Friday, February 28, 2020

A neighborhood walk yields an update

The sky threatened but I grabbed a jacket and headed out the door anyway, too long setting at my desk hitting computer keys...

I started walking without a destination in mind and ended up here, a garden I first noticed in January of 2019. Back then it was a sea of landscape fabric with a few cool plants tucked in. Things have definitely improved since then...

The spiky characters look much more at home backed by rocks. Agave parryi...

Or even just soil (not cloth). Agave parrasana 'Meat Claw'...

Agave ovatifolia

That's an arctostaphylos (manzanita) but I don't know which one.

I really like the mix of bare soil and gravel, it's a little Roberto Burle Marx.

Walking on I came to this interesting fence. There must be an ADU (accesory dwelling unit, very Portland) tucked in the basement because it had it's own entrance and mailbox here on the side.

I peeked in through the fence.

Walking around to the front of the house...

Nigella seedheads I believe,

That's a nice sturdy support for the wisteria.

Peeking through to the front garden.

Trachelospermum asiaticum ‘Red Top’ perhaps?

That's a nice urbanite wall too...


All material © 2009-2020 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

Thursday, February 27, 2020

Magnolia laevifolia and Asarum maximum 'Ling Ling'—two favorites right now...

If I were going to resurrect my "favorite plant in the garden this week" posts (and I'm not) I'd have a hard time choosing between Magnolia laevifolia and Asarum maximum 'Ling Ling'. The magnolia seems to have put on major growth when I wasn't looking. It's almost as tall as the trachycarpus!

Pretty amazing considering it was just a little guy back in 2014...

Okay maybe not so amazing as that was six years ago. But this plant is not known as a well shaped shrub, it's awkward, kinda draping every which way. I'm happy it decided to send up a tall leader.

Here's a look at the entire plant, in the rectangular outline.

And here's what the dreamy flowers look like (photo from back in 2014), it will be another month at least before they start to appear.

Until then the furry cinnamon covered buds provide plenty of "interest," as they say.

Aren't they cute?

As for my love of Asarum maximum 'Ling Ling' it's all about the flowers right now. Do you see them below? If I told you the common name of this plant is panda faced ginger would that help?

Aren't they fun?

I grow this plant in the ground, but it's doing so much better in the "fern bowl" I put together last summer. As a bonus you don't have to lay in the ground to see the flowers, since it's slightly elevated. Photo from last May...

I think I need to buy a few more of this plant.



All material © 2009-2020 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

Wednesday, February 26, 2020

Wednesday Vignette, time spent in the garden is the good life

Small clean-up tasks that can be done in short bursts of time are a blessing during days that are mostly rainy with a dry spell or two. I had just finished cutting out broken and brown sarracenia pitchers from the "planter" with the moss, when I glanced down and saw the icy blue foliage of the Echium wildpretii below. Spring is coming! Ain't the gardening life grand?


Weather Diary, Feb 25: Hi 55, Low 33/ Precip 0

Wednesday Vignettes are hosted by Anna at Flutter & Hum. All material © 2009-2020 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

Tuesday, February 25, 2020

Part Two of my 2019 visits to the Kuzma-Halme Garden

We spent yesterday in the front garden, today we're exploring the back garden, starting with this striking eucalyptus in June...

And from a slightly different perspective, in August.

When I visited in May the pond was undergoing a little repair—thus no photos. In June; it was looking fantastic

August and everything is a little bigger, more mature...

A slight jump back in time now, to June. Note the Alstroemeria 'Indian Summer'  just to the left of the pond.

And now, in August, it's larger...

A detail shot.

The Agave ovatifolia and Leucadendron argenteum in May.

In June...

And in August...

A corner of the garden, in August.

I was especially enamored with this vignette and took a few photos, this one in June.

August...

More August...

The Caesalpinia gilliesii was blooming in June...

And still going in August.

In May the stones of the crevice garden were still visible.

By June they were nowhere to be seen...

June

June

August

August

August

Agave parrasana 'Meat Claw', in August.

Abutilon 'Victor Reiter', if my memory is correct (August).

The colocasia is lush, in August.

And the gunnera is huge!

May

August

In May the trachycarpus were in bloom.


June brought Magnolia blooms, sadly I'm drawing a blank on which one this is.

The pathway to where we started in the back garden is narrowing in June.

Variegated daphniphyllum, June

June

August

And the non-variegated version, June.

I'll end this year's coverage (last year's? These photos were taken in 2019) with luxurious brugmansia blooms, in June. I hope jumping around from May to June to August wasn't too distracting.

Weather Diary, Feb 24: Hi 49, Low 37/ Precip trace

All material © 2009-2020 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.