Hoya on palms, my latest obsession

Last March I put together an experimental mount of Hoya meredithii with a NoID Epiphyllum and a bit of Microsorum brachylepis 'Datun' (project here). The fern died before even making it outside for the summer, but the Hoya and Epiphyllum are still going strong...

Although it is worth noting the Hoya suffered from a little too much sun from its placement early in the summer, I feel like the leaves are still recovering their color. 

And the Epiphyllum might actually be some form of Rhipsalis.

That mount ended up hanging on the same Trachycarpus fortunei 'Wagnerianus' that has the ferns tucked into its furry trunk (they're doing great!)...

There's also a Trachelospermum asiaticum 'Theta' growing up from the base...

My tallest/oldest Trachycarpus fortunei has several Passiflora lutea working their way up the trunk. 

Which left my third palm, another Trachycarpus fortunei 'Wagnerianus' naked! Well, until I bought another Hoya—Hoya villosa—and made it into an epiphytic mount...

I was fully aware though that one was not enough, which is why I brought this Hoya crassipetiolata back from Buffalo...

I'd saved this bit of bark from another mount (a gift that unfortunately didn't make it long term under my care)...

It was hollow with a sphagnum moss plug at the bottom, so I thought I'd try and wedge the Hoya into the tube. Since it's an epiphytic vine I figured it would be okay with only a small amount of soil.

The soil in place when pulled it from the container...

I plucked off one of the smaller bits to the side and worked it into that hole...

Then I kept rolling the root ball between my palms until it was long and narrow...

Into the tube it went. A wooden skewer helped me push the last bits into place.

Done!

I love it...

But is two enough? I don't know...

Shopping with a friend one day I spotted this Hoya krohniana 'Super Silver'. It was so small I just tucked it into one of those natural pockets like the ferns are growing in. Since this Hoya isn't hardy here I'll have to remove it (pull it out) before winter. Not ideal, but c'est la vie.

That makes three...

But you guys, I can't stop! At Portland's wholesale flower market I spotted these two. On the left Hoya parasitica 'Black Margin' and on the right an Aeschynanthus sp. (another epiphytic vine).

I pulled together my materials and broke the plants into smaller pieces—not dividing them, they were actually separate plants in the small 4" pots I bought them in. You can see the Aeschynanthus was actually three plants, and the Hoya two. I also soaked some sphagnum moss and dug around for another piece of wood that was once a mount for a now dead Pyrrosia nummularifolia. Also shown, rusty bits that I'll share more about in a minute.

I didn't take any in process shots of the wood mount, but here it is finished and hanging. I used two of the Aeschynanthus here.

Those rusty bits! OMG. I stopped at a local shop, ReClaim It (LOVE this place) on the way home from buying the two plants. That's where I picked up these things. What are they? Well I had no idea what they were (or what I would do with them) when I bought them, for .50 ea. 

Once home I looked up the marks and learned that Herter's Inc. of Waseca, Minnesota was a "legendary" mail-order outdoor sporting goods store. I also learned they're vintage Herter's cast iron duck and goose decoy weights. Cool! Of course it didn't take long for me to realize they'd also be perfect for hanging planty bits from the palm trunk.

A little soil, a little sphagnum moss, and a little wire...

All wrapped up.

Times three...

I added a little green garden moss (pulled off the wall around our patio) to keep the sphagnum together and add color.

At this point I thought I would be securing each mossy ball to the rusty bit with wire...

But once I went to work them into the decoys it became obvious that wasn't necessary, they wedged in there and stayed in place without any wire or thread/string.

The base of the old palm fronds on the trunk are strong enough to hang these off of.

And they're randomly placed all up the trunk too. That's one jutting off to the right in this photo.

Perfect!

I suppose it's worth noting again, the reason I'm bullish on Hoya for this application is they're an epiphytic vine, a plant that naturally grows on another plant, often a tree. Fun and easy to experiment with!

So that makes...counting... seven assorted Hoya on this palm tree trunk.

I think I'm done? 

The Bit at the End

Tracy of TZ Garden visited Portland earlier in the month, and she spent some time wandering my garden. We had a grand time hanging out and talking about pretty much everything. She took great photos, then put together a blog post full of kind words about the garden. Check it out here. Thanks again Tracy!

—    —   —   —

To receive alerts of new danger garden posts by email, subscribe here. Please note: these are sent from a third party, their annoying ads are beyond my control. 

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

Road-trip to Mindy's! (Yamhill county's Martha Stewart)

Last weekend our local Garden Bloggers group (a laughable label at this point, since only a few of us post to our blogs anymore) made the trip down to Northrop Acres in Amity, Oregon, to visit Mindy Northrop and have our biannual plant swap.

We dropped our swapping plants off in front of the barn, before touring the garden proper. 

Folks, this isn't any old barn. I could have taken dozens of photos of the space with all of it's vignettes and hang-out areas, plus there were tasty snacks too (mango chutney dip with bacon and almonds, and sangria, for the win).

The barn is also where Mindy puts together her extensive floral creations for the many weddings and special events she lends her talents to, as well as lots of farm-fresh bouquets for the farm stand.

A little background for those of you who don't know Mindy. She used to live in Portland's Montavilla neighborhood. That's where she started her blog, Rindy Mae, and her family (husband and three amazing kids). They all moved to 12 acres in Amity, Oregon (rural Yamhill County, south of Portland) nine years ago. This property (Northrop Acres) is where Mindy was meant to be. Calling her Yamhill county's Martha Stewart sounds like a joke, but it's not. You guys, she is the real deal.

Martha has a whole crew of people to tend to the details while she sets about being a first class hostess, cook, baker, decorator, crafter, gardener, floral designer, etc... but Mindy does it all herself, while being a super-mom. You can follow her at Northrop Acres Farmstand to see some of what she's up to.

Several years ago I was there for another plant swap but I can't find a record of that visit. My 2018 post will have to suffice as the "then"... let's go explore the now! The Airstream belongs to a friend, but of course Mindy has styled it up to fit right in.

I think this is Campanula glomerata 'Caroline'...

The front porch...

One of several gorgeous Clematis.

I didn't get the name of this one.

The old potting bench made the move with them from Portland, now it's a side table on the patio.

Alan decided this was Clematis 'Phyllis Diller', which I thought was the perfect name.

Mindy later supplied the "real" name; Clematis 'Blue Light'

If I could grow clematis I'd definitely be tracking this one down.

My glass of sangria with one of Mindy's fabulous napkins.

This seating area was one of many around the property. In addition to dozens of comfy chairs in the barn, there are also numerous chairs and benches around the garden. I really wish I would have counted.

Cutting garden and inherited one-of-a-kind greenhouse.

Another angle.

Another task on Mindy's chore list, she's got little vignettes like this with tender plants spread all over the garden. Moving them each spring and autumn is no small task.

It's so fun to see big plants given all the room they need to shine.

The front side of the greenhouse complex (there's a storage room/ex-chicken coop on the non-greenhouse half).

Running between the barn and the home/garden are train tracks, and yes, the train still runs, right through their property. If you follow that driveway...

...you end up at Mindy's Farm Stand along the main road. Her lucky neighbors can stop by and buy fresh sourdough bread, herb salts, plants, flowers, and in-season berries and other produce.

Plants!

I scored a loaf of bread that Andrew and I quickly devoured, it was so good!

To receive alerts of new danger garden posts by email, subscribe here. Please note: these are sent from a third party, their annoying ads are beyond my control. 

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