Catching up on a few drive-by gardens

Today's post features a few places I've stopped to take photos of, but that didn't warrant a full blog post all their own (they're worthy, I just don't have enough photos). First up the Pat Calvert Greenhouse at the UW Arboretum. I did a quick look-see back in July during the last day of the Fling. You never know what you might find for sale there, plus it's fun to keep an eye on the garden.

The ginormous gunnera, shaggy palms...

... and recovering cordylines. Unlike the ones I showed last Friday (that are only sprouting at the base), these are also growing further up the chunky trunk.

I have no idea why this plant/pot needed to be chained to the greenhouse structure, but it must be valuable in someone's eyes.

Now we're in Portland, where I happened upon this row of Agave ovatifolia when I turned on a random side street to avoid traffic. Score!

Five sexy agaves all in a row (with a nice Yucca rostrata in the background). I have to wonder, were there more agaves in the empty spots that didn't make it?

The spacing seems like that may have been the case.

Full-frontal shot.

Back up in Seattle now, after visiting my friend Scott's garden (post forthcoming) he took me to see this nice commercial planting. 

That healthy Yucca rostrata with the chunky trunk must have bloomed or endured some sort of trauma because it now has several growing points, I think we counted at least five. Behind it is a blooming crepe myrtle...

... and just a little further down the sidewalk an extremely happy mass of opuntia. Look at all that fruit! It must have been incredible in bloom.

And speaking of fruit, there's also a pomegranate with full-size fruit.

Pulled back view.

And including the narrow hellstrip.

Last week I was on the road again, doing a couple garden visits (Tangly Cottage being one of them, future posts!) and stayed at The Salt hotel in Ilwaco, WA.

Things were very quiet there during my visit (it is the off season, and it was a Wednesday night), so I had this container courtyard all to myself...

Just behind the hotel, the harbor...

I drove up to Long Beach with the idea I'd stay for the sunset, but I didn't last that long.

The locals came out to say hi though. I like what they've done with the grass...

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All material © 2009-2024 by Loree L Bohl. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

The Center for Urban Horticulture, part of the University of Washington Botanic Gardens

Since I was already at the Center for Urban Horticulture to see the paper botanicals exhibit I decided to explore the campus...

I first visited this extension of the University of Washington Botanic Gardens with the Garden Bloggers Fling in 2011. That visit was brief and I think I spent most of my time in the Miller Library.

I'd always wanted to really explore the area and I spent about an hour walking around.

"The Center for Urban Horticulture, opened in 1984, is part of the University of Washington Botanic Gardens. It includes a 16-acre landscaped site with buildings and gardens, and the 74-acre Union Bay Natural Area, which provides publicly accessible wildlife habitat (more than 200 bird species have been sighted there) and an outdoor laboratory for UW research."[source]

There are also greenhouses, which I was hoping I could walk into.

No.

Darn it!

Those were some impressive cordylines, before last winter hit (I am assuming).

They're all staging a come back, although it will be years before they have trunks like at again.

Ha! A pine and an agave sharing a container.

That's something you don't see every day! Agave parryi ssp. huachucensis.

Sempervivum at its feet.

It's time to see what's at the top of the steps.

Nolina some somebody (?) to the side.

Part way up the steps is this handsome arctostaphylos (noID).

Oh look, there's an agave tucked in there...

Arctostaphylos x densiflora 'Harmony'

Dryopteris erythrosora 'Brilliance'

Colchicum

Lycoris squamigera

Now we're walking out to the area known as the Farm...

The orange arrows point out Husky Stadium, the only thing that reminds you you're in a very urban setting while strolling this very rural feeling farm.

Oh, check out this cool thing...

Looks like an oven, do the heat source and the food both go into the top space?

There are lots of flowers at the farm, this I knew from following Riz all these years.

There's a composting toilet too!

Another interesting structure.

With a seed library.

Looking inside...

Wheelbarrow art.

Well that's a tempting seat, don't you think?

Comfy too.

With a nice view. I enjoyed it for a few minutes and then it was time to head to the car and start the long drive back to Portland.

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All material © 2009-2024 by Loree L Bohl. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.