Tuesday, October 6, 2020

An incomplete look at my friend Heather's garden...

Here on the blog I've documented countless gardens belonging to strangers, while overlooking several that belong to friends and fellow bloggers. As I was doing a little photo housekeeping the other day (moving large photo files to an external hard-drive), I ran across some photos I took at my friend Heather's garden, she who blogs at Just a Girl with a Hammer...



I took these images while working on my book, Fearless Gardening, so I had specific subjects in mind, thus this is not a complete look at her stunning garden, but instead a peek. 



Looking at the above photos I am sure there are those of you focused on the grasses, or maybe that large mahonia on the right? But to my eye it's the agaves that shine, of course. At the front door...

Somewhere in the front garden (I lost track...there's so many!)...

Ditto...

This is my favorite wide-shoot, the colors look like a painting.





Eucomis 'Oakhurst', or maybe E. 'Sparkling Burgundy'




One last look at the front garden...







And then we step into the back garden...






That's a lousy excuse for a wide-shot, there's so much I didn't get in this image, but at least I got the cool tiki hut in the corner of the garden. 

Under the structure are a couple of hover dish planters I tried—and failed—to get good photos of. These are the best I could do...







 Heather's got a bit of a bromeliad addiction going on...(I did mention we're friends, right?)...







And yep, I even like this Begonia boliviensis 'Bonfire', in her garden...

Tetrapanax, acanthus, canna's...really, you can't go wrong...



And if you need a little impromptu shade, why not use a fancy parasol?

Finally, the Woodwardia fimbriata of my dreams...



For a better look at what makes Heather's garden special, click on over to this post on Alyse Lansing's blog.

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Weather Diary, Oct 5: Hi 75, Low 53/ Precip 0 

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

16 comments:

  1. Begonia boliviensis 'Bonfire' is always an eye candy for me, but that entire container display is very fetching: the bromeliad next to the begonia is so dramatic and the Papyrus in the back may not even be in the same pot but it looks like it is... very cool.
    In the front garden, there is a variegated plant 'hugging' the agave. Do you have an ID on it?

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    1. I don't normally care for that begonia, but the way she planted the container definitely pulls my eye.

      If I had to make a guess on the variegated plant's ID I'd go with a variegated daphne, but I really haven't a clue.

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    2. Our bonfire is in the running for container flower of the year for us, along with the Tradescantia (we are simple folk).
      Bonfire is endlessly prolific, with that extra neon touch to give it the "whoa" factor. It is still at 100% even today Oct 6 in Portland. Will be doing more next year. The hummers love'm.

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  2. I miss her blog, and Peter's, Outlaw Gardener.

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  3. It's been a long time since Heather's posted photos of her own garden so I appreciated this by way of an update. I love her hanging planters and that Tetrapanax-Acanthus combination.

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    1. I love the tropical, yet Portland-grounded, thing she's got going on.

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  4. Begonia boliviensis 'Bonfire' with the striped bromeliad and the dark purple foliage around it is so striking. That front bed is nice, too.

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    1. I think Heather's front garden is such a great example of what you can do if you ditch the lawn.

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    2. A great example for the passersby. We seriously need to ditch most of the lawns in America and plant diverse native plants. Our greater planetary survival depends on recovering our failing ecosystems.

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  5. Oh, I love this garden! I really like how she spaces the plants, and the colors and textures are expertly combined. The Eucomis is beautiful!

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  6. A wonderfully eclectic mix of plants. You can tell Heather is addicted to plants. Love the parasol.

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  7. Her Woodwardia looks so good! My oldest one got swamped by surrounding plants and I had to move it to a more open location. It ended up in two pieces because it was an awkward spot to dig and I was impatient. They don't like being divided. Luckily my younger 3 are doing well.

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  8. Love Secret Gardens. She got us hooked on the Melianthus major, and the Lobelia tupa, among other things.
    Nice post!

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