Tammy's Garden — a stop on the 2017 Garden Bloggers Fling

As a former "Fling" planner I speak with experience when I say that both planning a Fling AND opening your own garden to the group during the event is pure madness. Only a crazy person would sign up for such a thing...

Naturally that meant Tammy, lead planner for the 2017 Capital Region Fling, did just that last June. She's a Wonder Woman.

If you follow Tammy's blog, Casa Mariposa, you already know her garden is all about the pollinators.

But it's also got style, Tammy's own individual stamp. We all loved it.

From our Fling materials: "Tammy’s garden is a study in improvisation and imperfection that has been dogscaped to meet the needs of her canine crew. Her cottage style garden is completely organic and packed with native plants and ornamentals that attract and support wildlife. All annuals that attract pollinators are grown from seed during the winter. The garden features a 67 foot river bed dug by hand that ends in a rain garden designed to prevent runoff from entering the storm drain and flowing to the Chesapeake. "

I think the back porch and steps were a favorite of just about all of us.

Or rather I should specify the pots and plants on (and in) the the steps. What a collection!

This is just so very Tammy. A happy plant just growing right up through the pavers.

No problem!

The river bed (or is this the rain garden portion?) was a thing of wonder and beauty.

And even though she swore we were seeing her garden "as is..no time to primp!" it was photo-shoot ready.

Happy Garden Bloggers, snapping away...

Hmmm... love that fuzzy succulent. An Echeveria? (note, another something growing out of the pavers to the right)...

I really should know what these are...anyone?

Love the bud.

Love the flower.

Hosta perfection!

Thank you Tammy for including your wonderful garden on the Fling itinerary and putting together such a memorable event!

Weather Diary, Oct 25: Hi 62, Low 43/ Precip 0"

All material © 2009-2017 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

Wednesday Vignette, the park

Our 2005 Portland house hunting adventures were full of dead-ends and near misses. For months my trips home from work included drive-bys of potential homes and new listings. I still remember the day I pulled up in front of the house that has become our home. It just felt right. A big part of that was the park at the end of the street, just a half block away. My house in Spokane had a park close by and I missed it. One of the best things about the park? The big old deciduous trees. Beautiful leaves that I don't have to rake up!

Those leaves are magic...

Weather Diary, Oct 24: Hi 70, Low 44/ Precip 0

Wednesday Vignettes are hosted by Anna at Flutter & Hum. All material © 2009-2017 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

It's a happy day when plants arrive with the mail...

These large boxes arrived on my doorstep back on July 10th, just a couple weeks after Janet Sluis — of the Sunset Western Garden Collection — emailed to ask if I'd be interested in trialing their new Mahonia X media 'Marvel'...

I don't know why this make me laugh but it does. Good advice though!

Oh ya, look at that foliage...

There were two boxes because they were concerned something like this might happen and wanted me to be sure to get at least one happy plant. These guys traveled though some seriously hot weather en-route and spent some quality time inside a steamy delivery truck.

They look pretty darn good all things considered (and see, I gave them a big drink)...

Love those bright yellow Mahonia flowers...

Since they were large plants I wasn't quite sure where I'd find room for them in my cram-scaped garden. Then in August the neighbors behind us trimmed up the Laurel along the fence-line (behind the bamboo stocktanks by the patio), suddenly there was light where there used to be dark. And empty space!

They're perfect for there, I'm thrilled.

I'm sure my neighbors to the north would have preferred this "softer and kinder" Mahonia had been planted next to their driveway, rather than the pokey Mahonia x media 'Charity' that's there. Oh well!

Since we have such great nurseries here in Oregon it's rare I do mail order, however I scored a gift certificate from High Country Gardens during the Bloggers Fling in June. So of course I went shopping...

I find the fact HCG doesn't ship when you order, but rather when they feel the right time is, rather irritating. Now granted my order included bulbs, but seriously. I can't plant an Agave in October, but I could have planted it in July, when I placed this order. Now I have to hang onto this until next spring, when I know it's the right time to plant.

Why did I order an Agave?

Because "In the outdoor landscape, the leaves of this selection turn reddish-pink in color..." cool huh?

photo borrowed from High Country Gardens

My order also included a pair of Marrubium rotundifolium.

A surprisingly hard to find — in these parts — groundcover. This is another plant I'll have to hang on to until spring. It's great for the xeric garden...hence planting it in October in Western Oregon (rain!) probably isn't the greatest idea.

That said I have a plant I purchased at Hortlandia (the HPSO spring plant sale) in 2015 that's doing just fine. So I know it can be happy here. I just want to give it the best possible chances and not plant it at the beginning of our wet season.

The final part of my order was Crocus bulbs, yep...I'm taking the bulb plunge!

I blame Alan of the Mardi Gras Gardener, last spring he posted drool-worthy photos of his orange Crocus, I vowed to get a few of my own.

I think the grass-like foliage will keep me from being too annoyed by it once the blooms fade.

photo borrowed from High Country Gardens

So, plants via mail, it's a fun thing!

Weather Diary, Oct 23: Hi 64, Low 48/ Precip 0

All material © 2009-2017 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

In a Vase on Monday, since I can't be out in my garden...

Today's vases went together on Friday, as we were heading into an extremely wet weekend (1.8" on Saturday alone, another .89" on Sunday). There is so much in the garden that's looking amazing right now. I don't want to miss out on any of it, I want to be surrounded by it. Thus more came into the house than probably should have and today's "In a Vase on Monday" suffers from a little excess...

The tall dark 'Vertigo' grass was cut back to go in a vase, and needed something equally dramatic to go with it. A golden Tetrapanax leaf to the rescue.

I can see the Clematis tibetana var. vernayi blooms from the bedroom window, but there are so many I thought I'd try a few in a vase too.

Joining the Clematis are a few Syneilesis aconitifolia and Paris polyphylla stems.

A small black vase holds Lunaria and Albizia seedpods.

In previous year's Halloween-season posts I have fielded comments from people who saw something racist in this 1950's "Luminous Masklite" vintage cardboard Halloween bear mask. I briefly considered removing it from our mantle before taking this photos, as it is not my intention to offend. However I decided to leave it because, it is a bear. Not something else.

Another bit of vintage decor...

And a detail from a new piece from Andrew, which is a little ghoulish, as that's a basket of hearts.

I tried to integrate that wonderful Arum italicum seedpod into a vase arrangement, but since I only had one it just didn't work.

So instead it keeps this guy company.

Over on the dining table there's a bit a lot more going on...

Tillandsia, Callistemon seedpods, old bee's nests, magnolia flower centers (the ones that didn't turn into full on seed cones), etc...

Amsonia hubrichtii stems along with cuttings from my Ludisia discolor.

Hoping the orchid stems will root.

There are also poppy seedpods, velvet pumpkins, and a small vase with cuttings from Alternanthera 'Little Ruby' (another I'm trying to root) and Impatiens omeiana.

Autumn is supposed to be about abundance, right? Visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for links to other Monday vases...

Weather Diary, Oct 22: Hi 61, Low 47/ Precip .89"

All material © 2009-2017 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.