We go out walking

A sunny Sunday afternoon was the only push Andrew and I needed to head out the door and go for a walk. While we've had some nice sunny and dry days, they certainly aren't ever taken for granted this time of year...

I think this is Cordyline banksii Electric Star, I love those colors.

Urban birds need houses too...

This sliding gate is vaguely familiar, like I've photographed it before. Seems possible as I love the look, I'm also quite fond of the stock tanks used as a safety barrier on the roof-deck.

Peek-a-boo! I see opuntia pads back there.

This was my most exciting discovery of the outing.

A nice big Echium pininana forest!

Technically these biennial/triennials aren't hardy here in Portland, but we've obviously had a few mild winters. 

I made note of the location, if this winter continues without an obscene arctic blast then there should be quite the tower of flowers late this spring.

I wonder how old these guys are? I could hear someone moving around inside the house, but never saw them so I didn't get a chance to ask.

Moving on...I bet this is a cool, shady and enclosed space in which to take a load off, in the summer time.

Hanging above you would be this fine creature... 

I am the last person who should be making guesses at grass ID, but I think this is Bouteloua gracilis 'Blonde Ambition'—I loved it against the colorful phormium with the horizontal texture of a brick wall there behind it all.

And finally, passing by McMenamins Kennedy School and almost home, we had to pause and admire the colorful Mahonia gracilipes berries.

Weather Diary, Jan 6: Hi 53, Low 46/ Precip .76" 

All material © 2009-2021 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

Wednesday Vignette, Top Nine...

If you're on Instagram you've probably seen the "Top Nine" grids that get posted at the end of the year. It's a fun way to look back at a year in photos, as ranked by visitor "likes". Here's mine for 2020, the number in the cloud (a new feature this year) is the number of likes the photo received ...

Six of the nine images are from my garden: four are front garden vignettes, one a close-up of a mahonia growing on the north side of the house (middle row, left), and one a back garden vignette (the bromeliads and dish planters, also middle row, right). The two planty photos that aren't from my garden are bottom row; left and middle. These were both taken in other Portland gardens. Then of course there is Kamala. I ran across this image of HER and the past VP's the night the election was finally called for Biden/Harris, I found it to be so powerful that I posted it, even though I couldn't properly attribute it. That's a fact that still bothers me—having had my own photos reposted with out attribution—but hopefully the creator of the image will forgive me.

So I thought it would be fun to look back at the Top Nine from previous years, and see what patterns emerge...

Here's 2019. Right away you can see two of the same vignettes were popular; the Agave ovatifolia and Yucca rostrata in front of our living-room window, and the bromeliads and dish planters next to the garage. Three more Agave ovatifolia images make the cut too! 

In 2018 (below) the "living-room window" vignette appears again (X2) and the photo of the patio with sarracenia and the potted Agave ovatifolia shows up again, almost—but not quite—the same photo as in 2019 (above). Interestingly the Artemisia versicolor 'Sea Foam' reappears as well, this time paired with Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple' whereas above it shows up with Euphorbia rigida and a bit of Fothergilla gardenii 'Blue Mist'. It's also pretty funny that the neighbor's cat, relaxing in a patch of my Adiantum venustum, was included.

2017 was the first year I was hip to the Top Nine meme, and as you can see things stay remarkably consistent, considering the hundreds of images I have posted on Instagram over the years....

Weather Diary, Jan 5: Hi 51, Low 42/ Precip trace

Wednesday Vignettes are hosted by Anna at Flutter & Hum. All material © 2009-2021 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

It's publication day!

A proper, serious, type of author would never resort to this kind of foolishness. But you've never had any idea that I was any of those things, have you? 

Well I hope not! Truth be told, this outing started with a bit of disappointment. Andrew and I initially headed to Powell's in downtown Portland—our first such trip since COVID lockdown last spring. Local friends who've ordered the book via Powell's had told me it was being shipped. I assumed that meant it was on the shelves. Not so quick there missy! Nope, nothing. I have to admit I was a little bummed. I mean Powell's is THE BOOKSTORE. We'd visited there even before we lived here. Then again this trip took place last weekend and Fearless Gardening didn't officially publish until today. 

So, Garden Fever nursery to the rescue! My friend Amy Campion (co-author of Gardening in the Pacific Northwest, with Paul Bonine) works at Garden Fever and she'd sent me the photo below, so I knew it was in stock there. Yay! Thank you Garden Fever!!!

Curious what other bloggers are saying about Fearless Gardening?

Gerhard Bock (Succulents and More) has posted a review of the book, and he's giving away a copy, contest runs through January 15th: Fearless Gardening by Loree Bohl: book review + giveaway

Linda Brazill (Each Little World) shares here thoughts in a post on garden books called: Gardening by the book in 2020.

Tamara Paulat (Chickadee Gardens) is also doing a giveaway that runs through January 16th. Her review is: Fearless Gardening by Loree Bohl: Book Review.

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Weather Diary, Jan 4: Hi 53, Low 45/ Precip .54 

All material © 2009-2021 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

The post-holiday mantel

I've said it before, and here I am saying it again. As much as I LOVE decorating for the holidays—which I do immediately after Thanksgiving—I also LOVE taking everything down as soon as Christmas is over. Bam! Outta here. In with a fresh new look for the longest, darkest, month of of the year. This transition usually involves buying cut flowers in the genus protea, and this year is no different.

Let's start with a close up of my New Year's wreath, made from foliage of Grevillea Ivanhoe and a few NOID leucadendron flowers.

Unfortunately neither of these are from my garden, they were purchased with this creation in mind.

Having worked with both of them before I am confident they'll dry nicely.

The guzmania I'd purchased as part of the Christmas cheer are still going strong and have been moved into different containers at the base of the fireplace surround.

Now let's look at close-ups of what's on the mantel. I've considered doing a purely cream and green pottery arrangement before, but I think this might be the first time I've actually followed through with it.

Starting on the far left. I am unsure of the species name of this one, but I love it's furry top.

Each of these pottery pieces has memories attached to it. I might not be able to remember the plot of a movie we saw last month, but I can tell you who I was with, and where it was that I bought each of these. For example, the piece with the candle. This is the first time I've used it. I bought it in December of 2019 when I was up in Spokane visiting my parents on my mother's birthday. It was a little bittersweet digging it out and remembering time spent together—since I haven't been able to see them since then.

In a post I did on Instagram I called the big pink bloom a Protea 'Pink Ice', but have since learned (thanks to a protea grower) that it's actually Protea 'Venus'...

Whatever it's name, it's gorgeous.

These dried blooms have been in my collection for years. You know that memory I was just touting? Well it's failing me as to when or where I bought them. I just remember that we left town shortly afterwards and I was thrilled to come home and find them "preserved"...

Years back I scored a gorgeous black jewel orchid at Portland Nursery. It looked fabulous and I gave cuttings to several friends. Then it just sort of imploded. Dead. I've wanted another but since then this plant has become one of the darlings of the houseplant craze. In other words I could not rationalize the cost. So I was rather happy to find this tiny start for a reasonable price at Marbotts.

Did you spot this print in earlier photos? Here's a bit of synchronicity for you. I'd already planned to redo the mantle with some of my cream and green pottery, then on Christmas morning I opened this chromolithograph from Andrew, it took what I wanted to create and turned it into a landscape. The plants and colors, they're perfect.

Here's a close up. Mittelmeerflora is German for Mediterranean flora, at least that's what Google Translate tells me...

Another jewel orchid, this one 'Lightning Bolt'...

Looking further to the right...

Since candles seem to be rather hard to find these days I had to settle for ones of a smaller diameter than I'd hoped for. Nothing a little moss and palm seeds from the trachycarpus display couldn't make up for...

Actually you've probably noticed I used those trachycarpus seeds quite liberally, they have a nice opulent quality to them. Like grapes in a painting, but longer lasting.

Cryptanthus NOID

And a planter filled with black anthurium, I went a little crazy when I saw these at a local garden shop.

Drama to the tenth degree...

So that's how 2021 rolled in here at my place.

Hopefully most of these things will sail right on through this long, dark month and the next thing I know it will be February!

Weather Diary, Jan 3: Hi 54, Low 43/ Precip .16" (with .96" on the 2nd and .20" on the 1st) 

All material © 2009-2021 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

Happy New Year!

And as a New Year's resolution may I suggest...

And hey, if you're free next Wednesday evening, January 6th, at 6:30 join me as I celebrate the release of Fearless Gardening with an online (Zoom) talk for the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon! Cost is just $5 for members, $10 for nonmembers, more info: here. 

Weather Diary, Dec 31: Hi 54, Low 47/ Precip trace

All material © 2009-2021 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.