Maggie's Factoria garden

Back in September, after touring Scott's Seattle garden, we jumped in Scott's trusty plant-mobile and headed across the water to see Maggie's garden in Factoria, Maggie is another amazing plantsperson that I've met online, only online—until this day! Oh and are you wondering where exactly is Factoria? East of Seattle, just on the other side of Lake Washington. 

Maggie's garden felt open and airy after Scott's mature cramscaped space, although she's definitely working towards that same feeling of enclosure. Maggie started planting the front garden in October of 2019, and the back garden later that year, in the winter. She also had the advantage of starting with a few specimen sized plants she relocated from her previous garden.

Plants (agaves!) in the cracks...

Aloiampelos striatula, formerly Aloe striatula

If by chance you remember photos of the seed-grown palm (Trachycarpus Fortunei var Nainital) I unexpectedly brought home from my Seattle trip, this is the garden of the person who grew it. It and a lot more just like it! 

You will see many palms in these photos, Maggie has expertly peppered them throughout the garden. As you can see, she's also a cramscaper...

Now we're looking at the planting area on the opposite side of the driveway from the above photos. Anyone with a daphniphyllum has great plant taste in my book, it's the tall large leafed shrub...

I think the strappy, spiky plant in the front is a Nolina, possibly N. nelsonii, I can't remember for sure and I've already asked Maggie so many questions I didn't want to bother her again for ID.

The interesting thing about that photo above—and every other photo from this post—is that no matter where you look there are amazing plants mixed all together. I see a couple of great mahonia, an arctostaphylos, a Stachyurus salicifolius, and on an on. I call out one or two of my favorites in each photo, but could have highlighted so many more.

Now we're looking back to the front garden where we started (the first five photos). Those bags of soil and amendments remind me that Maggie was out there working when we showed up. It was very kind of her to stop and tour us around. Let's go climb those steps!

I snapped this photo of a perfect Agave montana not yet knowing Maggie grew it from seed, and that I'd be leaving with one.

Beschorneria

Schefflera taiwaniana 

 Schefflera (Heptapleurum) delavayi, and Musa basjoo

Beschorneria yuccoides 'Flamingo Glow' (I think)

Pseudopanax 'Sabre'

Time to check out the back garden...

This was fun to see, a large Metapanax davidii, often confused with Metapanax delavayi—at least when written, they are different enough in person that you could never confuse them.

Short wide leaves, vs. the long thin leaves of M. delavayi.

Such a deceivingly simple combination, but the Azara microphylla on the far right looks so good with the Mahonia gracilipes. I think I need to plant one of these mahonia back by my azara.

Agaves ahoy!

More of the seed-grown Agave montana, I think the one in the upper right-hand corner is the one that came home with me.

Ficus afghanistanica 'Silver Lyre', I believe. I need to find a place for this one in my garden again (the one I had perished).

Puya harmsii

A giant (rotten at the base) tree was recently removed from right on the property line. Maggie has exciting plans for those stump rounds...

Since a few months had elapsed since my visit I messaged Maggie to be sure I was remembering the name of this plant correctly. My mind said "that plant Dan Hinkley was selling as a trevesia but now it's something else" but the photos I found online didn't seem to fit. 

Nope, I was right—it is that plant—a Brassaiopsis dumicola DJHV 8077: "From the mountains of NE Vietnam, this Araliad with cleverly lobed foliage has proven hardy, vigorous and handsome, for partial shade in evenly moist draining soils. To 15', perhaps"

The inflorescence sort of dangles, unlike that of the aralia I am familiar with which are, well, erect.

Last week saw incredibly cold temperatures in the Puget Sound area, Maggie reports 14F as her low and there were several days (four I believe) where the temperatures didn't get above freezing during the daytime. She is cautiously optimistic this beauty is going to be okay. My fingers are crossed.

Did you spot the other cutie in the photo above? That's Ozzie, he was an absolute doll who had me twisted around his tiny paw in no time. I wanted to take him home.

But wait! What's that! Yep, Maggie has a variegated daphniphyllum too—part of a small group of folks who do.

Looking back towards where we walked into the back garden.

I think the Begonia luxurians is in a container, so it's easy to protect in the cold. The tree fern however... she wrapped it and added lights for heat (fingers crossed again).

I love seeing people's work spaces!

I was seriously so blindsided by that striking banana and Tetrapanax papyrifer combo that I almost missed the pond.

But not the ferns! I swooned over the combination of Blechnum chilense/Parablechnum cordatum and (I think) Blechnum penna-marina/Austroblechnum penna-marina...

...and just like that, we end this fabulous garden tour! Thankfully Maggie and Scott were up for posing for a photo. Looking at it now I am overcome with gratitude for all the wonderful plant people I know and get to interact with. You guys are the best!

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

My Bromeliad Summit haul...

I could be showing you hundreds of photos of amazing SoCal Estate Gardens—and I will, eventually—but I figured it would be best to start with my Bromeliad Summit haul...

No, not the sink, that was already in our laundry room. The bromeliads are hanging out there to re-hydrate after their California road-trip and flight to Portland.

First up, from the nursery at the Ruth Bancroft Garden, a trio of plants tagged as a Billbergia sp. They were potted up, but I bare rooted them for the trip home.

They're rather reminiscent of Quesnelia marmorata 'Tim Plowman' don't you think? The foliage is stiff and rough just like the 'Tim Plowman' I purchased a few months ago.

This flashy guy came from our stop at Airplant Alchemy.

Unlabeled, he and his friends were hanging out on this table just inside the door. While everyone else was shopping the (expensive) tillandsia selection I focused on him, and was surprised at his affordable price.

I believe the owner said these potted and blooming specimens were the same type of plant. Can you ID them?

I was especially happy the plant is unpotted...

He's destined for a summer perched in Clifford's branches (our Magnolia macrophylla) and that way I won't feel any guilt about removing soil.

I won this little Vriesea rubyae at the Sunday morning silent auction.

The poor guy was going completely unloved, so of course I had to bid, and he came from the Huntington Garden collection, so there's that. My only question is why did I bid $5 instead of $1?

I guess because all the proceeds from the silent auction went to help cover the expense of putting on the event, which was impressive in its scope and quality. As one who has participated in many volunteer organized multi-day garden tours this one was among the best. If you ever have the opportunity to participate in a Jeff Chemnick (owner of Aloes in Wonderland) event...do it!

Here's a quick look at many of the plants donated for the auction, a few of which I bid on, but was quickly outbid...

Racinaea crispa, one of the auction plants I REALLY wanted, but of course it went for more than I could rationalize.

Did I mention the auction took place at San Marcos Growers? Ya, the setting was pretty idyllic.

Back to my haul... this Vriesea 'Gwydonia' came from the gift shop at Lotusland.

From here on out I will be referring to it as V. 'Ganna Walska' not V. 'Gwydonia'... at least privately.

Pamela Koide Hyatt, the owner of Bird Rock Tropicals, was one of the lecturers at the Summit. She's entertaining and knowledgeable and I highly recommend attending a talk of hers if ever you get the opportunity. Meanwhile you should order from her online shop, I've done so a few times now and the plants are great. She brought us all a tillandsia (add generous to that list of her qualities), mine is T. intermedia X streptophylla, or Curly Slim for short.

If you're thinking I stuck to the soft and kind bromeliads on this trip you would be wrong. This colorful, and spiky, Puya mirabilis was my other Ruth Bancroft Garden purchase.

When Gerhard and I arrived for the Friday evening kick-off party we parked behind a truck carrying this spiky payload.

We later discovered the truck belonged to Brian Kemble and Walker Young, curator and assistant curator at the Ruth Bancroft Garden. They collected hechtia (yes, another genus in the bromeliad family) seed in Mexico in May of 2013 and sowed the seed that July. The label I photographed specifies the seed was collected at the location of Agave rzedowskiana. They were selling these seed-grown plants to anyone who happened to need them.

Naturally I needed one...

Well I needed more than one but I was flying home, so I was trying to be practical.

Big plant, little pot.

That's my haul from the Bromeliad Summit! Aren't you impressed that I stayed on target and only bought plants in the Bromeliaceae family?

Weather Diary, April 11: Hi 55, Low 49/ Precip .19"

All material © 2009-2019 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.