Bella Madrona, again (I couldn't say no)

Last May, 2024, I had the opportunity to visit Bella Madrona—an extraordinary private garden south of Portland—post here. For me Bella Madrona will always be the location where magic happened during the final event of the 2014 Garden Bloggers Fling. Honestly, the Portland Fling planning committee (of which I was a member) could not have picked a better place to wrap up the long weekend.

Since that particular evening figures so large in my memories you might think I'd be hesitant to return, wanting things to stay as they were then. But no. I will always jump at the chance to visit, to see the garden and catch up with it's remaining owner/creator/tender Geoff Beasley in his element.

And that's why I was there again on the afternoon of June 1st.

This visit was planned by my friend Ann Amato (aka the Amateur Bot-Ann-ist) as she's been scheming to expose her fellow horticulture students to a wider expanse of gardens and nurseries, and she invited me to come along. Her group will be touring my garden in July, and I joined them on a previous visit to Cistus Nursery and Rancho Cistus in April. There's Geoff on the left (pug Olive in the background) and Ann on the right, as Geoff was starting the tour.

We have to give proper appreciation to Ann's Metallicat T-shirt.

And more pug-love to Caper and Olive.

I briefly considered abandoning the garden tour to enjoy the pug snuggles.

However the garden won (mainly because I knew there would be more pug snuggles at the end).

We walked, we talked, and I snapped photos...

Aruncus dioicus

This grassy spot has been the location for many a gathering, it was fun to see it unmown this visit.

Some of our group...

I think Geoff said this is Grevillea x ‘Neil Bell’.

Agaves that don't mind our wet winters.

My pug friends. I cannot even begin to describe how much I enjoyed these two. They were just pups during the 2014 Fling, now they're senior citizens.

Well, when I said the event lawn was unmown I was wrong, it was mown with style.

A large garden with chairs scattered throughout is a special place, one where you're invited to stop and enjoy. Soak it up. 

Grevillea 'Poorinda Royal Mantle' (I believe).

This was my 5th visit to Bella Madrona. The garden is widely celebrated for the parties that took place there before I ever stepped foot on the premises—many with Pink Martini performing—but I know it as a quieter place. That doesn't mean I don't feel the energy that came before. It's everywhere, honestly this garden buzzes. That may be a little more "woo woo" than you expect from me, but it's my truth. I feel honored to have been invited back again.

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All material © 2009-2025 by Loree L Bohl. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.