Curious about the agaves at McMenamins Anderson School (a botanic garden visit, of sorts)

Andrew and I have been talking about where our next home will be. We bought our current place back in 2005, we've been here 21 years. Back then our realtor wanted us to think of this as starter home, but gardeners don't think that way. We put down roots, real roots. 

We probably only have one move in us, well one active move. Where do we want to grow old? While I love the idea of living in Southern California, I'm aware that's an expensive place to be, plus, I'm a Washingtonian by birth. I was born in Eastern Washington, but my heart is in the Western part of the state, Seattle and the greater Puget Sound area. This is a long way of saying that we've been talking about moving north. So, when we were up in Seattle for the NWFG Fest, Andrew surprised me by saying something about how agaves don't grow that far north. I'm sorry, what!?!

He'd never seen an agave in Seattle, and he wanted me to tell him where they were growing. I started by listing friend's gardens; Scott's, Paul's, and Michelle's. Plus there are a couple agaves at the Amazon Spheres, and lots of them at Tacoma's Pt Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. As I checked off locations I got to thinking that the northern most agaves I knew of in Western Washington were at McMenamins Anderson School in Bothell, Washington, about 20 miles northeast of downtown Seattle. I hadn't been there since 2019 (post here)... so I decided a visit was in order.

I made the trip up on a very rainy day, Saturday, February 21st. Thank god I had an umbrella, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to pull out my camera. Check out those very happy Yucca rostrata... 

And the agaves, oh the agaves. These sexy beasts are Agave ovatifolia, probably 'Frosty Blue'.

They were perfection.

As I walked around photographing I realized this visit felt a lot like I'd shown up at a botanical garden. I'd hit a few of my favorite Seattle-area nurseries earlier in the day, but now I was out walking among the plants...

Nolina hibernica 'La Siberica' 

I do love it when a garden maker takes an element and runs with it. The McMenamins chain of restaurants, hotels, theatres and performance venues are also breweries and there are a couple wineries. They seem to have plenty of barrel rings and they're definitely making the most of them at Anderson School.

This was an unexpected bit of fun.

And speaking of fun... there's a pool and tiki bar on the premises.

Of course nobody wanted to brave the rain and sit outside.

Same Nolina as before, just from the other direction.

Lots of February color.

Yep, same Nolina again, but from yet another direction. What can I say, I love them.

This one—also a Nolina hibernica 'La Siberica'—looked like it was blooming thanks to a nearby light pole painted the same green.

Strappy goodness...

More agaves, I think this one may be A. 'Baccarat'.

Agave parryi truncata

And maybe Agave parryi v. couesii.

Pulled back, wide-angle shot.

Spikes! Colletia, maybe C. hystrix.

More barrel ring art...

Loquats (Eriobotrya japonica), are something else you don't see a lot of in the Seattle area. I tried to find one at a nursery once and that was nearly impossible. This one looks fantastic.

Cephalotaxus harringtonia 'Prostrata', I believe.

Magnolia laevifolia flower buds.

The wild meadow garden...

Cyclamen coum

Fabulous Schefflera delavayi and fun metal potted "plant".

Another S. delavayi and a blooming Edgeworthia chrysantha.

Daphniphyllum macropodum

Wow, a nice patch of Mahonia eurybracteata.

The stacked urbanite walls and wiggly metal work is such a warm custom touch.

As is this experimental succulent planting.

There are at least two Sarracenia bog plantings, I only managed to photograph one of them.

Oh my gosh! Hedera colchica 'Sulphur Heart' positively dripping with runoff from the roof, it seemed happy in those circumstances.

Okay time to wrap up the visit and head back to my car...

Just for the record. Agaves, growing happy at approximately 47.76° N latitude...

The Bit at the End

Check out this beautiful video of blooming agaves and the bats that seek out their nectar. Bat Conservation International is a group of folks who see agave restoration as an important part of ensuring the worldwide survival of bats—they're such interesting little mammals. 

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Longing for a walk on the beach with agaves, I headed to Kalama, Washington

Where's Kalama you ask? It's 38 miles north of Portland on Interstate 5, as it veers a little to the west along the Columbia River. It's the home of McMenamins Kalama Harbor Lodge, which of course is why there are agaves. 

This grouping of large containers is at the front entrance to the lodge. The tall plant at the back is a Daphniphyllum.

On the opposite side of the entrance is this crazy group of foliage fans, being held back by a squiggly bike rack. I see concert goers at the front of the line pushing to be let into the venue, is that just me?

Growing in that group is a fruit-bearing Daphniphyllum, somewhat rare.

Moving around to the north side of the lodge, and walking through what I'm guessing must be a privacy and wind break...

Big cinnamon buds of Magnolia laevifolia.

Aren't they grand?

My part of Portland finally had a killing freeze in the days before my visit to this garden, it looks like they'd recently experienced similar. At the back the mostly unfazed foliage of Melianthus major, in the front toasted stems of what I think must be Hedychium coccineum (ginger).

Most of the Melianthus major was still looking positively grand, it's such a fantastic plant.

Looking out to the river...

Did you notice the agave in the photo above? It's caged for protection against some sort of critter. I saw a lot of browsing damage on the plants. I can imagine how disheartening it must be for the gardener(s) to watch their work be destroyed by hungry animals, and probably people and weather too.

Looking back at the Melianthus.

Yucca linearifolia

And down closer to the river's edge. This sandy beach wasn't always here. When I first visited in 2019 it was all rocks, then *POOF* in 2020 there was sand. I like the beachy feel, it's much more of a destination.

Grevillea some somebody, maybe G. victoriae?

Metal barrel rings as protection from humans (for humans?), as this agave is up next to the pathway.

Monster restio.

Euphorbia rigida

My prior visits always included a stop to pay my spiky respects to a clump of Agave americana that—against all odds—continued to grow in this location. Sadly it is no more. However, I was thrilled to see this new planting of Yucca rostrata, opuntia, Agave ovatifolia, and other characters.

Agave ovatifolia is much better suited to this location and should grow ginormous with time.

This Agave 'Blue Glow' continues the "growing on the edge" spirit of the Agave americana. I'll be rooting for it.

Oh! Who's that spiky fellow? 

Phlomis seed heads are a good look along the river.

More agaves on the beach side...

Love their red spines (and wish I knew what they are).

A beefy vine-covered tree trunk section on the beach.

Around in front of the lodge is an herb garden with barrel-ring edging, and the last photo I took at this location.

Headed back towards home I made a stop at McMenamins Ahles Point Cabin just down the road from the lodge. Last time I was up this way (2023) I discovered a few agaves on the rocky slope behind the building, I wanted to see how they were doing.

Yep, still there!

I don't remember the Lyonothamnus floribundus from my previous visit, but it could have been there.

There was also a Genista aetnensis (Mount Etna broom).

And a Fremontodendron (flannelbush)...wonderful!

If the Agave parryi continue to do so well here, maybe one day there will be large colonies.

One can hope...

The view from the pub, looking down at where the plantings are...

The Bit at the End

McMenamins establishments have a bit of a 'more is more" sort of feel to their gardens and interior decor, so I thought it fitting to link to this Desire to Inspire blog post today; Mall House – a wildly eclectic cottage with cabins and yurts in the Cotswolds, page down slowly. There is a lot to see!

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All material © 2009-2026 by Loree L Bohl. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.