Tuesday, February 13, 2018

The Understory at the Amazon Spheres, what everyone was talking about during the NWFGS

Back on January 26th I read an article about the newly opened Amazon Spheres (you really should click on that link, the photos are fabulous) and I remembered a post my friend Justin did a couple of years ago (here). Justin's post covered an earlier phase of the urban Amazon campus, but it alone had me wanting to visit. It was that section of the campus I first came upon when I walked over from the Washington State Convention Center, where the NWFG Festival was being held.

The staircase was densely planted (left, right and center) with choice shade plants.

It wasn't raining at the time, but I bet this downspout comes alove with just a little water.

After walking through that courtyard I turned the corner and bam! There they were: "The Spheres"... (another article with more photos is here). They're causing quite the stir among us plant people, especially because we can't actually get up there, inside the spheres, to see what it's all about. Since I knew that sad truth before my visit I wasn't disappointed (unlike some folks).

Besides the plants around the base of The Spheres were so amazing I spent an hour wandering around looking at them. This Sinopanax formosanus is the first one I've seen in person, although I've read plenty about it on the Far Reaches Farm website. Now I (of course) need one. "Need"...(dare I mention it's going for $100?)...

This might look a little strange to people who don't grow Lysimachia paridiformis var. stenophylla, that's last year's growth all splayed out in a circle. The new growth will sprout soon from the center and look like this.

There were multiple handsome Schefflera planted throughout the understory, this one S. delavayi. On either side of it you can see hardy gingers (I think) with last years's growth still hanging on...I assume because up until recently they'd been enjoying the greenhouse life?

More ginger and a florific Edgeworthia.

A little pale, or maybe it's a fancy new cultivar?

Love all that luscious foliage, but the (unknown, dormant) spikes really caught my eye.

I wonder what this is? (update: unidentified Berberis from Steve Hootman)

Happy Blechnum chilense (I think)...

As much as the understory plantings held my attention I couldn't help but look up and admire (and wonder about) the green inside...

Such a missed opportunity for tours inside The Spheres! Had the NWFG Festival and Amazon teamed up there would have been money thrown around like it was the plant version of a game of Monopoly.

Meanwhile back on the ground, another choice Schefflera, S. taiwaniana. And so many Mahonia eurybracteata 'Soft Caress'...

Woodwardia unigemmata, I believe.

And this is when things really go off the rails crazy!  Pseudopanax ferox everywhere...

And a few Pseudopanax crassifolius thrown in to keep it interesting (ha! As if that was necessary)...

Can't over look the gorgeous Astelias.

This was my chance to go inside and explore the small visitors center, but instead I made use of the fading light and continued around outside. Indoors could wait.

I planted a gifted Pseudopanax crassifolius in the ground, at the urging of Sean Hogan (who gifted it to me) but a harsh winter killed it. My Pseudopanax ferox is doing fantastic, in a container. Years back, during a NWFGS seminar, Dan Hinkley urged everyone to put theirs in the ground. I couldn't bring myself to do it, Portland gets a little colder (and a lot icier) than the Seattle area does.

Identified as Ypsilandra, I might need one of these too.

There were tree ferns. Oh so many tree ferns!

Several of them had little epiphytes tucked into their trunks, maybe a Billbergia? Actually Fascicularia pitcairnifolia

I've heard plenty of skepticism that these, along with several of the other plants, will make it here long term (winter being the death knell). It will be interesting to see what the future holds. I don't make it up to Seattle as often as I'd like, so I'm going to have to depend on folks closer to do frequent reporting....(please)....

Polylepis australis Polylepis tomentella, there were several along the sidewalk.

The "grass" is fake...

Pyrrosia sheareri

I think these must be Dyckia? Update: Ochagavia carnea (which I grew, but lost after a bad winter).

If they live they're going to form an impenetrable mat in no time.

Damn I wish I could plant tree ferns!

Thankfully there were also Agaves!

And Yucca rostrata...

The spiky plants bordered the small dog play area.

There was an Agave ovatifolia...

Rhodocoma capensis

And several Agave parryi that look like the planting and mulching crew took out all their anger on them.

Poor things.

Grevillea lanigera I believe. There was also a couple Grevillea juniperina 'Lava Cascade' but my photo was too blurry to use.

Check out that huge green wall inside! Reports are The Spheres are (a small) part of the 90 minute Amazon Headquarters tour you can sign up for, but that's booked through the end of June now.

Beschorneria some something or other.

Okay, it's getting dark and staring to rain a bit. Let's take a look inside...

Inside was primarily informational signs and a few plants and videos.

Your Brain on Plants: "We created The Spheres to give Amazonians a chance to refresh and restore themselves. Imagine a work conversation happening near a waterfall or a flowering wall of orchids. Even short doses of nature have been proven to boost well-being. Immersed in greenery, we're more relaxed and alert — we can think more creatively." (yep...every gardener I know would agree)

Outside again it was getting late. Time to head back to the NWFG Festival, or maybe call it a day and meet Andrew in the hotel bar...

What if!

Weather Diary, Feb 12: Hi 49, Low 31/ Precip 0

All material © 2009-2018 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

35 comments:

  1. Holy Cow! I knew the inside was off limits unless you had booked the tour, but I had no idea there was a publicly accessible area outside with such interesting plantings! Thanks for letting me know. I usually do a summer "Day in the City" each year, and I might just have to check this area out this year when I go into town. Strictly for your sake, to keep you updated.

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    1. Also, thanks for linking to that GeekWire article! It was so much more informative than the short articles Ive read in the Seattle Times.

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    2. Glad you enjoyed and I look forward to your summer update. I suspect things are going to look very different there in the summertime.

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  2. Thanks for the great overview Lori. The most thorough to date that I've seen. I appreciate it.

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    1. You're very welcome Daniel! (psst, it's Loree)

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  3. WOW. I'd go to Seattle just to tour the inside. Maybe in 6 months it'll be easier to get on a tour.

    In the meantime, I'll enjoy your wonderful photos.

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    1. Someone mentioned that Amazon was blindsided by the interest. I get that it's an office and who wants the public walking through a business meeting, right? But I bet they come up with some way to get the public what they want.

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  4. Amazing! And I'm with you on the tree ferns. Maybe in 10 years as things warm up?

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    1. I just can't make that "when things warm up" theory work (and I hear it all the time). Sure overall things are warming but at the same time we go and have an insane cold winter like last year. Overall warmth, with one wacky cold snap thrown in, does not happy tree ferns make.

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  5. Thank you so much for the great tour! I had no idea this even existed. Love the spheres, the message and the plantings! So many cool plants so little space here!

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    1. They just recently opened so I'm sure the word will slowly start to spread beyond the Seattle area.

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  6. That is amazing! Who designed the planting? That might answer the question as to how much they know about the plants and the local climate. Despite the beauty, I don't think it would be enough to make me want to work at Amazon.

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    1. From what I've read there's a whole team behind these plantings including some local experts and the landscape arch firm Site Workshop, who commented below.

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  7. Bezos' big balls are causing quite a buzz! Thanks for sharing the exterior garden full of cool plants.

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    1. Glad you got throw that one out here in the public realm. Like I said, it's sure to catch on.

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  8. Another Amazon breakthrough...totally inspired thinking!

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  9. LOVE this! I hope this is the beginning of a trend where all workplaces have green spaces. What a difference that would make. Inspiring! Thanks for posting this, Loree.

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    1. What a different that would make! The last office I worked in had a park just out the back door. Being able to walk out there made all the difference some days.

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  10. Thanks for the nice write up and so glad you enjoyed the visit. Yes, we are being a bit adventurous with the plant selection here and there, but we also fully appreciate the risks. We all expect the landscape to continue to evolve and get better over time. And I should add that we're just getting started--lots more to come. By the way, the dormant shrubs with the spines are unidentified Berberis from Steve Hootman. The epiphytes in the Dicksonia are more Fascicularia pitcairnifolia. The "Dyckia" is actually Ochagavia carnea. Lots of other special plants that might be more noticeable on your next visit. Personally I'm really looking forward to seeing the three Rehderodendron macrocarpum growing into maturity. The fall color this year was pretty spectacular. And we've all been impressed with the Lomandra hystrix on the 6th Ave side of the plaza. We'll eventually see how they come through a real Seattle winter, but so far they've held their own against the stresses of city living.

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    1. Thanks for the ID's! (and dispelling the myth that landscape architects don't really know plants).

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  11. wow! I haven't gone down to the Spheres yet, but after seeing all these pictures I want to go ... right now! I have an Australian Tree fern and just picked up a Tasmanian at the Garden show.I'm told they're both very cold hardy but will need heavy mulch and will die back in the winter, I will be planting mine outside when it warms up... time will tell if they live I suppose....

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    1. You're a brave lady! (planting your tree ferns out). Enjoy the Spheres!

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  12. Thanks for posting the article link -- looks incredible! I didn't read anything about the gardeners that care for those gardens, but it must be more than just typical landscaping crews. I also want to know more about the insect life they've released. It can't be just plants...

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    1. One of the articles I read did mention the insect life, but I don't recall specifics. Nor was the staff that tend mentioned.

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  13. The Sinopanax formosanus is way cool, luckily it needs moisture, so it is no temptation for this gardener. Well, only a moderate temptation.

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    1. Moderate temptation sounds bearable. I'm experiencing extreme!

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  14. Wowza! I glanced at a distance shot of the Amazon Spheres in the paper or a magazine article recently but I don't recall seeing plants! If anyone I'd worked for had created an environment like this, I might well still be working there.

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    1. Nah, the temptation of hours spent in your own garden would be too strong a pull...

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  15. I definitely spied some very choice tropical plants in the Geekwire video. Yes, tree ferns. If only we could reliably grow tree ferns outside. The plantings outside are definitely worth watching through a few winters to see what survives. I like that someone from the design firm? took the time to id those plants.

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    1. Ya I thought it was incredibly cool that someone from the L.A. firm commented with ID's. Now I need to go make the changes in the text!

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  16. Fantastic post. It gives the NWFGF a run for its money. I wish some of that plant splendor was present at the show, instead of the same old varieties. I've past by the spheres, always in a hurry to catch a bus, always promising to return for an extensive visit. Your post is definitely the motivation I needed. A good place to take out of town visitor.

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    1. I hope you get a chance to visit soon. And did you go to the NWFG show the year Riz Reyes did a garden? I think that's the closest we've come to seeing a lot of these plants at the convention center.
      http://www.thedangergarden.com/2013/03/the-plants-it-was-all-about-plants.html

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  17. Very cool. The Edgeworthia is my favorite.

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