Wednesday, December 28, 2022

The Golden Hour, with spikes

Last May I discovered this garden by accident, parking in just the right spot to catch a glimpse of it and know I needed to look closer (post here). That luck struck again when I happened to drive by in late November as the setting sun was bathing everything in golden light.

Back when I first spotted it the plants were in the process of being planted and the gravel wasn't spread, it was fun to now see it all "completed" (as if a garden is ever complete, but you know what I mean...).


That agave on the right, on the house side of the pathway, is built up on a nice little hill, excellent drainage!

Funny how different my camera felt about the light once I walked over to the shady side. Oh and that eucalyptus, don't even remember seeing it the last time I was there!

At the base of the eucalyptus—a beschorneria? Excellent form.

I love how even the smallest planting pockets hold agave pups.

And the mix of sharp and soft seems just about perfect.

Back to the golden side...



In front of the rock, Agave x protamericana 'Silver Surfer'.

I feel confident in that ID only because I ended up chatting with Jess—one half of the gardening team here—online and asked him what agave it was. That talk led to an offer of Agave 'Silver Surfer' pups (uhm, yes please!) and an invite to stop by and stroll the garden, which I did mid December.
This is the largest Agave ovatifolia in the garden, which sadly is experiencing a bit of rot near the core. Jess jumped on digging it up and protecting it and I think it's gonna be fine.

Back there, at the corner of the house, Leucadendron galpinii!

Silver cone-bush. Amazing! (more photos below)

Here's the last golden photo...

And now I've fast-forwarded to mid-December when I stopped by for a visit and met Jess and Kariena and walked the garden with them. I'll say it again, anyone who thinks social media is only a negative is wrong. How else would like minded gardeners who live across town from each other meet? 

I was stumped by this one, but Kariena said it was a myrtle they picked up at Xera Plants. I love those berries and the foliage smelled great too. (update: Myrtus communis 'Andy's Hardy')

If you clicked back to my original post on this garden you might remember the Leucadendron 'Ebony' I spotted near the house. I got to get up close and personal with it on this visit.

This plant is not one you see planted in the ground much here in Portland, as it's not technically hardy here. Jess and Kariena placed theirs to receive maximum protection from the house and during our cold-snap last week they wrapped it and added lights for heat, fingers crossed!

A few more agave shots, this time taken from within the garden. These are all planted in well amended soil and many of them are on small hills or berms to help with drainage.







And now taking a closer look at the plants up against the house. These were part of the first wave of planting in 2018, whereas the agaves and such went in just last spring, 2022. Isn't the form on this Yucca rostrata just so elegant?

And as I promised, more photos of the Leucadendron galpinii. This one also received protection during last week's cold and ice.


Arctostaphylos silvicola 'Ghostly' behind the leucadendron...

Finally, here is a shocking "before" photo of the house and front landscaping that Jess shared with me. Can you even believe it? Jess and Kariena certainly had vision didn't they? 2014...

And now...


All material © 2009-2022 by Loree L Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

18 comments:

  1. Oh, that dreamy light of late November... a stunning transformation taking place. Just by removing the awning and adding a great choice of paint and the house has fabulous new vibe. Leucadendron 'Ebony' make me salivate.
    I do hope Jess and Kariena's beautiful garden survived the lates winter ice.
    Chavli

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    1. It's in good shape right now.

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    2. Thanks to a generous Instagram connection I have a Leucadendron 'Ebony' waiting to go out this spring. I'm trying to make sure I pick a good spot where it will be easy to protect when the time comes.

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  2. When I started to read this post, I was hoping you'd meet the owners. And voilà, it happened! What a beautiful, and beautifully sophisticated, design, heavy on plants I love. Would love to see Jess' and Kariena's garden in person someday.

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    1. You really do need to come to Portland in 2023, it's been too long!

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  3. Excellent plant placement. This looks like a garden that'd be perfectly happy here in SoCal. I hope the Leucadendrons make it through your winter. They have an impressive agave collection too.

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  4. Incredible to see the size on the conebushes. I'd probably have to try them in containers since we're a lot rainier on the coast -- just got power back on after a 12-hour blackout from some thumping storms!

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    1. Do you grow the conebush in your Long Beach garden? I can't remember, you've got so much packed in there!

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  5. We here on the West Coast get the most extraordinarily beautiful sunsets, don't we? Like you said, bathed in golden light. Wouldn't trade that for the world.

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    1. Your comment got me thinking about the sunset I enjoyed at Wave Hill in NY. Hopefully everyone gets an occasional beautiful sunset but I guess the very best is when the Pacific Ocean is on the horizon.

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  6. They did a great job--what Euc is that?

    The lighting effect too is quite wonderful. Here at certain times of the year the late afternoon sun turns the ridge a warm orange-pink.

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    1. Sadly my eucalyptus ID is not good, so I can't say. I will try to remember to ask.

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  7. What a difference in landscaping. From humdrum to wow! Gardens are so great for connecting people. Hopefully your recent bad weather hasn't done too much damage.

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    1. I suspect that comment from anonymous at the top is from Jess, so things must be looking good.

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  8. what a transformation! those Leucadendron are perfect right up against the house like that, hopefully they can make it through many winters.

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  9. Interesting. Gardening is an endless task and with an immense amount of possibilities... I liked seeing the photos published here. Congratulations and a good 2023!

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  10. Hello Loree, what a beautiful garden bathed in golden light! The 'before' picture is almost unrecognizable. There are houses near me with great gardens. I walk slowly past, hoping to see the owner/s for a good old natter and plant swap ;) One of my favourites is my neighbour's, but she is too suspicious of the internet to allow me to photograph or post about it. Thank for sharing :) Lulu of Long Mizzle

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