Garden touring last August (when things were "normal")

In late August the Oregon Association of Nurseries (OAN) holds its annual nursery industry trade-show, Farwest, here in Portland. Well, every year except this year that is, thanks to COVID-19 this year's show has been cancelled. The best thing about the Farwest show is the sheer quantity of plant lovers that come to town. Last year Sean Hogan capitalized on this and gathered a bunch of us together for a private garden tour—that is the tour was private and the gardens we visited were mostly private. We started the morning at Ryan Wilson's North Portland garden. 

I know Ryan because of his work at both Cistus Nursery and Xera Plants. He's moved on from both, but would be a familiar face to those of you've regularly shopped at either of these Portland institutions.

Sedum palmeri in the hellstrip...

And the unexpected, a desert fern.

I'm sure the other attendees were tossing around the name of this conifer, but I don't remember it. I'm rather conifer adverse, although even I can tell this one is a beauty.

Yes, I suppose I have to admit that when 11 months transpire between photo taking and photo posting, well, names are forgotten. I'm sure I knew what this charming pair of yuccas were back then, now I'm just not sure, perhaps Yucca schottii.

I do feel safe saying the big guys along the driveway are Yucca rostrata, and the shimmering beauty in the hellstrip is probably a Dasylirion wheeleri.

A family of Agave bracteosa lives at the base of the Yucca rostrata.

(I couldn't decide on just one photo)

The front porch, with containers, of course.

There are agaves...

And towering tetrapanax...

Pseudopanax ferox

Magnolia laevifolia

Schefflera delavayi

And look! Another collection of potted succulents.

Fatsia polycarpa

Blechnum chilense, which I guess we're now supposed to be calling Parablechnum cordatum.

Here's a plant I usually don't care for, Fatsia japonica 'Spider's Web'. It looks good here, in Ryan's garden. In other words it doesn't look sickly. 

I think this bit of needley goodness must be a Cunninghamia lanceolata 'Glauca'. If you're starting to wonder how big this garden is, well let me reassure you that it's not, not big that is, it's the standard Portland 50ft x 100ft. It is however expertly planted and tended.

There's even a nice open space for sitting and lounging.

And palms backed with blue sky.

And bananas...

This area near the back of the house was in transition, bamboo canes going up for privacy.

It echos the bamboo growing in the ground.

After Ryan's garden we traveled on to the garden of Greg Tyler (post next week), then my garden, a tour and lunch at the Kennedy School, and the rest of the group then went off to John Kuzma's garden. We all met up later at Sean's place on Sauvie Island. It was a grand day.

Weather Diary, July 6: Hi 69, Low 57/ Precip 0 

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