Tuesday, September 18, 2018

My "planty" weekend with three Californian's and a Brit...

Last weekend was the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon's Fall PlantFest. The event included a lecture with Kelly and Sue of Far Reaches Farm, followed by a plant sale. Kathy Stoner, of Gardenbook, was in town for work, and stayed over for the weekend to join in the fun. Then Gerhard, of Succulents and More, decided to make the trip as well. I didn't see Kathy until Saturday but Gerhard arrived Thursday night and stayed with us. We went out adventuring (aka nursery visiting) on Friday, our first stop was Portland Nursery. I thought it would be interesting for Gerhard to see, and they'd just started a 30% off sale...

These Euphorbia rigida crack me up. They're so substantial, and erect. Not at all like my plants in the ground.

This was definitely the year Dianthus 'Green Trick' became widely available. I've got two plants and they've done fabulously over the summer. I hope they return in the spring...

Ah yes, Schizostylis coccinea...the plant I see in local gardens in autumn and wish I'd remember to buy it. At 30% off I finally did, mine will bloom a little darker than this one, if the tag is correct.

Much to Gerhard's amusement Portland Nursery was also featuring all their annuals and tropicals at 50% off. Annuals being anything that wasn't going to winter-over in our climate, like succulents and this beautiful Bougainvillea (that's what Gerhard was amused by, things that aren't annuals being sold as annuals). I wanted this beauty, but I did not buy it.

Our next stop was Xera Plants. I loved that the yellow leaves, which had been cut from the Tetrapanax, were  carefully placed to the side, as though they were going to be used elsewhere, not just thrown in a yard waste bin. They do look great in a vase!

A sizzling combination! Cosmos atrosanguineus, aka chocolate cosmos (I think) and Artemisia versicolor 'Sea Foam'.

Origanum x 'Xera Cascade'

Next door to Xera is Contained Exhuberance (aka Hyland Garden Design), Bob had a lot of fun with this display (be sure to note the Barbie leg)...

Next we made a quick stop at Pomarius, mainly because I wanted Gerhard to see how much has changed there since the 2014. Our opening night bash for the 2014 Garden Bloggers Fling, in Portland, was at Pomarius and it was a picture perfect night.

Next stop: Cistus Nursery!

We were blessed with a beautiful day, one I did not take for granted since it had been rather grey and rainy earlier in the week.

x Gordlinia grandiflora

It still kinda thrills me that I'm allowed to venture into the forbidden area...

I wanted to take this selection of Dudleya and liverwort home and plant it up just like this. Of course it wouldn't stay just like this, so I didn't even try.

Oh to be able to grow the larger-leaf Callistemon in my garden.
And to get a Banksia bloom! (of course these are all treasures living in the hoop-houses).

Always willing to strike a pose (if you ask nicely) Sean Hogan is modeling the latest in Echium foliage bouquets.

This charming fellow was enjoying the Echium foliage as well.

I dreamt that night that I discovered a tree frog in my garden. I was so bummed when I woke up excited, and then realized it was just a dream.

This breathtaking Mahonia is planted in Sean's under-construction new garden. He's moved out to the island and is having a grand time planting up a new space.

Okay, now it's Saturday and we're at the HPSO PlantFest. Apologies to the fellow who I inadvertently photographed while aiming my camera at Kelley and Sue (in the shadows, with the microphones).

I was all sorts of giddy when, during the lecture, they shared this image of Bupleurum angulosum, cause I got one when I visited the nursery last month. Aren't those green flowers fab?

A few photos from the plant sale which followed...

Who's that man with the plants? Ah yes, Gerhard! He came all the way to Portland to buy an Agave hybrid from The Ruth Bancroft Garden (along with a few other things...).

After we did all the damage ($) we could do at the sale, Gerhard and Kathy and I made the trip out to visit Tamara, aka Chickadee Gardens.

Tamara's old garden (here) was a stop on the 2014 Fling, so these two had both seen it, and now follow her adventures at the new garden via her blog. Lots of photos were taken so I'm sure they'll both do future posts for you to drool over.

I couldn't resist snapping another photo of that sweet carex "lawn"...

After a delicious lunch (thank you Tamara!) we then headed back to Portland to visit the garden of John Kuzma and Kathleen Halme. There we met up with Derick Pitman (aka Mr. Impatiens, far left, from Sacramento — the 3rd Californian, along with Kathy and Gerhard) and Preston Pew (far right), behind Kathy, talking with Derick and gesturing, is John Kuzma...

... also enjoying the garden were Nick Macer (of Pan-global plants, in Gloucestershire, UK) and Sean Hogan.

The garden was amazing, as usual. I wasn't going to snap any photos, figuring I'd just enjoy the company and return later for photography, but of course I ended up taking some 70+ pics, so there will be an upcoming post.

John and Kathleen are such wonderful hosts that it was after 8:30 when we finally headed home (much wine, snacking and plant talk had occurred in the mean time).

Sunday morning was a lazy one, later that afternoon Nick, Sean and Derick all came by my garden. Here Nick was snapping a photo of the Dasylirion, but I thought it looked a little like he was hugging the Verbascum.

So that's a wrap on my three very "planty" days — other than the fact Gerhad and I visited Garden Fever later Sunday afternoon. I neglected to take any photos there, but I did buy plants. Originally I planned to include photos of the weekend's new plant purchases here too, but this post is getting a bit lengthy. I'll share those later in the week.

Weather Diary, Sept 17: Hi 70, Low 49/ Precip 0

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

33 comments:

  1. What a fun, full, exciting weekend! I would have needed another weekend's worth of days to decompress after all that.

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    1. Ha! I was a little slow moving on Monday.

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  2. I can't imagine a better weekend, Loree. I laughed about your dream - a tree frog would have me waking up excited too. I'm sorry the one you saw at the nursery hadn't really followed you home.

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    1. I heard a sound the other evening that sounded like a frog, I think it was just a strange cricket though.

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  3. There was certainly no "fat" on that itinerary -- what a lot you got done! Fine people, fine gardens and nurseries, what a blast.

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  4. Your "planty weekend" sounds like a mini Fling, and wow, don't we all wish we'd been there! Chickadee, tree frogs, and that crazy 'Green Trick' were all icing on the tastiest cake imaginable.

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    1. It did have the feel of a mini-fling...wish you were here...

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  5. Great tour, great nurseries, even lovelier people. I love that the plant community is so open and generous with each other. Great to see Kathy and Gerhard, and you too, of course! :)

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    1. Still enjoying the fabulous veggies you sent home...

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  6. Not planning to take photos at John Kuzma's garden? That's adorable. Looks like you had an amazing weekend full of fun plants and people. That mahonia is fantastic!

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    1. I was surprised we didn't see you at PlantFest...

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  7. You were so good about chronicling all the stops we made! I had a blast, to say the least.

    I wonder what kind of conversation I was having with Preston and Kathy in John Kuzma's garden?!?!

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    1. I would love to know (conversation), thanks for being the impetus for all the fun.

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  8. P.S. Seeing Tamara's garden was a highlight--not to mention the FOOD!!!

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  9. What a fun planty three days! Looks like y'all had a blast! Can't wait to see your haul!

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    1. I got a few of the newbies in the ground yesterday!

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  10. I wonder if tree frogs can be transplanted successfully. We have lots of them.
    but I wouldn't want to traumatize one of the little fellows. Perhaps you will have to be content to see them in your dreams.
    rickii

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    1. I think I'm going to have to be happy with my dreams...

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  11. I was determined to get evening light photo at Kennedy school, you can imagine how that turned out. There was no actual light that wasn't grey. Oh well. But I got some shots in the morning!Seeing Tamara and Johns gardens was awesome,and their hospitality just blew me away. Plant people are the best people. was Thanks for scheduling all this, I had great fun as brief as it was. I wish I could have been along for your nursery crawl -much more fun than work !

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    1. Glad you got some morning shots, and wish you could have joined us too!

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  12. Just this evening a frog was croaking in my garden. I don't even think about it how lucky I am. Those Euphorbias put the rigid in rigida. :) Fun plant weekend... my favorite kind!

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  13. Love the Tetrapanex leaves with the yellow chair but I am not sure about a Dianthus that looks nothing like a Dianthus.

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    1. Ha, probably why it's my favorite Dianthus.

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  14. You lucky Pug! Sean Hogan of Cistus and Nick Maser (presenter in prior years) on BBC's Gardener's World all wrapped in garden tours and shopping?!
    Portlandia is a lucky gal. Well at least I can say I've had a tree frog on my property but like the frog I'm really, really green with envy..
    Neil up in a very dry Victoria

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    1. I did not realize Nick had been a Gardener's World presenter, but if course now that I know it makes perfect sense. He has a way about him that would relax even the most nervous TV guest. It was a fun weekend for sure!

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  15. You know how to have planty of good times.

    Wow has the Kuzma garden grown. Must be that rain stuff.

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    1. You saw the Kuzma garden after a very bad winter. Some things were newly planted then, some we just getting going after being knocked way back. Four years later there has definitely been a lot of growth.

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