you'll ever meet), they hosted our group at the nursery last weekend.

Joy Creek is not open regular hours until the end of February, but Mike and Maurice invited us out to talk about winter damage we've experienced in our gardens, and how they're going to approach "clean-up" — Mike is a skilled pruner who teaches a hands-on class at the nursery every year. We also got a look (via photos) at a fern-stumpery project Maurice, and his husband George, have created at their home on Sauvie Island. There were delicious treats, plant talk, and of course a few plants were purchased. It was a much needed opportunity to hang with my tribe...

It was also a great opportunity to see the nursery and it's gardens in a new way. Those bananas (above, by the palm) will rise again...but for now they're a soggy mess. A week after the snow melted, the snow-drops (Galanthus) are already appearing...

Here Mike is showing how he'll rejuvenate a badly damaged shrub (note he has his saw at the ready). Winter temperatures at the nursery had bottomed out at 11F and they had 18" of snow fall, as well as some ice.

Here's most of our group, it wasn't raining but was definitely a chilly day.

Poor Hydrangea aspera, split in half and partially uprooted. The still upright part will be salvaged and the other half is done for. I did stop to admire the bright green layer just under the papery bark.

Here's Matthew (The Lent's Farmer) standing behind a smooshed Daphne. The snow load took a good 2-3 feet off the plant.

I believe this was a black walnut tree, now it's an uprooted trellis for Hydrangea integrifolia.

The top of the tree, leaning on a friend.

Split trunks of Magnolia virginiana 'Moon Glow'...

Two of which crashed down on a Drimys.

Pay no attention to that alien ship above the Garrya elliptica. What I really wanted you to admire here is the somewhat damaged but still lovely Hebe cupressoides (? I think).

Love those Garrya catkins!

I have no idea which Oak this is, I just thought the brown leaves were pretty.

As were the Clematis seed heads. I can't believe they survived the snow intact.

Not so good over here though.

The fallen branches of the Pinus parviflora made it easy to admire the combination of blue and green on the needles.

Imagine what that bamboo looked like! It's popped up nicely.

Some seed-heads still standing, some where rather flat.

Euphorbia, not sure which one.

Lanky growth.

This is a Kniphofia! Mushy leaves, but old bloom spikes held tall.

I remember visiting one early spring and seeing their Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) with winter damage.

It seems to have escaped with none this year.

Their Schefflera delavayi looked happy and healthy.

Couldn't find a name on the Hamamelis.

Without the distraction of a big lush garden small details like this one jumped out at me.

Yucca nana, I believe.

And a Dasylirion, I'm not sure which one.

Agave neomexicana.

Nothin but beauty! (unfazed by the snow and cold)...

Here we we'd lined up to enjoy the tasty soup and other treats. Seems someone was picking flowers in the garden!

The various fern tables around the nursery all looked pretty wonderful, considering what they've been through.

More of those details normally overlooked...

While the tables were mostly empty there were still a few hardy plants tucked under and around, plus a nice assortment of things were brought out to tempt us! (I came home with a Drimys winteri)

Thank you Maurice, Mike, Tamara and Ricki, for a wonderful day! There was talk among our group about getting together again soon, and plans are already in the making. Our nation may be falling apart, but us garden bloggers are going to help keep each other sane...

Weather Diary, January 30: Hi 44, Low 35/ Precip .01

All material © 2009-2017 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

Monday, January 30, 2017

In a Vase on Monday: the bathroom smells amazing!

After a few weeks with no new "In a Vase on Monday" submission (as hosted by Cathy, at Rambling in the Garden)  I was feeling the pressure to do something, anything! I love having fresh garden arrangements in the house and really needed something to brighten my spirits.

But then there's the whole "garden is trashed from winter" thing. What to do? Oh ya, my Hamamelis x intermedia 'Early Bright' Hamamelis x intermedia 'Rochester' (just heard from the nursery I bought it from, they'd got it in mislabeled and emailed me with the right name), was looking good, back before the snow and ice snapped it's trunk, or so I thought. Turns out once I was able to really investigate it wasn't that bad. There's a small fracture but it's completely salvageable, I'm sure of it. While working to brace the trunk (in case we get another winter storm) I decided to cut a couple of small branches, to enjoy indoors.

And what better to go with them than a bit of Grevillea australis, my most used shrub — for "in a vase" foliage. That's it there, under the dead Acacia dealbata. It's also damaged and I'm trying to decide what to do with it.

Walking back towards the house I spotted the third "vase" element. Foliage from the Metapanax delavayi has been falling to the ground.

The plant is okay, but some individual leaves are unhappy. I can't blame them.

Here's the final vase-full...

The Hamamelis brings color and fragrance, the Grevillea acts as a suitable "filler" (although I do hate that term) and the Metapanax is the backdrop — it's all on the shelf in our bathroom.

As I said in the title "the bathroom smells amazing!"...

Of course this little guy is my favorite bit of the vignette. A small cachepot and a mini opuntia, both from the Portland Nursery houseplant sale ($2.99 each and then minus 30% off...they practically paid me to bring this home!)...

A "snakey" Tillandsia and "B" bingo ball ("B" for our last name) were already in my possession. I really like how it all came together, with minimal effort.

Now just because I believe in keeping it real...lest you think it's all fresh flowers, clean dishes and vacuumed carpets around these parts. Here's how the mantle is currently looking. Ya, nothing has changed since you last saw this on January 2nd, four weeks ago!

On the far left things are still (amazingly) fresh. That Antherium dates back to our wedding anniversary on December 18th!

Not so with the Protea and Leucadendron. They're dead. Dry. Crispy.

Ha! And this too, the Ginger. This is what happens when you're busy and distracted. Oh well. At least they don't stink!

Weather Diary, January 29: Hi 46, Low 33/ Precip trace

All material © 2009-2017 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.