Some photos from around the garden, and forcing myself to start the Great Migration

Each autumn there comes a day when my trusted weatherman issues the warning; changes ahead, the rains are returning. Get done what you need to get done outside because dry days will no longer be the default.

If I haven't already begun the Great Migration, this is my call to action. Here's the thing though, it's mid-October and it still hasn't happened. In fact up until this week we were enjoying summer-like temperatures. Now it's cooled (high 60's to mid 70's) but it's still dry. That blue sky calls, urging me to enjoy leisurely days in the garden. However, when viewed through the changing foliage and ripening fruit of Poncirus trifoliata (Citrus trifoliata) I know the clock is ticking.

So starting the Great Migration (non-hardy plants moved to the basement) has been difficult. I feel no sense of urgency. I want to putter. Taking photos seems like a good diversion, right? This Kumara plicatilis (aka Aloe plicatilis) will need to go inside, it's only hardy to 20-25F, likely less when it's in a container.

These Agave victoriae-reginae are much hardier (10-15F) but they want to stay dry. I'll leave them here, in a well-draining container unless things get super crazy.

Semponium 'Sienna', in a container. It will stay as a test. The Semponium I left planted out through last winter (which was admittedly mild) did great until they were snacked on by a bunny. Only one survived that.

The spines of Dasylirion wheeleri lit by the sun.

None of my Eryngium guatemalense bloomed this year. So sad.

Androsace sarmentosa, perhaps var. yunnanensis.

Agave 'Blue Glow' Compacta. I have every intention of leaving these tucked right here for the winter. We'll see how that goes.

To the driveway planters, where the Sarracenia are looking quite lovely.

Those veins!

Those areoles! 

Wait, what? Aren't areoles the modified buds that distinguish cacti? The "diagnostic feature" used to determine if you're looking at a cactus, or another succulent that looks cactus-like, such as Euphorbia? Yes, they are. But etymologically speaking, the word areole comes from Latin areola, which literally means a "small open space" or "little area". And I just learned that's what the windows (the feature that tricks insects into thinking they can get out, and thus exhausting themselves) on carnivorous pitcher plants are called. Huh. 

Moving on... Agave lophantha 'Splendida'.

And the opening buds of Anigozanthos 'Celebrations Masquerade'... crazy color, right?

Walking into the back garden now (still taking pictures, still ignoring the idea of moving plants), this area was a construction zone for several weeks from early August until mid-September, while Andrew painstakingly scraped the house all the way down to bare wood and then primed and repainted. He was very respectful of the plants and what damage did occur was *mostly* on things that die-back and grow new foliage/fronds next spring/summer. The reason for this photo is the Calycanthus floridus var. purpureus Red Zeppelin® I brought home from the Farwest Show has found it's place in the ground. 

Fingers crossed it has enough sun to keep the foliage dark AND that it's a few years before I need to start pruning to keep it a manageable size.

Cool fertile frond on Blechnum novae-zelandiae.

Okay, somewhere in this narrative I actually did start moving plants. The sheer number that need to be moved (by just me) means I can't wait until it's down to the wire, especially when I've got travel lined up for later in the month. So I began, slowly. This area was much fuller prior to the Nepenthes, Tillandsia, and Asplenium nidus going indoors. I kind of like this simpler look (note to Spring '27 self).

One of the benefits of moving plants when it's still gorgeous outside is that you get distracted and it's okay. You aren't under the gun. You can pause and appreciate the light... 

Speak of that light, wowsa... Begonia  'Taconite' looks crazy good when backlit.

I hated to disturb the Ficus pumila 'Monier's Hardy' growing up and through this small pot of cacti, it looked so cute.

Another moment when the light was just right, in this case on the fronds of the potted Dicksonia antarctica.

This crazy plant! Hedera helix 'Erecta' was growing in a container, where it produced the small ladder-like leaves. Since planting it out in a stock tank it's started to bend and produce the larger stacked leaves.

I did finally locate my other Fling-crush, Caladium 'Burning Heart' (as seen in this garden).

Caladium are usually is grown as annuals in my climate, but I'd really like to overwinter it. Have you ever successfully done so? Any tips you can provide would be most welcome.

A couple photos of plants that were getting cleaned up before going inside, this is my Pinguicula planter... and (almost) everything is still alive! I've kept Pinguicula and Heliamphora alive for 6 months! Fingers crossed my luck continues.

These Pachypodium lamerei have been with us nearly as long as we've lived here, that's some 20+ years.

Inside now (I know, this post is getting long... just a few more photos) and before we go down into the basement garden I had to share a fern, Microsorum diversifolium, that Jerry recently gave me. I love it!

And the last of my summer zinnias. I pulled the plants out and cut the last blooms over three weeks ago, I appreciate these are still looking so summer-like.

Okay, down to the basement. Where you might be surprised at my progress given all the excuses I've shared. 

I've tried to remember to snap a few photos as I go. It's nice to have a record to look back on year after year.

New growth on my Platycerium grande.

The green wall...

Microgramma vacciniifolia and a tiny orchid.

Microsorum brachylepis 'Datun' put on so much new growth this summer.

A cold front moved through over the weekend and last Saturday's low of 41 (Sunday even colder at 39!) certainly caught my attention. More things were moved... space is filling up.

When the calendar says autumn, but the days are still sunny and relatively warm, I find it hard to imagine a time will come when I want to be anywhere but in the garden. Then, when it starts to get cold and wet, well, it’s just not fun anymore. And now that the sun sets before 6:30 (!) it's nice to be able to go downstairs and see part of the garden...

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. 

A few of my ferns

Since my fern ramblings tend to be rather Pyrrosia heavy, I thought I'd do a fern-focused post that wasn't on that genus. It's also not about my other fern love, dryland, sun-tolerant ferns (I've already done one of those). It's also not comprehensive. When I think about writing a post dealing with just one type of plant, I tend get a little obsessed about cataloguing them all, which is why I haven't done a post about my agaves in a while. So that's what this post isn't, what is it then? Just a look at a few ferns around the garden, plants I think are cool and wanted to share photos of...

Drynaria (Aglaomorpha) coronans, aka basket fern—the common name references the way it grows naturally. If I lived in USDA Hardiness Zone 10 I could mount this plant on a tree, where it would grow to hug the trunk and form a "basket" to collect debris that would (along with rainfall) feed the plant.

But since I can't leave this fern outdoors year round in my climate, I grow it in containers that can come inside over the winter. The plants in the photo above are growing in a hanging trashcan lid. The shallow planting area means there's not too much soil and the metal material blends into the other containers in my garden.

This short terracotta planter used to be filled with Aglaomorpha coronans. I pulled the plants out to divide them so I could share with at friend. In doing so I broke off the piece you see stuck to the side, I didn't realize just how strongly it was secured to the terracotta. 

I would have never had the courage to break it off on purpose, but I'm thrilled to see how it does. I stuck an Asplenium nidus (bird's nest fern) in the container, I think the two took good together.

This is my oldest Aglaomorpha coronans. It's fronds are super tall...

On to a couple ferns on the patio... 

Ferns and agaves existing side by side.

Blechnum gibbum 'Silver Lady', a dwarf tree fern. I brought this plant back from our trip to CA last January.

It's done well outside over the summer. I hope I can keep it happy indoors over the cooler months (it's not winter hardy here).

Blechnum tabulare. 

It's another one that's not hardy here, but in its native South Africa it's a tree fern.

In this same corner of the patio is my collection of Sphaeropteris cooperi (aka Cyathea cooperi, Australian Tree Fern).

The larger one was our Christmas tree back in 2024, the smaller one I picked up at West Seattle Nursery this spring.

There's a third now. Thanks to the mystery lady who left plants on my doorstep a few weeks back.

They're so fuzzy!

This little epiphytic fern, Selliguea platyphylla, is doing well on its mossy lithophytic mount.

It's all an experiment after all...

Speaking of experiments, Blechnum brasiliense continues to do well in this planter with minimal soil.

Pyrrosia sp. SEH#15113 (from the RSBG) is smashed in there with it.

From Far Reaches Farm, Lepisorus cf. sect. pseudovittaria MD 15-45. Just rolls off the tongue, right?

I can't believe how much growth this kokedama'd Campyloneurum angustifolium has put on this year.

When I bought it back in 2025 it only had a half dozen or so fronds.

In the terracotta dish on the step is Microsorum thailandicum, the blue oil fern. On the left, in the square planter, is Neolepisorus fortunei 'Green Ribbons'...

Which will always win the prize (or at least be a contender) for best sori in the garden.

I lied when I said this would be a post without Pyrrosia, a couple were bound to sneak in. 

Pyrrosia hastata, I repotted it this spring and it's been a shaggy plant star all summer.

Athyrium otophorum

I love the coloration on this fern. The only thing that would make it better is if it were evergreen.

Planting an Asplenium trichomanes the other day, I looked up to see I was actually sitting under the fronds of one of my Dicksonia antarcica, a tree fern. It's in a container, but still... a happy moment.

I brought this little cutie home from my trip to Spokane in April, a gift from a gardener I visited there. He labeled it as Neolepisorus ovatus.

It's put out a few new fronds this summer.

Davallia perdurans PMD, from Far Reaches Farm.

This is the ferniest fern in my garden. Not a look I am normally drawn to, but I love it.

I'll wrap things up with a new frond on one of my Woodwardia unigemmata. They've all been tortured for the last month and a half as Andrew has been scraping the back of the house (all the way down to bare wood), prepping and painting. I gathered them up and tied them at the base, then flagged each planting so they don't get stepped on. This plant decided to push out a new frond in September despite that treatment, yay!

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.