Palms growing in Spokane; visiting Michael's garden

The second garden I visited during my recent trip to Spokane belongs to Michael Loundagin. Michael lives about 8 blocks from the house I owned in Spokane, we could have been gardening neighbors! It's a fun thing to say, but I was really feeling the pull to my former neighborhood, my friends, and even a pretty kick-ass (if rather demanding and kinda screwed up) job I had during that part of my life. All the emotions were washing over me, lots of memories and a few "what if'?" thoughts. So that's the background, this garden visit though, it was pretty fantastic...

Pulling up in front of Michael's home I was awe-struck by this huge patch of bamboo. Bamboo is not at all common in Spokane and I'd say Michael probably has one of the only front yard groves in town. Maybe the only one...

I originally "met" Michael on a PNW plant people page on Facebook. He'd posted a photo of his tall Trachycarpus fortunei and I was shocked. A palm growing in Spokane? 

Back in the day I thought of Spokane as Zone 5, but it's no longer getting that cold. Now it's a solid Zone 6, or even Zone 7 in some winters (like my garden is a 9 sometimes). Still, even with warming temperatures Trachycarpus fortunei are not something you see growing there, averages are just that. All it takes is one cold winter and ZAP! That's the end of your palm tree.

Michael's palm (which he guesses is over 25 years old, purchased from Flower World in Snohomish, WA) is growing in a large pot. He has perfected a strategy for winter protection: first he lays it on its side to wrap incandescent mini lights around the pot to keep the roots warm, these lights stay in place all winter. Then he wraps the same type of lights around the trunk and up into the crown.

winter protection photo provided by Michael Loundagin

 

After that he ties the leaves up, and wraps them with burlap. 

winter protection photo provided by Michael Loundagin

 

More lights go around the outside of the burlap, then aluminized bubble wrap around the trunk. Finally, a heavy plastic cover goes over the top and is secured to the trunk.

winter protection photo provided by Michael Loundagin

Then he stands the tree back up, which sounds like a job in itself (the tree grows in a protected area between his house and garage, so hopefully wind isn't an issue). This series of photos dates to February of 2025. Winter '25-'26 was mild enough he didn't have to bring out the protection materials.

winter protection photo provided by Michael Loundagin

Of course as any palm-lover knows, one is never enough. This is Michael's Trachycarpus fortunei 'Nainital', isn't it a beauty!? It gets the same winter protection when needed.

And a third, not yet planted, Trachycarpus fortunei 'Tesan'. Both 'Nainital' and 'Tesan' are said to be very cold hardy choices. 

As you'll see throughout this post Michael is not afraid to push the boundaries of what's considered cold hardy, and best of all he's got a strong voice in the local Hort community (working at Ritter's Garden & Gift) where he can share his knowledge with others who want to grow the unexpected.

This Rhododendron was purchased as 'Else Frye' (noted for its fragrance), but Michael has doubts that's what it actually is, saying the bloom should have more of a pink blush.

Initially I was aiming my camera at the table full of yet-to-be-planted treasures, but I realized if I panned up slightly I could also get the indoor plants in the shot. We'll take a look at some of those at the end of this post.

Another plant I didn't expect to see in Spokane, Schefflera delavayi...

A better visitor would have tracked the many daphne blooming throughout the garden, there were several. I admit to liking them, but not LOVING them. So this is the only one I photographed, let the record show there were more.

Camellia, and on the left, just out of frame a magnolia.

So many things I wish I would have asked about, I know that's a Mahonia x media 'Marvel' on the far left, there's a daphne, a couple aucuba, and is that a fatsia at the back? So many interesting foliage shapes...

Magnolia grandiflora 'Bracken's Brown Beauty', planted as a 5-gallon specimen some 20-ish years ago. It lives on despite cold, ice and squirrels.

As we walked and talked Michael shared a bit of wisteria advice. I thought it was going to be something about making sure your arbor could withstand the weight of the heavy vine, but no. Word to the wise, plant your wisteria on the north side of the arbor, since it wants to grow south, towards the sun. Michel built this handsome arbor himself, and yes, the wisteria is growing on the south (left) side...

Looking down to see Euphorbia amygdaloides subsp. robbiae and Adiantum venustum was a flashback to a combination from my Portland garden. Then Michael reminded me I wasn't in Portland by sharing that Adiantum venustum was once thought not to be hardy to Spokane winter temperatures. Now it's labeled as Zone 4 (brrr!).

Lathyrus vernus, a non-climbing perennial sweet pea.

Mahonia bealei

This Choisya x 'Aztec Pearl' dates back to at least 2011. Michael says; "I planted it even though I knew it had no chance of surviving, but I guess it didn't know that -9F was supposed to kill it. Some plants are illiterate, I guess."

Ginger, Asarum caudatum I believe.

I knew Citrus trifoliata was hardy in places with real winters, but seeing it growing here definitely drove that point home.

Michael says his form is fragrant as well, I wish my plant was.

Prunus laurocerasus  'Otto Luyken'

Plantings of Prunus laurocerasus in different places around the garden prove this one is variable in hardiness from plant to plant. The western most plant has been killed nearly to the ground twice over the 30 years since Michael planted it, while he says its "fraternal twin" to the east has been unfazed.

There were a couple nice aucuba in the front garden but I only managed a photo of the cool new growth on this one...

We're about to head inside the house now and check out a few of the cool plants growing there, but I need to share one last outside photo, the plant stash in the driveway. I thought it rather well presented, since I've seen a few plant stash hoards still entirely in nursery pots and with more dead plants than live ones.

Okay, inside now and we're staring into a terrarium in the kitchen. So many interesting things in there...

Begonia some somebody. Of course Michael told me the name, but I promptly forgot it. As I did many names in this post, but he kindly shared info with me all over again when I asked via email.

A name I do remember though, Emily Freebird and her online site In Search of Small Things. There were several plants in his collection that Michael purchased from Emily, this Teratophyllum rotundifolium being one of them. 

I love it when my worlds connect. Here I was in Spokane and the person whose garden I was visiting bought plants from a Portland seller who's a friend of mine (here's a post on her old growing set up, and here's one from when I visited her new garden). Thank you so much Michael for letting me visit your garden and for the plants/cuttings you gave me, I hope you'll come visit my garden the next time you're in Portland.

The Bit at the End

I wanted to remind locals that the Dirty Diggers Plant Sale is tomorrow from 11-3pm at 334 N Baldwin St, Portland, OR 97217. Lots of fabulous plants and garden things on offer, come check it out!

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