Grevillea juniperina 'Molonglo' my favorite plant in the garden, this week…

I’m kind of obsessed with Grevillea juniperina 'Molonglo' and truthfully this plant could be my favorite just about any week, it never looks bad. So why this plant now? Because this is what I’m currently seeing out my front door…

Naturally the sun isn’t always hitting it just so but when it does, well the Grevillea shines a little extra, like a beautiful grass-green carpet.

I bought my plants at Cistus and planted them the summer of 2011. Here’s what they looked like a couple months after planting.

For some reason I thought I needed three plants. I guess I didn't really believe it when the tag said 10 ft wide?....

“A ground covering grevillea, to 2 ft tall x 10 ft wide adorned with deep gold flowers from fall through spring and occasionally beyond. Evergreen, it is dense and smothers weeds easily. Full sun and good drainage. Drought tolerant once established. Avoid fertilizers as with all proteas. Frost hardy in USDA zone 8.”

So about those deep gold flowers; it’s taking a little break at the moment but there will be more soon. Just look…

If you’re wondering what the flowers do look like click on over here, as proof of my obsession there are no less than 15 photos of my plants on plantlust.com, most of them while they’re in bloom.

The stats:

• Evergreen ground cover to 2ft tall by 8-10ft wide.
• Likes sun and well drained soil – drought tolerant.
• Hardy Zone 8a -10b

And speaking of photos on plantlust.com if any of you garden bloggers are okay with us uploading your photos (with credit and a link back to your blog of course) we would LOVE to do so. Just say the word and we’ll get busy.

Dangerously Ever After…

Let’s just get a couple things taken care of right away…no, I did not write this book. And yes, I wish I had! While I don’t have daughters of my own (or sons either, if you were wondering) I do have two adorable nieces, and one precocious little neighbor, so I know the whole “princess thing” has gone completely and totally out of control insane (thanks Disney). It seems every little girl these days dreams of being a princess of some sort; it’s a little bit unnerving if you ask me. But finally, there is a princess even I can believe in and her name is Amanita…

“Princess Amanita loved things that were dangerous. She loved her pet scorpion, and her brakeless bicycle, and her collection of daggers and broken glass…But most of all she loved her garden, which was said to be the most dangerous in the world”...so begins Dangerously Ever After by Dashka Slater, illustrated by Valeria Docampo, and yes I was squealing with joy as I read.

While I wanted to ask for a several images so you could see Princess Amanita watering her garden, complete with specimen cactus and lovely thistles, I also didn't want to give too much of the fun away that's involved in turning every page. I'll just say this is a little lady that knows what the most important feature on a rose is, and displays them accordingly … thorn side up!

As with all good books there's another tale woven into the story and this one involves the princess expanding her world and way of thinking. If you've got a little princess on your holiday gift list I highly recommend this book. Not only will she be exposed to the joy of gardening but dangerous gardening (sounds like an excuse to package a small cactus with the book!). And while I may have unintentionally (or perhaps intentionally) made things a little “darker” if I were the author or illustrator (a little Edward Gorey comes to mind), the story stays on the fun side of danger and thus should appeal to a wide range of princess attitudes.

Finally in case you’re wondering about the name Amanita… “The genus Amanita contains about 600 species of agarics including some of the most toxic known mushrooms found worldwide, as well as some well regarded edible species. This genus is responsible for approximately 95% of the fatalities resulting from mushroom poisoning, with the death cap accounting for about 50% on its own. The most potent toxin present in these mushrooms is α-amanitin.” (source)...brilliant!

(the disclaimer: I was sent a complimentary review copy of this book with no pressure to write about it…but since I LOVED everything about it why wouldn't I?)

Winterizing

I've had a few people ask me to share the steps I go through to get my garden ready for the winter. Even though it feels a little “Jerry Springer” (you know like I’m airing the most eccentric parts of my personality to the world) I will oblige.

The first step took place back in October, the 10th, 11th and 12th to be exact. I know that sounds early but the forecasters were all in agreement that as of Friday the 12th our streak of sunny dry days was to end, and not in a subtle way but 3 days of soaking downpours (and get this...we've received over 13" of rain since that day just shy of two months ago). It was time to start taking the containers of non hardy succulents inside for the winter. The temperatures were still fine but a dry container weighs a lot less than a wet one. And these plants will winter over with greater success if they don’t head inside soaking wet. Plus it’s nice to work in the sunshine right? I cleaned up each plant and container before hauling them down to the basement…

There are a couple of plants here that are pretty much hardy in Portland, but I’m not sure their container could withstand a freeze, so those come down here too rather than staying outside.

For the same reason I also started to move the really large containers that will spend winter outside from on the patio to up, under the shade pavilion. Not everything, but at least the ones that really want to stay dry. And finally I dug the few in-ground Agaves that aren't hardy in Zone 8…

And potted them up for indoors.

They were in the ground because they weren't looking so good and rather than toss them I gave them a second chance. So far this technique has always worked for me, let them spread their roots a bit and they eventually perk up, even if they have to return to a container later.

So that all happened the 2nd week in October, after that I ignored my garden responsibilities until November 3rd, that’s the day we wrapped the shade pavilion turning it into a makeshift greenhouse. I was dreading this.

Not because the process is difficult, it’s actually rather simple…thanks to my problem solving, component thinking, husband.

No I was dreading it because it’s finally admitting there are no more days to be spent outside enjoying the garden. Oh I’ll be out there, working and studying the plants, but there won’t be any relaxing on the patio or lying in the grass. Not for months...

Okay snap out of it! Summer's over and winter is on the way, time to fill the shade pavilion greenhouse…

And move a couple of tender things right up near the back door so they can come inside when the temperature drops.

All that heavy lifting and no visit to the Chiropractor! Yay!

The next thing on the list was to take cuttings of the tender succulents planted in the ground.

I’d been doing this in small increments up until the week of Nov 15th but since we were predicted to get a freeze on the 15th and 16th I went into overtime and cut cut cut…(the freeze didn't happen)

Wow. That’s a lot of plants, especially considering I’d already done about this many earlier. The thing that really amazed me was most of these I overwintered last year on our bedroom windowsill. Things grew a little over the summer. Now they’re cut back, potted up and ready for another winter.

Finally I moved some of the containers that I would like to get a little protection from the wind and rain up against the shade pavilion.

And I stopped to look at the empty patio.

So you can see there are a few steps that I go through. Some just precautionary, some very necessary, but when you spread them out over a month and a half it isn't that much work. Or so I tell myself. And lest you think I've completed all my chores there are still a few stragglers. I still haven’t done anything with the “pond” plants, other than sit them down further in the tank when the wind got out of control crazy.

And I realized the other day I haven’t taken any cuttings from this plant. Guess I better get busy...

Another visit to the garden of Mr. Sean Hogan

Yes, I've taken you here before, but as we all know gardens are always changing. Thus we visit again…

The morning of the most recent "horticultural field-trip" my friends and I were to meet up at Mr Hogan's house (Mr. Cistus Hogan). My friend Ann and I were the first ones there so naturally we took advantage of the extra time and did a little garden exploring...

All of this amazing plant goodness is just in the parking strip!

Now we're up in the front garden, next to the house.

Tetrapanax, Yucca, Agaves...oh my!

His plants are trying to bloom too...

Heading around the side of the house now...

I forgot to ask if the Cycad will stay outside all winter.

Looking backwards (towards the front and the street).

Heading towards the side gate...

And into the back garden.

Beautiful Bamboo...(with a Mahonia and Aspidistra).

Real? I'll never tell...

Manihot. Next year I will track down one of these...

Even better! Manihot and Schefflera!

Now that's a nice clump of Mahonia 'Soft Caress'...

Schefflera, perhaps S. delavayi?

A peek towards the jungle...

That's the path we took into the back garden...

On the back deck...

And admiring more Bamboo...before we leave.

Thank you Sean for so willingly sharing your garden with others!