Friday, September 6, 2019

Following up on a banana tip...

I can't remember which post the comment appeared on, but a local reader asked something about this garden and referenced its location. I'd never been by, so I couldn't answer. I did however make note of the location, so I could drive by the next time I was near...

This is the front of the garden, the house is just to the right, out of frame. I'm standing on the public sidewalk.

Sun loving Yucca rostrata, with a shade loving fern at its base. Only in Portland.

Walking towards the driveway...

I'm not sharing any images of the house, because you couldn't really see much of it. This sumac blocked most of it, it's huge and gonna be gorgeous when the leaves start to color up with autumn.

Moving back towards the corner now...

That's a lot of fruit!

I'm guessing the white pipe has something to do with watering? Cause there were lots of happy bananas, no drought-stress here.

And that Tetrapanax! It's so short for the size of the trunk and the branching.

Then again all that mulch is piled up (volcano style), there were bricks stacked behind it keeping it in place, so the trunk is probably about 3 feet taller than it looks.

Did you notice the flower buds? These are crazy! None of my plants are pushing out buds yet. These have got such an early start, I'm going to have to keep an eye on them to see if they manage to bloom before a frost cuts them down this winter.

Right about here is when a nice, but concerned, lady came out to ask "can I help you?"... in other words "why are you taking pictures of my property?"... I think I managed to assure her I was only excited about the plants. Which weren't her doing, her partner is the gardener.

I kind of hoped my interest and excitement would earn me a look behind the fence but no go. She was still a little worried about what I was up to.

Just as well, I wasn't completely sure I wanted to go back there myself. They had gone to extreme lengths to make the area very private.

So I just wandered along the fence line snapping a few more photos. Hoping the cops wouldn't show up.

Look a secret door!

And just what kind of creature bites off a corner of a sign?

Lush...

And spiky!

And for sale (more garden photos if you click on the link), the lady I talked with said they just couldn't take living on a street that was getting busier and busier with each passing day.

Weather Diary, Sept 5: Hi 88, Low 62/ Precip 0

All material © 2009-2019 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

17 comments:

  1. A question about tetrapanax from a fellow Portlander: I love how they look and want to plant one myself, but I'm cautious about how much they might spread. The area I have available is relatively small. What's been your experience with that? Is it easy to keep neat and clean, or is it more like trying to keep a blackberry contained?

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    1. The seem to have years where they want to send out runners, and years when they do nothing. Weather might have something to do with it. When they do spread the babies are easy to get rid of. Most of the time I just grab the leaf and pull, trying to get as much of the root going back to the mama plant as possible. If you don't see them right away then you might need to get a shovel, as they'll have started to establish roots, but they're still super easy to dig.

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  2. What an interesting garden. Too bad they're selling. Maybe you should have urged her to join the HPSO and put it on their tour list. At the very least, it would have been a good excuse for your curiosity.

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    1. Definitely not a gardener herself and their need for privacy runs against opening for strangers. Besides thanks to a link from a friend I've now seen behind the wall. Did you see the link above?

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  3. Great photos!! Cool collection of plants I wonder how it will fair with a new owner?

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  4. That Beware sign is hilarious. I think I need one. I love the garden's tropical look but had to grimace at the story of the concerned homeowner - that's the kind of paranoia I've grown to expect in my own area but had hoped wasn't an issue elsewhere. We have a self-appointed neighbor who drives around the block at least twice a day "observing." Despite the fact I've lived here over 9 years and have spoken to her on several occasions, she's actually stopped to watch my apparently suspicious behavior - in my own garden!

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    1. In all my years of doing this (stopping to photograph gardens from the street) I've been asked what I'm up to exactly twice. So I don't think you need to be concerned. As for your neighbor, she sounds like a real basket case!

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  5. Well, if you had sufficient funds you could pretend to be a buyer and get a look inside. I'm just kidding of course.
    This is a very tropical looking garden; I wonder about the Tetrapanax. I always keep bark and mulch away from the trunk and yet, the Tedtrapanx looks very happy and may even bloom. Could tropical trees benefit from this method of mulching where other trees do not?

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    1. Did you click on the link above? (at the end of the post) I think I've seen everything I need to.

      I share your interest and concern about the Tetrapanax. I would love to pull back the mulch and see what the trunk looks like.

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  6. Loree, the dangerous plant stalker, haha!

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  7. Wow--I hate to think what will happen to this garden when the new tenants move in.But who knows, there may be another gardener waiting in the wings. Maybe her partner the gardener reads The Danger Garden and will invite you over for a tour !

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    1. I said something about selling being more difficult when you're trying to find someone who will appreciate the garden and the house. She nodded in agreement.

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  8. Not sure if you saw it, but the listing has a virtual tour link with a video walk-through of the entire property. Somewhat unsettling understanding the owners' desire for privacy, but the mystery is definitely gone!

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    1. Totally missed that, thanks! Off to tour...

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  9. GlassRockGardenSeptember 11, 2019

    My life would be complete if I could obtain all the light green landscaping rocks. I would ask the realtor how to make an offer (on the rocks alone) but I live 1170 miles away.

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